Might make you cringe.
I have severe eczema, to the extent that aged 6, I was hospitalised for nearly six months because I pretty much had no skin. The reason for this? Slightly beforehand, I was introduced to the idea that, for the rest of my life, I'd be scarred.

To make me feel better, a nurse told me, "Scars are just brand new skin, like little babies have. There's nothing wrong with having them."

NEVER say that to a six year old. Seriously. Because I figured that, as babies didn't have horrible hives all over their skin, I just needed a new skin. I was already partway there- I'd made a good start! I just needed to get rid of the rest of it, and get the scars to join up in the middle.

Six months in fucking hospital.

So for fuck's sake, if you're going to lie to a sick kid, cut their fucking fingernails off first.
(Sivvus trolley collision in the fruit aisle led to a jam, Wed 18 Jan 2012, 22:06, 20 replies)

shit
thats harsh
( zulu eh?, Wed 18 Jan 2012, 22:13, closed)

Ouchies.
How is it now all these years later?
( Airman Gabber Living life like a 70's BBC presenter, Wed 18 Jan 2012, 22:44, closed)

Surprisingly good
It grew back reasonably well everywhere except my face, upper back, hands and feet, which are kinda bumpy and old-lady ish. :P

Ten years later it was the perfect excuse to get a tattoo. My mum started the "What'll it look like when you're old?" routine, and stopped halfway though. XD

EDIT: Eczema's still there, but they worked out it's because I'm allergic to soap (from shampoo to washing up liquid), dustmites, water, and various other things, so it's controllable. :)
(Sivvus trolley collision in the fruit aisle led to a jam, Wed 18 Jan 2012, 22:56, closed)

Apparently I had it bad when I was a newborn.
Cleared up apart from a patch the size and shape of a small naan bread on my left leg which absolutely battered when it flared up.. flaking, oozing and all that. Cleared up around puberty. I still have quite dry skin but no other symptoms, which is nice.
( Airman Gabber Living life like a 70's BBC presenter, Wed 18 Jan 2012, 23:04, closed)

Yeah, apparently it can be affected by hormones and stuff.
I expected mine to just vanish on my thirteenth birthday. :P

Although if you read the wiki page on what causes it, there are so many things- heat, cold, stress, boredom, water, build up of oil... that it's basically the dermatologists going, "well, your guess is as good as ours, really."
(Sivvus trolley collision in the fruit aisle led to a jam, Wed 18 Jan 2012, 23:16, closed)

Needs more research fo' sho'
Most doctors I've seen about it just file it under generic atopic eczema and there's no desire to find out more. A childhood or lifetime of steroids and emollients awaits most people.
( e.m.m.y. foxtrot uniform charlie kilo india tango, Thu 19 Jan 2012, 9:36, closed)

What I find odd
Is that 60% of the lotions etc they recommend to people with skin problems use cheap, crappy preservatives (to save money) which are actually illegal in a lot of other countries (Germany, for example) because they
A) Can cause cancer
B) Dry the skin out anyway
C) If you're particularily susceptable to their shitness, will actually burn your skin. (You know that stinging sensation some lotions cause... yup. That.)
(Sivvus trolley collision in the fruit aisle led to a jam, Thu 19 Jan 2012, 12:39, closed)

They have it figured out
that wanking 3 times a day is the best treatment.
(the other guy not the one that gave you coochie warts, Thu 19 Jan 2012, 0:22, closed)

You got it worse than me.
Nearly clawed my arms to shreds, a few times (saw a video about a girl who used a pair of scissors to strip her arms of skin - admired her technique!), but my worst memory is of it repeatedly flaring up inside my ear - couldn't scratch it even if I wanted to!
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Wed 18 Jan 2012, 23:48, closed)

I did the scissors thing, until my mum noticed
But ouch about the ears- that sounds awful. :(
(Sivvus trolley collision in the fruit aisle led to a jam, Wed 18 Jan 2012, 23:52, closed)

yowch.
hands and ears for me :(
( janet aylia y'all motherfuckers need jesus, Thu 19 Jan 2012, 4:05, closed)

Hands, elbows, knees and arms (knees and arms)
I don't think I ever used scissors, but I did stick safety pins through the flakey bits and pretend to be impervious to pain.
( e.m.m.y. foxtrot uniform charlie kilo india tango, Thu 19 Jan 2012, 9:28, closed)

Eyes and ears and mouth and nose,
head, shoulders, knees and toes (knees and toes).
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Thu 19 Jan 2012, 23:07, closed)

Hurrah!
Next verse!

*points at head*, shoulders, knees and toes (knees and toes)
*points at head*, shoulders, knees and toes (knees and toes)
And eyes and ears and mouth and nose
*points at head*, shoulders, knees and toes (knees and toes)

What japes.
( e.m.m.y. foxtrot uniform charlie kilo india tango, Fri 20 Jan 2012, 14:38, closed)

I had a sneaking suspicion that scissors would probably make things worse
(so you must have really had it bad - my sympathy to you), but I'd still happily jab the pointy ends of pencils in my ears - something I enjoyed so much, that I'd do it even when they weren't itchy (at least until a teacher spotted me and alerted my mum).
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Thu 19 Jan 2012, 9:22, closed)

I guess it's the pain>itching realisation moment that does it.
I was going to ask you how many cotton buds you got through. :P
(Sivvus trolley collision in the fruit aisle led to a jam, Thu 19 Jan 2012, 12:36, closed)

POIDH





nasty stuff that exzma , my gran developed it realy realy bad, so much so that if she whent out side in the rain she would turn to porridge
( fluffybunnykiller Is feasting on the clitoris of life, Thu 19 Jan 2012, 15:13, closed)

POIDH

( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Thu 19 Jan 2012, 23:06, closed)

Ouch
But on the plus side... free porridge.
(Sivvus trolley collision in the fruit aisle led to a jam, Sat 21 Jan 2012, 15:25, closed)

but i like mine with salt !

( fluffybunnykiller Is feasting on the clitoris of life, Sat 21 Jan 2012, 21:09, closed)