Lets start at the beginning...

For as long as I can remember, I have suffered from eczema. Although up until I was 19, it was fairly mild - mainly just affecting my inner elbows and the back of my knees. I vaguely remember seeing many doctors and dermatologists about it, when I was younger, were they'd just encourage me to cover myself in emollients a million times a day. As a child it barely bothered me, and I certainly wasn't going to be wasting time I could be playing, smothering myself in greasy cream. I mainly just left it be and it would come and go as it pleased.

Coming up through my teens, I became a more self-conscious of the red scaly patches on my arms and legs, and would just use any old steroid cream I had laying about - even if it was 5 years old. How that makes me cringe, now that I have learnt so much about medicine in my Pharmacy degree. But anyway, it seemed to do the job just fine.

Fast forward to being 19 in my second year of university...and the real trouble began. I was getting ready for a night out in Newcastle, and decided it would be a good idea to try out the perfumed body lotion that came in a set I got for Christmas. There I was, just rubbing it in, enjoying the scent wondering why it has took me so long to try it, unbeknown that I was going to wake up covered in eczema head to foot. Ever since that moment, 3 years ago, I have being struggling with eczema that covers around 70% of my body. Not only was the huge surface area a nightmare, it also does not seem to respond to steroid creams.

                             There I am on the right. Blissfully unaware of the damage I had done to my skin...oops.

Now to the present. After finally seeing a dermatologist in December 2016, I currently have two UVB phototherapy sessions a week. Still covered in eczema. So not entirely sure how effective it is yet, but I will keep you updated.