Lessons from patient & healthcare practitioner perspectives on the eczema experience among people of color – from the inside out

The isolation can start so young. For some children living with atopic dermatitis, or eczema, before they can really even fully comprehend that the itching and pain they feel is a medical condition, they already notice the reactions other people may have to their symptoms. The uncomfortable stares. The thoughtless comments. During National Eczema Awareness Month in the United States, it’s not enough to recognize the physical symptoms that millions of people living with this condition face. We must also recognize the isolation and frustration they often endure.

Last month on World Atopic Eczema Day, I participated in “Talking About the Inside and Out,” a virtual event in partnership with SELF Magazine. The panel was a special opportunity to better understand the true burden of eczema from many sides, particularly for people with skin of color. The conversation included people who live with eczema, like Daniel Boey, a fashion and creative director, T.V. personality and author from Singapore, and Cynthea Corfah, a journalist and social media specialist from New Orleans, as well as professionals who study and treat the physical and psychological impacts of the condition – triple board-certified dermatologist Zakiya Pressley Rice, M.D., and Alishia McCullough, a licensed mental health counselor, author and activist.

All of the panelists’ stories expanded upon the reality behind a sobering fact: Eczema affects up to 10% of adults and about 20% of children globally. Incidences are even higher among people of color , and some of the keenest insights from the panel revealed four ways that the experience of eczema can serve to accentuate feelings of otherness and isolation.

1.? Feeling alone among peers.

Daniel described the lengths he’s gone to pursue his dreams while managing his eczema. While managing his eczema did not hold him back from going after these dreams, he often felt alone as he pursued a career in fashion, where everyone around him was so often fixated on conventional standards of physical beauty. Eventually, when his success led to a role as a judge on Asia’s Next Top Model, the exposure of being on T.V. brought him into contact with people who were inspired by his example. He received so many messages of support and gratitude from other people living with skin conditions.?

2.? Feeling different when seeking care.

Cynthea described a different side of disconnection – the struggle to find healthcare professionals who recognized the unique facets of her condition. When she experiences a flare, she gets patches of darker, raised skin that itch and sometimes even ooze. It became clear to her that the dermatologists she saw had not been trained to recognize her symptoms or the way eczema presents in skin of color. She didn't see herself reflected in the eczema literature she found in doctor’s offices, which depicted red rashes on white skin, so she began documenting her flares herself.

3.??Feeling frustrated by failure.

Dr. Rice is all too aware of the challenges patients like Cynthea can face; she pointed out that Black patients are much more likely to see several dermatologists before finding one who is right for them. She suggests looking to the American Academy of Dermatology and the Skin of Color Society for a board-certified dermatologist who is experienced in treating skin of color.

4.??Feeling tired of not being recognized.

Alishia McCullough noted that the work to navigate all of these barriers can magnify the emotional toll eczema can take on a person with skin of color. She pointed out that representation is an important component to access – that every patient deserves an opportunity to see a provider who resembles them, should they choose that route.

Going forward, we must forge the connections that patients need.

The insights shared during this panel reinforce why the efforts making inroads within our industry to help ensure equitable care in dermatology are so important. To support patients with skin of color, we must do all we can to understand and address the health disparities standing in the way of equitable care. It can start with simple things – supporting fellowship and a sense of community in patients of color and providing multilingual eczema patient education materials are examples – but we must also go further.

For example, at Pfizer, we are working to make a difference by supporting efforts to provide resources to help practitioners become more familiar with recognizing eczema and other skin conditions in people of color, using technology to improve clinical trial access and helping ensure equitable access to treatments, among others.

With sustained focus, steps like these can help steadily shape a healthcare system that provides equitable care to all patients.

Learn more .?