As anyone with eczema will know, atopic dermatitis can impact your desire to socialise. This can be due to feelings of insecurity and self-consciousness, or anxiety caused by being in a situation where you are unable to tend to your skin in the event of a flare-up. As a result, you might avoid social situations, and could feel isolated from family and friends.
You deserve to enjoy a fulfilling social life - surround yourself with understanding family and friends and take practical steps such as writing a checklist to help you focus on something other than your skin.
Finally, remember to revisit your doctor to ensure your treatment suits your lifestyle and habits.
Three adults in their 20s, Amara, Aramide and Zainab, were interviewed to give their experiences of living with eczema.
Read moreAmara, Aramide and Zainab said that at some point in their lives, eczema had negatively impacted their social life and that they had struggled to communicate this to friends.
Amara, Aramide and Zainab also sympathised with those whose fear of their skin being sore or bleeding made them hesitant towards socialising with friends or intimacy with their partner. Zainab described herself as being a “hermit” during her final year at university when a flare-up was particularly bad.
She recalled that her skin used to stop her enjoying warm weather, saying:
Although socialising can be hard during a flare-up, Amara, Zainab and Aramide stressed that changing your mind-set is really important, and self-confidence is the key to accepting something you cannot change. Whilst everyone deals with their eczema in a different way, make sure you are taking steps to boost your overall confidence. This can be as simple as exercising or getting your hair done, or looking at yourself and remembering all your good qualities.