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My confessional: Isabel, atopic dermatitis

My Confessional: Isabel, Atopic Dermatitis
For Isabel, an atopic dermatitis patient, eczema is a common thread in her family medical history.
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    Updated on October 23, 2024

    For Isabel, an atopic dermatitis patient, eczema is a common thread in her family medical history.

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    Transcript

    00:00
    I think my lowest point with eczema is when it just keeps-- you keep getting flare-ups and you're not understanding why.
    00:08
    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
    00:14
    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.
    00:24
    I'm 27 years old. I work for a financial asset management group in Midtown East in New York City.
    00:30
    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.
    00:37
    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.
    00:44
    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.
    00:51
    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
    00:59
    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.
    01:06
    So this actually provides me some instant relief. I've been using it for years and it just is something that immediately soothes me.
    01:13
    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
    01:20
    in a very woody, green area, so I'm able to take a lot of hikes throughout the day.
    01:27
    I'm working from home currently, so that's been nice to get some exercise. Some food that's always stocked my pantry is--
    01:33
    my doctor is not going to like when I say this, but cheese. The healthy kind. I have avocados always.
    01:39
    I have quinoa, which is good for when I want pasta, I reach for the quinoa instead.
    01:45
    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.
    01:53
    More easy said than done, for sure. I think advice that I would give to others with eczema is definitely seeing your triggers
    02:00
    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.
    02:06
    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.

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