What is living with eczema?
A staggering 23.5 million adults have eczema across Europe, affecting roughly 1 in 10 of us at some point in our life. In a 2018 study of 1,189 patients across Europe, 84% reported having daily symptoms, and for those who suffer, these symptoms can have a profound impact on all aspects of our daily life, whether it’s that relentless itch, the lack of sleep, or the continued loss of self-confidence which can affect our mental health.* On World Atopic Eczema Day, Karo proudly supports all the thousands of patients who benefit from the effective emollient therapies we distribute across Europe.
Anja Af Klint , Marketing Manager at Karo generously shares her story to highlight the significant impact that living with eczema has had and continues to have on her daily life.
Anja, what is living with eczema?
Through my life, I have suffered from atopic eczema. I would flare up in periods, and other periods being completely fine. Moisturizing twice a day and using steroids from time to time would keep the flare-ups at bay. Until two years ago.
?I want to share my story because I know there are so many sufferers out there going through what I did. To all of you – hang in there.
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The eczema that had mainly come and gone in my arm and leg folds suddenly started to spread like a fire all over my body and face. The strongest steroids were no longer working, and I felt I was trapped in my own body. I went from being that happy, social person to letting my eczema control and take over my life.
"I would wake up in the morning, never knowing how bad the eczema would be or what I looked like this day.”
I would wake up in the morning, never knowing how bad the eczema would be or what I looked like this day. You look at yourself in the mirror – and the reflection of this, barely recognisable you, makes you cry in a second. The tears pouring down your face sting your red, flaky patches – and the swollen face you woke up with from the eczema gets even worse because of the crying. You cancel your day, stay inside, and try to concentrate on the work required that day. With a bone-deep itch that gets worse the more you scratch, you desperately apply every cream you have at home to try to soothe it in order to find focus. Your partner comes home from work and eczema around your mouth is so bad you can’t smile when he walks through the door. You go to bed, and the itch is worse than ever because there is nothing distracting you. You do your usual bedtime routine, taping pillowcases over your hands to make sure you can’t scratch in your sleep. It takes hours to fall asleep and the stress starts to take over. You know you need sleep for the eczema not to get worse. You wake up, and the same story again. And again, and again, and again. For a year this went on. I did all I could think of to make this living hell go away. Light treatment, homeopathy, Chinese herbs, supplements, strict diets, staying away from alcohol, fresh aloe vera on the eczema, acupuncture, copping, allergy testing, vacuuming and changing sheets every day, shorter showers - you name it. You desperately try to identify your triggers and ways to make the eczema go away.
Today I take injections for my eczema, which has saved me. Today I live the life I did before, but with a constant consciousness around my eczema and potential triggers. Today the broken-down self-confidence I struggled with last year has improved and I am now the outgoing, happy person I was. Eczema is not just a skin disease – it affects your whole life. From the physical pain to the mental pain – and we need to take it seriously and do everything in our power to help all the eczema warriors out there.
Passionate about international business - connecting internal- and external stakeholders across geographies and cultures
2 年Sharing your story to help others. Courageous and heartwarming Anja Af Klint!
CPO
2 年Kudos Anja Af Klint for sharing your tough experiences so openly. That’s great as I am confident it will be of great help for others suffering from eczema. I am so glad to read how the treatment have not only impacted the actual symptoms in a positive way but also your general wellbeing now being able to live life genuinely happy and to its fullest every day - a to me personally very important purpose that unites all of us at Karo Pharma.
Managing Director - North West Europe
2 年Anja Af Klint inspiring story again today. You reminded us how amazing it is to serve consumers with our products, and how far there is to go. Thank you for being so transparent!
Chief People and Sustainability Officer and Head of Corporate Comms at Karo Healthcare
2 年We have such an important task in helping people live their lives to the fullest. Thank you Anja Af Klint for sharing your story.
Brand growth strategy, communications & innovation delivery, market collaboration.
2 年Thankyou so much for sharing your story Anja Af Klint . We still have so much listening and learning to do to really understand how we can help the millions of people suffering every day from this debilitating condition. But we’re making a start.