In my adolescent stage whenever I saw a person with some skin issue, like rashes, redness, cracked skin, pigmented skin etc, I used to avoid interaction and felt a little intimidated. To me having a poor skin was appalling, and the thought that people with derma issues may have something contagious always crossed my mind.
There are definitely many circumstances where a skin condition might be contagious, but one thing is for sure – Eczema is Not!
The other day I took my son for his first day at school, that day his eczema was quite prominent, especially on face. So one of his teacher’s asked me whether it is contagious or not. She had a very unsettling look, but obviously I can’t blame her; no one wants to be exposed to something not desirable. Anyhow, I assured her that it’s not and informed her more about atopic dermititis and it being more of a genetic thing.
In Pakistan eczema is not as common as in some of the other countries, so naturally you can’t expect people to know the details. But we as the sufferers (or relatives, friends etc of the sufferers) of this disease should definitely raise awareness in our country as well.
I don’t want my child to feel different just because people glare at him or avoid him because of his not-so-perfect skin. He has been battling with eczema for the past three years and to me he’s the bravest 3 year old I’ve ever seen. All the other children who are on the same boat, I commend them with my heart. They are the tiny warriors who always smile, despite being in a continuous struggle.
Praying that our children may grow out of this horrendous condition. Insha Allah.