My 30-Year Battle with Eczema: From Shame to Strength

(Patient Voice: Lynne Niemann, living with atopic dermatitis since age 2)

Imagine waking up every day to skin that’s raw, oozing, and itching so fiercely you can’t think straight. That’s been my reality since I was 2, triggered by a traumatic event. For over 30 years, eczema stole my sleep, shredded my bedsheets with blood, and left me in constant pain. Clothes stuck to sores, flares hit during exams or family fights, and the normal stress of life that I couldn’t escape. I lived in shame, hiding in dark corners behind my hair and in clothes that covered me from head to toe. I’ve been teased, called “dirty”, and asked whether I am “contagious” so many times in my life.

It wrecked everything in my life. Work productivity and my ability to focus tanked, my love life suffered, and even motherhood felt impossible amid the exhaustion. Social plans? Nope, I was too embarrassed, too tired to leave my bed, or stuck in a hospital bed.

It felt like I had tried it all. Wet wraps and liquid paraffin baths brought temporary relief, methotrexate zapped my energy, prednisone led to the worst rebound flares, and I lived on antibiotics.

Finally, at the age of 30 years old, I was admitted to Groote Schuur hospital, where I was treated for three weeks and taught how to deal with my skin.

The programme they ran at the time and the team of doctors restored my faith and gave me hope. I am stable and on a maintenance plan to keep it that way.

Emotionally, this has been a journey. Those scars linger long after the skin heals. Hypnotherapy healed my shame, daily exercise, some sun exposure, gratitude journals, my belief in God, bible study, and sleep aids over time have helped me to rebuild my life.

One good thing I can say is that eczema has given me the gift of resilience, and I can safely say that I am incredibly persistent and determined in everything I do.

I prioritise sleep and rigorously follow my maintenance plan. If I ever had an opportunity to shout something from the mountain tops to the medical professionals that deal with eczema, I would say the following: “Please understand our condition is chronic! We need to ditch short-term fixes and give lifelong plans.”

If you’re fighting eczema, you’re not alone. Share your story too!

Lynne Niemann