‘The effect on mental health is horrendous. You feel dirty, it’s miserable’
Jane Symons hears of a pandemic double blow for eczema sufferers – with the condition worsened by hand sanitising and years of waiting for treatment because of a backlog of dermatology appointments
Judith Stevens can’t remember a time when she hasn’t had eczema. As an infant, her skin was so damaged and raw she was hospitalised. As a child she often scratched until she bled. And as a teenager she was bullied because of the state of her skin.
For much of her adult life, Judith, 65, has taken ciclosporin to try to control the condition — a powerful immune suppressing drug which was developed to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients. Yet regular flare-ups remained a fact of life.
Then Covid hit. Until recently, Judith worked as a medical secretary at a hospital near her home in Sittingbourne, Kent. “You are sanitising all the time and I was the one wiping down desks and phones.
My hands were an absolute mess, red raw and bleeding.”
And she is far from alone. Research for UK-based life sciences company Typharm found 78 per cent of people have experienced skin problems because of increased hand hygiene, a third reported cracked skin and 16 per cent were, like Judith, so badly affected their skin bled.
Sadly, skin conditions exacerbated by the pandemic are also more difficult to have treated because of the Covid-driven NHS backlog. Dr Tanya Bleiker, British Association of Dermatologists president, says: “There is a shortage of dermatologists in the UK and the backlog and ever-rising rates of skin cancer mean waiting lists are getting longer.”
According to the All-Party Group on Skin, in 2019 there were just over 800 dermatologists in the the UK — one for every 79,200 people. Dr Bleiker says ideally, we should have one for every 55,000 people.
“It is vital there is an increase in the number of trainee dermatologists,” she says. “In the meantime, it is important we give all healthcare professionals the tools and training they need to help patients.”
Eczema like Judith’s can appear at any age but commonly starts in childhood and affects as many as one in five children and one in 10 adults.
It tends to run in families and is often associated with allergies. The exact cause is a mystery, but its impact is not. A recent study found eczema increases the risk of depression by 14 per cent and anxiety by 17 per cent. Judith says, “People say, ‘it’s only eczema, it’s only a skin condition,’ but it’s horrible. The effect on your mental health is horrendous. If you feel scabby you feel dirty, it’s the most miserable thing.”
Yet in some ways, Judith considers herself lucky. The severity of her eczema meant she was already under a dermatologist who prescribed fludroxycortide tape impregnated with a fast-acting steroid.
“It was amazing,” she says. “Within 24 hours the pain had gone and the splits and cracks on my hands had started to heal. Now I call it my magic tape. It stops me scratching and clears a flare-up overnight.” But for most people, seeing a dermatologist remains difficult, with reports of patients waiting up to five years.
Dr Nisa Aslam, a GP with an interest in skin issues, says: “There is a range of effective over-the-counter treatments, from emollients to creams, ointments, medicated tapes and medicines.
“Finding the most effective is often trial and error, so it’s important to keep going back to your doctor for advice.” Judith agrees and says, “If your GP can’t help, ask to see the practice nurse. And ask about treatments like my magic tape, which is available on prescription.”