Eczema is a skin condition that affects those who live with it to varying degrees. Luckier folks deal with the occasional flare-ups and keep it pushing after treating them. But for others, living with the condition is a nightmare. Connor Simpson is one of those individuals, the Mirror reports. The 23-year-old’s condition is so severe, everyday tasks like bathing and leaving the house are near impossible.
Simpson lives with severe eczema — his skin is frequently cracked, bleeding and extremely itchy.
In an interview with MyLondon, he explained it feels like his skin is permanently burnt. And he has “open wounds” all over his body.
His skin sheds often, and it has negatively impacted his relationship with his mother, who has to clean his dead skin off the furniture and floors.
Bathing is painful for Simpson as well. “Washing myself is so difficult because the water burns my skin,” he told MyLondon. “It feels like acid on my skin.”
Simpson needs to constantly lather his skin with creams to feel comfortable. Because of that, and how irritating the elements can be on his skin, he said he rarely leaves the house.
“I don’t really do much other than stay at home because even just a gust of wind can make me really itchy,” he said.
He struggles to sleep too.
“If I sleep for three hours, I consider that to be a good night’s sleep,” the South London native said, according to the Mirror.
He added that sometimes his skin can also have an unpleasant odor.
“At its worst, my skin would smell,” he said. “It smelt like something was dying on me.”
The 23-year-old used to treat his eczema with steroid skin creams — a common treatment for the skin condition, which he has used since birth. But over time, he noticed the cream compromised his skin. And he alleges that doctors didn’t tell him how strong the cream was.
Last year, Simpson decided to omit his steroid skin cream from his regimen, which has had some very harsh effects.
Simpson’s skin has aggressively flared up, and he has developed a condition called Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW). TSW develops after inappropriately using “moderate to high potency steroids on the face and genitals over a long period of time,” Dr. Ruth Jobarteh, M.D., told Bustle.
Simpson’s condition has affected everything in his life, including his ability to participate in society. He used to work at a gym and studied carpentry in college. Unfortunately, Simpson had to drop out because the chemicals and dust irritated his skin.
He recently moved out of his mother’s house because of rising tensions due to his skin shedding. The 23-year-old does his best to stay productive at home, but it’s difficult. He only receives £70 weekly from the United Kingdom government, and he uses those payments to pay the rent for his small studio apartment.
However, Simpson is still fighting to remain positive and is actively planning for his future. He said he would like to return to practicing martial arts, which he also stopped due to his irritated skin.
Simpson is also looking into other ways to treat his eczema, such as altering his diet and raising money for private treatment. He hopes that he can also receive access to better health care.
