Growing up, I was your typical active kid. But I was also the kid with the suite of allergies, eczema and asthma – a combination that frequently occurs together, known as the ‘atopic triad’. Apart from the odd flare-up, these conditions remained under control (with medical supervision) and I lived a normal life.
As a teenager, I was lucky to outgrow many of my childhood allergies, as well as my eczema. This reprieve lasted well into my twenties.
In my mid-twenties, I found myself in a particularly stressful season of my life. I was in a toxic workplace, and my home situation was unstable. What started as a small eczema patch along the line of the bra strap on my back ended up spreading into a full-body flareup over the months that followed. I returned to my dermatologist, who progressively prescribed stronger and stronger topical steroid creams. I
