• Home
  • Politics
  • Health
  • World
  • Business
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • More
    • Sports
    • Entertainment
    • Lifestyle
What's Hot

Trump Announces First Post-Tariff Trade Deal

May 8, 2025

100 Funny Father’s Day Quotes for Hilariously Relatable Humor (and Plenty of Love Too)

May 8, 2025

Top 10 Benefits Of Acupuncture

May 8, 2025
Facebook Twitter Instagram
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
Thursday, May 8
Patriot Now NewsPatriot Now News
  • Home
  • Politics

    Security video shows brazen sexual assault of California woman by homeless man

    October 24, 2023

    Woman makes disturbing discovery after her boyfriend chases away home intruder who stabbed him

    October 24, 2023

    Poll finds Americans overwhelmingly support Israel’s war on Hamas, but younger Americans defend Hamas

    October 24, 2023

    Off-duty pilot charged with 83 counts of attempted murder after allegedly trying to shut off engines midflight on Alaska Airlines

    October 23, 2023

    Leaked audio of Shelia Jackson Lee abusively cursing staffer

    October 22, 2023
  • Health

    Disparities In Cataract Care Are A Sorry Sight

    October 16, 2023

    Vaccine Stocks—Including Pfizer, Moderna, BioNTech And Novavax—Slide Amid Plummeting Demand

    October 16, 2023

    Long-term steroid use should be a last resort

    October 16, 2023

    Rite Aid Files For Bankruptcy With More ‘Underperforming Stores’ To Close

    October 16, 2023

    Who’s Still Dying From Complications Related To Covid-19?

    October 16, 2023
  • World

    New York Democrat Dan Goldman Accuses ‘Conservatives in the South’ of Holding Rallies with ‘Swastikas’

    October 13, 2023

    IDF Ret. Major General Describes Rushing to Save Son, Granddaughter During Hamas Invasion

    October 13, 2023

    Black Lives Matter Group Deletes Tweet Showing Support for Hamas 

    October 13, 2023

    AOC Denounces NYC Rally Cheering Hamas Terrorism: ‘Unacceptable’

    October 13, 2023

    L.A. Prosecutors Call Out Soros-Backed Gascón for Silence on Israel

    October 13, 2023
  • Business

    Trump Announces First Post-Tariff Trade Deal

    May 8, 2025

    Electric Vehicle Sales Nosedive As GOP Takes Buzzsaw To Biden’s Mandate

    May 7, 2025

    Tyson Foods Announces It Will Bend The Knee To Trump Admin’s New Rules

    May 7, 2025

    Federal Reserve Holds Interest Rates Steady Despite Pressure From Trump

    May 7, 2025

    ‘Wait Them Out’: John Kennedy Tells Larry Kudlow One Lie He Suspects China’s Telling US

    May 7, 2025
  • Finance

    Ending China’s De Minimis Exception Brings 3 Benefits for Americans

    April 17, 2025

    The Trump Tariff Shock Should Push Indonesia to Reform Its Economy

    April 17, 2025

    Tariff Talks an Opportunity to Reinvigorate the Japan-US Alliance

    April 17, 2025

    How China’s Companies Are Responding to the US Trade War

    April 16, 2025

    The US Flip-flop Over H20 Chip Restrictions 

    April 16, 2025
  • Tech

    Cruz Confronts Zuckerberg on Pointless Warning for Child Porn Searches

    February 2, 2024

    FTX Abandons Plans to Relaunch Crypto Exchange, Commits to Full Repayment of Customers and Creditors

    February 2, 2024

    Elon Musk Proposes Tesla Reincorporates in Texas After Delaware Judge Voids Pay Package

    February 2, 2024

    Tesla’s Elon Musk Tops Disney’s Bob Iger as Most Overrated Chief Executive

    February 2, 2024

    Mark Zuckerberg’s Wealth Grew $84 Billion in 2023 as Pedophiles Target Children on Facebook, Instagram

    February 2, 2024
  • More
    • Sports
    • Entertainment
    • Lifestyle
Patriot Now NewsPatriot Now News
Home»Lifestyle»How a Chronic Eczema Flare-Up Created a Social Community
Lifestyle

How a Chronic Eczema Flare-Up Created a Social Community

March 2, 2024No Comments5 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
How a Chronic Eczema Flare-Up Created a Social Community
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

Have you ever stumbled (er, scrolled) upon an Instagram post and felt *totally* seen? Say what you will about the always-on digital world—at its core, social media is designed to connect people and help them feel less alone. And sometimes, it does a really solid job.

That’s certainly true for Alexis Smith, an eczema advocate who’s no stranger to the loneliness, secrecy, and insecurity that can come from living with a chronic skin condition. “Constantly being aware of what I looked like and what other people thought of me consumed my mind,” she says, “and all of that added stress certainly didn’t make my eczema any better.” She let it consume her life in secret—that is, until she turned to social media. “When I was 19, I started my Instagram account in an attempt to normalize skin conditions and make them more visible to those who may not know what [eczema] is.”

Fast forward a few years (through a buzzing social network, magazine covers, countless eczema expos, an online business, and more), and the self-proclaimed “skinfluencer” is shedding light and love on skin conditiong, one Instagram post at a time. Whether you live with eczema or your skin struggles look different, read Smith’s story and you might just get inspired to start your own social-media movement.

How Smith’s social story started

In the throes of her struggles with eczema, Smith searched for solidarity on all her favorite apps—but, scroll as she might, she couldn’t find anyone in her feeds that she could relate to. “There wasn’t any representation on social media,” she says, so she decided to create it herself.

See also  Supporting A Loved One In Alcohol Addiction Recovery

Her intent was simply to normalize eczema a bit. “Starting an Instagram account didn’t feel heroic, and I’m not sure I ever expected to make a difference,” she says. “I wanted it to reach people who have it, so they feel less alone, and I wanted it to reach people who [don’t] have it, so they could hopefully be more educated and less likely to make someone with eczema feel…‘different.’”

One unintended effect of creating a platform to empower others? Experiencing that same empowerment for herself, too. “In the beginning, I felt some imposter syndrome because…I was telling all of these people to be confident and show off their skin, but I still wasn’t entirely confident in myself,” she says. “[But] seeing how something as simple as posting unfiltered pictures of myself with [an] eczema flare-up helped people encouraged me to keep going—and it ended up helping my self-esteem, too.”

How it’s going

These days, Smith fills her time speaking at expos, designing eczema-inspired apparel, shining on the occasional Times Square billboard (yes, seriously), and always uplifting her social community with honesty and authenticity. “For the longest time, the only representation of eczema was basically medical photographs [of] someone’s arm or leg, just a picture of the eczema itself,” she says. “It was important to me to post photos of myself so you could see the person attached to the eczema.”

Instagram has taught Smith a lot about advocacy, too. “Early on in my eczema journey, I thought [that]…you go to the doctor and just do whatever they tell you.” Over the years, she’s seen how important it is to do her own research and learn from others in the eczema community—and “social media is excellent for this,” she says. Now, she comes to her appointments armed with knowledge that helps her make shared decisions, establish collaborative relationships with her doctors, and cultivate a bit more long-term comfort.

See also  Why Am I So Stupid? 12 Reasons Why You May Think That and What to Do About It

How she celebrates her skin

One way Smith celebrates her skin is through an ever-growing gallery of body art. “I’ve always been the artsy girl and tattoos have been a way for me to express that,” she says. A pause symbol on her wrist is especially meaningful to her—when she looks down, she remembers to stop and reflect on all the beautiful moments she’s had throughout her life.

Her tops tips for people with eczema who are interested in getting inked? Stick to areas where an eczema flare-up is less common and always keep coconut oil on hand for moisturizing. (Check out her story highlights for more tips about eczema and tattoos).

She’s also found joy in starting Lazy Babe Co., a clothing-and-accessories brand on a mission to make eczema more lighthearted. It began when she designed a few silly eczema slogan shirts (think: “Yes, I’ve tried coconut oil” and “It ain’t easy being itchy”), wore them at an eczema expo, and caught the attention of other attendees. Since then, they’ve become conversation-starters that encourage people to ask questions. “[Wearing] my eczema shirts is a way for me to say, ‘yes, I’m aware of the red patches on my skin, and I’m okay!'”

At the end of the day, Smith’s slogan is simple: “Having eczema does not make you ugly,” she says. “I’ve had a lot of people tell me they didn’t realize how badly they needed to hear that,” and she credits Instagram for amplifying the message. As for the silent struggle with eczema that she transformed into a social-media movement? “I can’t express how thankful I am that I was able to find this community—and how much they’ve helped my journey.”

See also  Community health workers fight for their place in the system

chronic community created Eczema FlareUp Social
Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

Related Posts

100 Funny Father’s Day Quotes for Hilariously Relatable Humor (and Plenty of Love Too)

May 8, 2025

Top 10 Benefits Of Acupuncture

May 8, 2025

101 Short Happy Father’s Day Quotes to Help You Express Your Gratitude and Love

May 7, 2025

110 Inspirational Father’s Day Quotes and Sayings to Help Celebrate Your Dad

May 6, 2025
Add A Comment

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Top Posts

Biden Asserts Executive Privilege, Refuses to Allow Release of 200 Hunter-Related Emails, But Waived Trump’s Executive Privilege to Raid Mar-a-Lago | The Gateway Pundit

September 3, 2023

10 Lions Killed By Herders In Kenya As Human-Animal Conflict Escalates

May 15, 2023

LSU Professor Allegedly Leaves Unhinged Voicemail and Wishes Death on State Senator Who Voted to Ban Sex Changes for Minors (AUDIO) | The Gateway Pundit

July 20, 2023

Supreme Court’s Indian Child Welfare Act Verdict Looms

June 5, 2023
Don't Miss

Trump Announces First Post-Tariff Trade Deal

Business May 8, 2025

President Donald Trump announced Thursday the U.S. has reached a trade agreement with the U.K.,…

100 Funny Father’s Day Quotes for Hilariously Relatable Humor (and Plenty of Love Too)

May 8, 2025

Top 10 Benefits Of Acupuncture

May 8, 2025

Electric Vehicle Sales Nosedive As GOP Takes Buzzsaw To Biden’s Mandate

May 7, 2025
About
About

This is your World, Tech, Health, Entertainment and Sports website. We provide the latest breaking news straight from the News industry.

We're social. Connect with us:

Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest
Categories
  • Business (4,110)
  • Entertainment (4,220)
  • Finance (3,202)
  • Health (1,938)
  • Lifestyle (1,626)
  • Politics (3,084)
  • Sports (4,036)
  • Tech (2,006)
  • Uncategorized (4)
  • World (3,944)
Our Picks

Bacteria discreetly dwelling in throat revealed to be primary source of Strep A transmission

July 18, 2023

Congress Navigating The Future Of AI In Healthcare

September 20, 2023

S&P 500 Fell 7% After the Last U.S. Credit Downgrade. What Happens After Fitch.

August 2, 2023
Popular Posts

Trump Announces First Post-Tariff Trade Deal

May 8, 2025

100 Funny Father’s Day Quotes for Hilariously Relatable Humor (and Plenty of Love Too)

May 8, 2025

Top 10 Benefits Of Acupuncture

May 8, 2025
© 2025 Patriotnownews.com - All rights reserved.
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.