A mother of four has gone into detail on the “heartbreaking” ordeal that has made her daughter feel “ugly” and like a “bad kid”.
A mother has detailed her eight-year-old daughter’s “heartbreaking” ordeal after a severe eczema flare-up has left her feeling “ugly” and like a “bad kid”.
Mia’s body has been covered in blistering red scabs that are constantly itchy and aggravated.
Her face, scalp, legs, wrists and ankles are the worst affected, with her family trying a range of methods to try to treat it.
Toowoomba-based mother of four Melinda Peatman said it was tough to watch her daughter struggle and not be able to do much to help.
“She’s a pretty resilient kid, but quite often she’ll tell us she’s a bad kid because she can’t stop herself from scratching or that she’s ugly,” she told NCA NewsWire.
“It’s certainly not nice to hear as a parent, but we’re trying to do what we can for her.”
While Mia has struggled with eczema in the past, Ms Peatman said nothing compared with this current flare-up.
“It’s heartbreaking … my daughter has always had sensitive skin but this flare-up is horrific,” she said.
“It’s everywhere. Her palms, her feet, in her ears, her eyes, her scalp … everywhere there is skin and she cries non-stop.
“She goes to school in the wraps and the carers apply the cream during the day. I’m so sad for her that there’s nothing more I can do.
“She’s up all night itching and we are emotionally drained.”
While Mia is directly affected, her eczema has taken a toll on the whole family.
“At times it’s harder on us because she wants to be with us or on us, but it’s not possible to do that,” Ms Peatman said.
“It does get a bit crazy and tough.”
Mia’s current flare-up was so bad that Ms Peatman rushed her to the hospital emergency last month.
They also tried twice weekly bleach baths at one stage, though they “didn’t really do much”.
“It’s really frustrating because they (the doctors) promise you these things will work and when it doesn’t it’s disheartening,” Ms Peatman said.
“You’re doing everything that they tell you to do but you’re not getting anywhere in making her feel better. It’s hard to put her through it after you’ve promised her these things after the doctor has told you it will work.”
Mia recently started a new treatment and has experienced a “dramatic improvement”.
The new cream has taken a lot of the redness out of her flare-up, though she is still feeling “super itchy” and struggling to sleep at night.
Australia has one of the highest rates of eczema in the world, with one in four children suffering from the debilitating skin condition.
MooGoo chief executive Melody Livingstone said the skincare company had recently been inundated with similar stories to Mia’s.
“Australia has one of the highest incidences of eczema in the world, and it is only getting worse – 50 years ago, only one in 10 Australian children suffered from it,” she said.
“It can develop for a number of reasons, including climate, lifestyle, hygiene and genetics, and can become easily infected, causing pain, inflammation and lack of sleep.”
Eczema often gets worse at this time of year, according to dermatologists and skin experts, due to factors like the weather, mould heating, rugging up, constant handwashing and stress.
Originally published as Eight-year-old Mia feels ‘ugly’ and like a ‘bad kid’ due to her eczema
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