Patient perspectives: living with atopic dermatitis

Patients explain what hardships they've gone through with atopic dermatitis and what they wish they'd known at the beginning of their journey.

Transcript

00:00

[MUSIC PLAYING] We underestimate, I think, sometimes the impact that atopic dermatitis has on just everyday things that most people don't have to think about.

00:07

[MUSIC PLAYING] So what do you wish people knew about atopic dermatitis?

00:16

I wish that my former dermatologist had had more discussions about stress, even also,

00:22

just discussions about looking into food intolerances, allergens, food intake. I completely agree with Abby.

00:29

I think that on the journey we've been on, these are things that we self-discovered. And especially, as a Black woman growing up

00:38

with atopic dermatitis, I did not see a lot of representation in the doctor's office. And it would have been nice to have, like,

00:47

a leading hand in that process. Absolutely. So I talk to my patients all the time about stress.

00:53

That's a big one because stress management really helps to take your body out of that pro-inflammatory state.

01:01

Medications are helpful. I'm a dermatologist, and obviously, I use medications. But I don't think it's mutually exclusive, one or the other.

01:08

Right. I always like to say, calming down the central nervous system is something that I've learned in my 30s now to help manage and cope my-- with my atopic dermatitis,

01:17

that I never knew before. So what would you tell other patients who maybe don't feel as empowered when speaking to their doctors about atopic dermatitis?

01:25

Definitely know that you know you are not alone in this. All it takes is just starting that discussion of how else

01:31

you can improve your skin. I'd just like to say, it doesn't happen overnight. And it's taken me a very long time to get here

01:40

to have this confidence, to have this knowledge, to be comfortable in my skin.

01:46

But give yourself grace. I think that's a really good point, that this is not a race. It takes a long time to really understand your skin.

01:56

And so patience is key. [MUSIC PLAYING]