Raising awareness about skin condition

10:28am Friday 29th August 2008

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TO those who don’t suffer from it, eczema is seen as little more than a minor skin complaint – but to those who do, it’s a very different story.

Its effects can demolish a person’s confidence and self-esteem, infect every area of their daily routine and lead to them scratching their skin so hard in a desperate attempt to cure the itch it creates that they end up drawing blood or even needing hospital treatment.

Now a gala dinner dance in York next month in aid of the National Eczema Society is hoping to help provide people whose lives are blighted by the condition with greater support, as well as raising awareness of what it means and how it can be treated.

Inspired by National Eczema Week 2008, which runs between September 13 and 20, Rebecca Campbell – a graduate of York St John University – and her colleagues at the PR firm where she now works have organised the event at the historic York Hospitium in the Museum Gardens to raise funds for the society.

The 21-year-old began suffering from eczema soon after starting her course in York, and was horrified when she noticed red patches appearing all over her hands and face.

“It was a really difficult time for me – my confidence was rock-bottom, yet I was in a situation where I had to meet new people,” says Rebecca, who has planned the dinner dance with her co-workers at Bradford-based Approach PR, which handles the National Eczema Society media relations.

“The eczema, triggered by my allergies and the stress from my mounting workload, covered my whole face. My years at university should have been the best years of my life, but in some respects, because of my skin, they were the worst.”

Rebecca hopes the event will raise £4,000 for the society – the only charity which supports eczema sufferers – and has unearthed prizes including a luxury holiday, furniture and a day at a spa, for the dinner dance’s auction.

And she has found a kindred spirit in her new job in the shape of her colleague Suzanne Johns, who has had eczema for 23 years.

“It was just coincidence that Rebecca and I ended up working together at a company with close links to the society,” said Suzanne.

“My eczema started in my mid-teens and had a huge impact on me. I was conscious of my appearance, didn’t wear make-up like the other girls and would wear lots of clothes to hide as much skin as possible.

“When I began work, the stress made it worse and at one point I had to go into hospital because my skin was so inflamed. I was itching from head to toe and shivering because I lost so much body heat.

“Many people don’t realise eczema is so much more than a bit of dry skin and itching – it can have a devastating impact on sufferers and their carers. Its consequences can be serious and upsetting, and we hope National Eczema Week will help get this message across.”

The gala dinner dance starts at 7.30pm on September 19 and includes local Ceilidh band AppleJacks, comedian John Cooper and his stand-up show Life’s An Itch and a three-course meal. Tickets, costing £50, are available by logging on to www.approachpr.com.

The facts about eczema

* In the UK, it affects one in 12 adults and one in five children. The number of cases has trebled over the last 30 years.

* The most common form is atopic eczema, which often runs in families and can be triggered by stress, house dust mites and detergents.

* It can make skin dry, hot and itchy, leading to it becoming broken, raw and bleeding. The itchiness produces an urge to scratch which is hard to ignore.

* Treatments include emollients – special moisturisers – and topical steroids to reduce inflammation and redness and soothe the itch.

* More information is available by calling the National Eczema Society’s helpline between 8am and 8pm Monday to Friday on 0800 089 1122 or logging on to eczema.org