My Story: How Chi became an advocate for people living with atopic dermatitis

Chi, a content creator living with atopic dermatitis, discusses how her condition led her to advocate for herself and others.

Transcript

00:00

[MUSIC PLAYING] I feel more confident than ever in my life speaking with health care providers. That is only because I became my own advocate.

00:08

[MUSIC PLAYING] Atopic dermatitis has affected my life in different ways in different spaces.

00:17

Definitely when I was a child, it was way more disruptive. I mean, I just remember going to the ER all the time.

00:23

I was super young, so they didn't want to put me on any medication. But once I got to the age probably around 9 or 10,

00:31

I started using medication because it was just so bad. In my late 20s, I realized that I no longer

00:39

was comfortable with the medication that I was using. I just realized that I was on my steroid ointment for way

00:46

too long. And I was overusing it, and it was definitely overprescribed. Then I started going through a condition called

00:54

topical steroid withdrawal. And that changed my life immensely. I had to go through an entire lifestyle change.

01:03

I had to go through an entire career change. I became an advocate, and I learned so much

01:10

about this condition. Hi, guys. My name is Chi, and the videos that you're seeing are videos from my topical steroid withdrawal journey.

01:20

I can't tell you how to heal your TSW. I can only tell you that healing happens.

01:26

I started a skin blog because I had no clue what was happening with my skin. It just turned into building a community.

01:35

It turned into advocating for atopic dermatitis. It turned into advocating for topical steroid withdrawal.

01:42

It turned into making some real change in the future of eczema care. Now in my adulthood, my treatment looks way different.

01:50

I've learned that I have the ability to heal my skin from the inside out.

01:57

I celebrate eczema. And through that celebration, I've learned to live. I feel like there's still communities of dermatologists

02:05

who aren't having the conversations that we need to have. We are way more equipped now with more medication options

02:14

and treatments for eczema. And I feel like the patients have a right to know what all their options are.

02:22

Speaking out about AD has just helped me take my power back. I am in control of my skin.