My Confessional: Isabel, Atopic Dermatitis

I think my lowest point with eczema is when it just keeps-- you keep getting flare-ups and you're not understanding why.

Or when they appear in places that you don't like, for example, on your face, or on your chin, or in your hands when you're reaching

for something or someone. And they see that, and they're like, oh, god, no. No, thanks. Don't touch. I'm Isabel and this is my confessional.

I'm 27 years old. I work for a financial asset management group in Midtown East in New York City.

So eczema does run in my family. My grandmother had it. My mom has it. My aunt has it. My sister has it. My cousin in Florida has it.

We all suffer from this style of eczema. So we're all very in tune to each other's needs and triggers and flare-ups.

I have had recent eczema flare-ups. I get them a lot on my hands and it becomes like itchy and red and puffy, like right in my knuckles.

Right here. I keep getting the flare up there. It's just not fun, and, you know, it really kind of makes you feel like you're a lot older than you are and you're a lot stiffer

than you are. Now I'm going to go into my bathroom and show you some of the products that help me with my eczema. As you can see, over here I have plenty of lotions and creams.

So this actually provides me some instant relief. I've been using it for years and it just is something that immediately soothes me.

When I do have eczema and I do have a flare up, I do still like being active. I don't let it keep me inside. So something that's nice is I live

in a very woody, green area, so I'm able to take a lot of hikes throughout the day.

I'm working from home currently, so that's been nice to get some exercise. Some food that's always stocked my pantry is--

my doctor is not going to like when I say this, but cheese. The healthy kind. I have avocados always.

I have quinoa, which is good for when I want pasta, I reach for the quinoa instead.

I just try to keep everything very balanced. I do like a lot of fruit. I like my vegetables. I try to stay clear of candy, but it's not the easiest.

More easy said than done, for sure. I think advice that I would give to others with eczema is definitely seeing your triggers

and where they're coming from. Pay attention to it. Take care of it. Know how you can take care of it. And continue living your life.

I try all the things I can try and travel where I want to travel and I don't let things like eczema hold me back.