One in five kids is hit by eczema 'and many suffer prejudice that ruins their lives'
I used to have it a little bit when I was a child. It was strange - for some years it was just on my fore-and middle-finger of my left hand, but gradually spread over my left hand and up my arm. It was really bad in winter, tolerable in summer. I used to apply creams twice a day.
Gradually I 'grew out of it'. At its worst, I would have open weeping sores that were just horrible. Even into my thirties I could have an attack, generally in winter, and generally after 'contact' with detergents. I put 'contact' in quotes because I always wear rubber gloves even for washing up, let alone hand washing clothes or house-cleaning. In the days when I ate meat, I would also have a flare up whenever I had chilli con carne. Even today I have some (out of date) steroid cream somewhere, and I keep a bottle of aloe vera hand cream in my desk drawer 'just in case' I need some partial alleviation from the pain. I never use elastoplast and I can't have my arms waxed.
But I had quite forgotten about it until reading this. There was a girl in my year at Primary School who had it all over her arms and legs and face; sometimes she would wear bandages, presumably to cover weeping sores. Even though I sympathised, I still found her repulsive.
I can't remember what was worse, the pain or the sight of those sores. But I realise I am so lucky that, even at its worst, I only ever had it on half an arm. And I had quite forgotten why I always use rubber gloves.
