BEATRICE Gaucahas has suffered from eczema since she was born.
The 22-year-old often dealt with rashes between her joints and began to notice the condition was spreading to her face.
Jam Press/Beatrice GaucahasBeatrice Guacahas, 22, has dealt with eczema since she was a child[/caption]
Jam Press/Beatrice GaucahasShe suffered a terrifying flare-up after a trip to Brussels, which saw her eyes swell shut and the skin on her face ‘fall off’[/caption]
But it wasn’t until a trip to Brussels in Belgium that the children’s gymnastics instructor from Carlow in the Republic of Ireland suffered from the “worst flare-up” of her life, which led to her being hospitalised.
Beatrice began sharing her skin journey on TikTok (@beatrice_gauca), gaining over 41,200 followers.
She recounted going to bed on March 15 after arriving Belgium, only to wake up in the middle of the night to find her eye was swollen.
Thinking it would go away, she was concerned to notice spots resembling chicken pox popping up on her face.
Things continued to escalate once Beatrice returned home to Ireland.
“My face swelled up, crust started forming around my eyes and I lost my vision for two days as my eye was sealed shut,” she said.
“I had no skin left on my face because it had peeled off and I felt a strong burning sensation.
“It was one of the most painful and traumatic experiences of my life.”
Beatrice’s flare-up got so bad that she had to go to hospital, where she remained for two weeks.
Doctors performed approximately five biopsies to try to find out what was wrong with her.
She said doctors pinned her symptoms down to an eczema flare up.
On top on being in incredible pain, Beatrice remembered being terrified that her skin would remain this way for life.
She said: “I was very emotional through this time. I thought I would never have my skin on my face back to normal ever again.
“I thought I would be scarred for life.”
Beatrice also recalled feeling incredibly alone during her ordeal.
“I felt like I had no one to turn to for comfort or support,” she added.
“Most of my family were abroad visiting my grandfather as he was severely ill at the time, which had me more down as I wasn’t able to see him since I was also in hospital myself.
“Of course I spoke to my family every day on the phone and they helped me a lot in regards to staying strong and having faith that I will recover, but virtual support and comfort is very different to an interaction in person.”
Since being in hospital, Beatrice has made a full recovery and has learnt to accept her skin condition.
She now follows a strict diet to lessen the effects of the disease and doesn’t let her flare-ups affect her mentally.
She said: “Before I learned to accept my skin condition, eczema had taken a large toll on my mental health and social life.
“I stopped going out to see friends, even stopped going anywhere when I had the slightest flare-up as I was so embarrassed at the time and didn’t want anyone seeing what I was going through.
“But, I am doing much better now, mentally and physically.
“I have made a big change in regards to what I eat and now my diet consists of healthy greens, fruits and vegetables, fish oil and drinking a small shot glass of collagen liquid every day.
“I have completely cut out wheat, gluten and dairy from my diet and since the change in routine, I have not suffered from a flare-up.”
The gymnastics instructor is now on a mission to raise awareness of eczema and help others who are suffering.
Sharing her skin journey on TikTok, she has garnered over 2.4 million views and 256,000 likes.
In a video captioned “My skin will never recover from this, I’m going to be scarred for life”, Beatrice shares a collection of clips of herself during her flare-up and afterwards.
At the start of the footage, you can see numerous pictures of Beatrice when her skin was at its worst.
It then cuts to photos of herself now she has recovered, with the new caption: “Not only did our face heal with scarring, it looks better than ever!”
People online fled to the comments to share their reactions.
One user said: “You’re so amazing for pushing through this and taking the time to recover.”
Someone else wrote: “Omg!! This is such a relieving ending. I know eczema brings a lot of insecurity, but your glow up is just phenomenal!!”
“Wow you look so gorgeous it must have been tough for you but you made it and the results is a beauty,” commented another user.
Beatrice added: “I have come to accept my condition and no longer see it as a flaw but as a reason to get out there and help others that are suffering with the same condition as me.
“It is important for me to share my story to show others going through the same situation that they are not alone and that it does get better and you will heal your skin.
“My main motive is to spread awareness about eczema to everyone around the world.”
Beatrice was admitted to hospital for two weeks and was terrified her skin would never recoverJam Press Vid/Beatrice Gaucahas
Jam Press/Beatrice GaucahasThankfully, the gymnast was able to make a full recovery and has now implemented lifestyle changes to avoid further flare-ups[/caption]
When should I seek medical advice for eczema?
See a GP if you have symptoms of atopic eczema.
They’ll usually be able to diagnose atopic eczema by looking at your skin and asking questions, such as:
whether the rash is itchy and where it appears
when the symptoms first began
whether it comes and goes over time
whether there’s a history of atopic eczema in your family
whether you have any other conditions, such as allergies or asthma
whether something in your diet or lifestyle may be contributing to your symptoms
Eczema can cause areas of your skin to become itchy, dry, cracked and sore.
There are usually periods where the symptoms improve, followed by periods where they get worse, known as flare-ups.
The severity of can vary a lot from person to person. People with mild eczema may only have small areas of dry skin that are occasionally itchy. In more severe cases, atopic eczema can cause widespread inflamed skin all over the body and constant itching.
Source: NHS