By: Clarissa Tan & Chuan En Tan
Through the thick veil of flakes and crust coating their skin, Rae Fung and Timothy Ng narrate their experiences with eczema, how they managed to overcome their insecurities and emerge more confident than ever.
Once a self-conscious teenager suffering from eczema, Miss Rae Fung, 24, now uses her experiences to help others overcome their fear of public speaking as a speaking coach. (PHOTO: Rae Fung)
“Why don’t I look like one of those pretty girls?”
For most of her youth, Miss Rae Fung always asked herself this question whenever she looked into the mirror, comparing herself to the women she saw on television and magazines, portrayed with flawless skin and beautiful figures. Juxtaposed against them, all she saw in her reflection was a defect.
As a child, the 24-year-old entrepreneur and speaking coach had to endure the pain caused by Atopic Dermatitis (AD), a chronic skin disorder that made her skin dry and itchy. Red blotches covered her body, from her neck and joints, down to her legs. Because of this, she was constantly consumed by how ugly she thought she looked.
According to SingHealth, AD is the most common type of eczema, and it is a skin condition that affects 21 per cent of Singaporeans or one in five people.
Eczema patients have to deal with the discomfort caused by the condition. It can come in minor forms such as dry, inflamed and itchy skin. More severe cases, however, include blisters with pus that threaten to break out, and skin that becomes so cracked and scaly that it tears open. Especially in Singapore’s hot and humid climate, it can exacerbate the eczema symptoms, causing the eczema-prone skin to easily flare-up.
This can be physically damaging to the point where one may even be unable to relax in their own bed. Quality of life is significantly reduced due to how it can interrupt sleep, making one wake up multiple times in the middle of the night.
Mr Timothy Ng has suffered from severe eczema on his hands and feet since young. The cracks on his skin produced many aches and pains even when he goes about his daily activities. (PHOTO: Timothy Ng)
Timothy Ng, a 26-year-old part-time student at Republic Polytechnic is one such person. For some time, his skin has been shedding excessively on its own, causing uncomfortable and sleepless nights.
Having developed AD on his arms and feet when he was in kindergarten, just taking steps inflicted much discomfort and pain on his legs. He has to avoid allergens like certain vegetables that could trigger his flare-ups, which is a common trait amongst eczema patients.
This chronic skin disorder is damaging not just to eczema patients’ physical well-being, but their mental body-image and self-esteem as well. It is a constant mental battle between the person and their body. The stress it brings can trigger more outbreaks, turning it into a vicious cycle. This inner negativity is what some eczema patients go through in their day to day life, and is something that Miss Fung was well-accustomed to feeling.
To find out more about eczema: https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSehasmhm
Hiding from the World
Developing eczema on her face and body made Miss Rae Fung ashamed of herself. She was mentally distraught because she felt like she could not speak in front of others because of how she looked. (PHOTO: Rae Fung)
Growing up, Miss Fung struggled with accepting the way she looked. She said: “The main reason why I didn’t feel good enough was because of social stereotypes and social standards of beauty that made me feel like I needed to have a flat stomach and look perfect before I could have a beach body, go out and wear a bikini.”
So whenever she went out, she would have a face full of makeup, even when going to the hawker centre due to how conscious she was about how she looked.
However, the constant application of makeup on her already fragile skin soon proved detrimental as it triggered the worst flare-up she had ever experienced, which lasted for six months in 2019. That incident became one of the major turning points in her life. She said: “I was forced to accept myself and go out and do the things I loved without makeup.”
She continued: “That gave me an opportunity and I took it because if I didn’t take that opportunity it means I could have just stayed at home all day and continued thinking I looked ugly going out of the house without makeup and looking red. But that (opportunity) gave me the chance to realise that people can connect with me despite having eczema and my eczema doesn’t matter in that sense.”
Overcoming Her Insecurities
In 2019, Miss Rae Fung had the worst outbreak of her life. Although she was covered in red from head to toe, it forced her to overcome her insecurities by doing the things she loved without hiding any of them using make-up. (PHOTO: Rae Fung)
This experience helped her to realise that people did not care as much about how she looked but how she made them feel.
“Actually, I feel most of the time it’s just us judging ourselves, people are too concerned about their own lives to notice,” Miss Fung said with a laugh. She continued: “When you focus on helping others, your career, and things that actually matter, you will slowly just not care about your eczema and how you look.”
In the last five years, she started to find purpose beyond her appearance. Going into entrepreneurship and starting her first business, she met other entrepreneurs and mentors. She said: “Because you don’t care, and you think about the thing that you’re doing (back then it was focusing on training and speaking, things I loved) I attracted people who were also as passionate and purposeful…”
“They saw potential in me that I didn't see in myself, for my talents and my strengths,” said Miss Fung. “That helped me take away the focus on my body as I focus more on building my business and serving others instead.”
A “heck-care mentality” is what she advocates. When someone stares at her, she would choose not to overthink it and instead move on. In her own words: “Whoever is staring at me, I don’t even know them anyways. They’re not my friends, so it really doesn’t matter.” Leaning on constants, like her parents, is important because they give her the fuel to keep going.
The Journey to Healing
The path to recovery was not easy, but as Miss Rae Fung slowly learnt to love and care for her body, her eczema improved. (PHOTO: Rae Fung)
Both Miss Fung and Mr Ng have seen improvements in their eczema. The key to this, Mr Ng says, is finding the right treatment that works for you.
From his experiences with the National Skin Centre, he noticed a lack of proper care for eczema patients.
“The doctors will just tell you it’s your problem but don’t educate you on how you should manage it,” said Mr Ng. He believes there is more to healing eczema than just applying moisturisers.
Mr Ng, who is now managing his eczema through an elimination diet (a diet that encourages you to avoid specific foods that you think are responsible for your symptoms), said: “I think it is important to do research but the information out there may not be true also so you really have to understand whether the condition people are talking about online is related to you.”
Due to his efforts to be hygienic and cautious of his food intolerances, Mr Timothy Ng’s skin is in the process of getting better. (PHOTO: Timothy Ng)
One thing Miss Fung and Mr Ng both agree on are that it is important to take care of your skin by moisturising regularly and cleaning your environment to ensure there is no dust or allergens around to irritate your skin.
Know Your Self-Worth
Miss Rae Fung conducted training despite her full-body eczema. She aims to educate her clients on overcoming their fear of public speaking and of being judged. (PHOTO: Rae Fung)
Her message to eczema patients who feel self-conscious about the way they look: Choosing the metric in determining your self worth is important.”
“Where is your self-worth built on?” Miss Fung raises a very important question not only to people with eczema but to anyone who fears others judging them.
“If it’s built on other’s opinions of you, then you’re in a very dangerous position because that means that other’s opinions of you can change and your self-worth will waver so you want to build your self-worth upon a solid foundation that can’t be changed, which is your core values and core priorities.”
To Miss Fung, values are like life principles that one should hold close to their heart. Be it integrity, hard work or gratitude to the things around them, these are the core values that ground someone as a person.
“If let’s say, being determined and gritty, bouncing back from failure is something that you’ll never change, allow yourself to use that as your anchor. Every time you’re at a low point, tell yourself that my core value is that I’ll always stay strong, I’ll bounce back from failure no matter what happens,” she said with passion and conviction in her voice.
Despite her scars and occasional flare-ups, she’s currently living her best life as she now runs her own coaching business and is empowering others to speak up through her own story. She hopes for the day when people with natural bodies, imperfect features and eczema, can all be properly represented in the media to show others that they are normal and there is nothing wrong with being who you are.
Miss Rae Fung advises eczema patients to surround themselves with positive influences in their journey to recovery. (PHOTO: Rae Fung)
Ultimately, eczema patients should surround themselves with positive influences in their journey to recovery. Miss Fung said: “Allow your loved ones to love and support you. Over time you'll realise that if others love you for who you are, you can too.”
Mr Ng adds: “Surround yourself with people and friends who are willing to walk this journey with you and who will not judge you.”
Most importantly, never give up hope that your eczema can be cured.
“I always believe that there must be a reason why this (eczema) happens, and there is always a way to resolve this. Doctors always tell me that my eczema is incurable but I still believe that there is a possibility that it will get well,” Mr Ng firmly expressed.
Check out other tips on managing your eczema: https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSehaQ5KJ
Incorporating habits that are good for your skin is essential in managing eczema.
Below are some recommendations that eczema patients can implement in their daily routine:
1. Moisturise Regularly
HealthXchange, a website run by SingHealth states that eczema patients should use a moisturiser a minimum of twice a day, after showering and before bedtime. However, applying moisturiser three to four times is ideal. Moisturiser should also be applied to the whole body to prevent eczema from developing on other parts of the body.
2. Use Gentle Products on Your Skin
According to the National Eczema Association, it is optimal for eczema patients to bathe or rinse using an unscented gentle cleanser that is free of fragrance and dye under lukewarm water for about five to 10 minutes a day.
3. Wear Cotton Gloves for a Restful Sleep
Wearing cotton gloves after applying moisturiser before bed can lock in the moisturiser and prevent scratching during sleep.
4. Wet wrap therapy
Wet wrap therapy works miracles to calm intense flares and itching. It rehydrates the skin and boosts topical medications to work better. Wet wraps should be done right after showering, moisturising and applying the needed medication.
Firstly, use clean white, cotton clothing or gauze in a roll to form the wet layer. Then, get pyjamas or a sweatsuit on top as the dry layer. Use vinyl gloves or food-grade plastic wrap as the dry layer and cotton socks as the wet layer for eczema on the hands and feet.
Secondly, wet the chosen cloth or gauze in warm water until it is slightly damp then wrap the moist dressing around the affected area. Use the dry layer to cover over the wet one and wear loose-fitting clothing so as not to disturb the dressing.
Lastly, leave wet wraps on for several hours or overnight and keep in mind to not let them dry out.
Take Care of Your Mental Health
Other than physical treatments, eczema patients need to take care of their mental health. According to the National Eczema Association, eczema patients should recognise stressful situations and events and learn how to deal with them by using stress coping techniques. Understanding stressors and learning how to cope with them will help to make you calmer and prevent your skin from flaring up.
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