6 positive Instagram accounts to follow if you have eczema
Eczema is one of the most frustrating, complex and misunderstood skin conditions out there. Since mild versions can manifest as a faint rash or a patch of dry skin, eczema can frequently be discounted and minimised by those who don’t understand the true misery and spectrum of the condition.
"I saw an article this morning where a study showed that eczema was more debilitating than heart disease,” eczema warrior, Joanne from @imthe.pr wrote in a post. “Sounds crazy but take it from someone who’s gone through it; that statement sounds about right to me.” The misrepresentation of eczema as “just problematic skin” means “people who suffer with it can be dismissed as being superficial,” she said, “but it is the most painful and excruciating experience to go through. Everything is painful. Sleeping is impossible. Anxiety is on 100.”
While, for some, the condition can clear up and disappear on its own, for many, the idiosyncratic (individual and unexplained) nature of the condition makes it almost impossible to identify exact causes and triggers. And, though there are many treatments that may alleviate symptoms, there’s no known cure. Perhaps most exasperating, is what works for one person won’t work for everyone. Many sufferers find themselves in a wilderness of axing dairy, ditching gluten, experimenting with sunbeds, upping their water intake, switching their diet, binning fragranced body creams and consciously trying not to stress (all of which can create more anxiety).
It’s a uniquely isolating experience and one that Instagram’s eczema community are all too familiar with. “What happened? I ate clean. I slept almost 8 hours. I’m not as stressed as I was 5 days ago. I’m not on my period. So what happened?” one post from @mypersonalskinjournal reads.
That’s why, finding a community through hashtags like #eczemawarrior, #eczemaawareness, #eczemahelp and #eczemahealing can help you feel supported, enable you to discover treatments that have helped others and build awareness and acceptance.
“The more and more people open up and talk about what body positivity means to them the more bases are being covered,” says eczema sufferer and body positive influencer, Karina Irby. “More people are seeing it. More people are relating and more people are feeling accepted...The more that these traits and features are shared and normalised, and people are encouraged to be comfortable in letting their guard down... the world will be a better place.”
Here’s 6 positive eczema influencers to go follow now...
@busybee.carys“Yes it SUCKS and it hurts to touch but I’m over worrying about my appearance to an extent that it stops me leaving my house?! Bloody heck there’s more to life!!! As I always say, life is for living!! Take a deep breath, take time for self care and take time to remind yourself that you are SO much more than your outer appearance. Your worth and value comes from YOU being you and not how healthy your skin looks or what dress size you wear. It’s just YOU. However you show up today, you’re bloody fabulous.”
@imthe.p“Still can’t believe that there are so many people all over the world suffering with this horrible skin condition. There’s so many triggers and reasons why people have and get eczema but one thing that I will always encourage people about is that you can 100% heal your own skin. The road to recovery is insane but if you’re going through this right now just now, it doesn’t always have to be like this. Myself along with so many other eczema warriors have battled this thing and come out the other side.”
@mypersonalskinjournal“Dear skin, Why? What happened? I ate clean. I slept almost 8 hours. I’m not as stressed as I was 5 days ago. I’m not on my period. So what happened?”
@karinairby“Kill them with kindness. I don’t even feel bad when people say horrible things to me about my cellulite, scars or eczema. Honestly, I just want to help better educate them because they clearly played with flawless dollies a little too long. More eyes. More conversations. More acceptance. More shares. More insults. All end up to more understanding. Even if some people have to take the long road to realising we are not made of plastic. So enjoy, accept and get over it. Welcome to being alive as a human being.”
@nicolaljohnston“My skin listens, it understands, and it reacts. It’s so important to realise your eczema is not the enemy. It is a friend, telling you that something is off, and it is reacting to that. For me, that is stress. Life right now means I’m unable to manage my stress like I normally would. And that’s OK. Sometimes, you don’t need to have all the answers, you just need to ride the wave and know that it’ll all work out.”
@theeczemaedit“This is probably my most favourite mask ever. It has a combination of vitamins, ceramides and antioxidants that leaves my skin feeling hydrated and plump. I love that I don’t have to wash it off as my skin just drinks this up. The best part is that it doesn’t burn or sting my eczema when I apply it! Sometimes I just layer it around my problem area (my mouth) and sit around the house or leave it on overnight.”
