WARNING: Distressing images
With excruciating blisters, raw open wounds and flaky skin all over her body, Brisbane mum-of-three Cath Davies says people think she is “contagious”.
The reality is Cath has eczema — a non-infectious skin condition that affects 2.8 million Australians.
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Cath has learnt to block out the nasty remarks thrown her way.
But her 13-year-old daughter Indigo also suffers from severe eczema and is herself now a target of bullies.
“Eczema affects your quality of life,” Cath tells 7Life of the painful condition she and her daughter have.
“People don’t realise how bad it actually is and often think I’m lying until they see a flare-up.
“We are not contagious! If anything, we are the ones more susceptible to things with open skin.”
Four years ago, Cath ended up in hospital after a significant flare-up left her body riddled with debilitating lesions and unable to move.
Her daughter was recently bed-bound for two weeks after her hands were fixed in a claw position from aggressive swelling and lesions.
Cath believes no one truly knows what she and her daughter go through every day.
“It looks like you have been burnt, and you feel like a freak,” Cath says.
“They’re itchy and raw with deep cracks, oozing and bleeding, with red hot inflamed lesions – sometimes right down to the bone.
“And it smells like your body is rotting from the inside, so you’re even more self-conscious.”
Now, the mum is on a mission to raise awareness about eczema, saying it is more than just dry skin — it is an all-consuming condition.
“People don’t understand how debilitating it actually is,” Cath says.
“No one wants to hire someone who looks like they are contagious or has to take so much time off when they have flare-ups.”
The mum has been navigating her eczema since she was young.
The expensive condition has infiltrated every aspect of her life, with Cath spending thousands of dollars on low-irritant products.
From washing powders, cleaning products and even certain foods, to high-quality all-natural bed sheets and even clothes, if she comes into contact with a synthetic or highly irritant product she will “pay for it”.
“When I need to leave the house and use deodorant, I know that tomorrow my skin will pay for it,” she says, explaining her skin’s reaction to chemicals in the deodorant.
“Sometimes you just can’t wash your hair because, if you are having a flare-up, even water stings.”
Cath’s eczema is mainly focused on her hands, knees and arms, but as she is ageing, the condition is impacting every inch of her skin.
Indigo was showing signs of eczema from when she was a newborn.
When she was 12 months old, her skin began to flare up and her mum knew she had a more severe case of eczema than originally thought.
“She had such a bad rash on her face and hands,” Cath says.
“When you were changing her, it was so heartbreaking to see your little baby bleeding and inflamed.
“She looked like a little old lady, all wrinkled, dry and crisp.”
Cath took her daughter to an allergy specialist who diagnosed Indigo with genetic eczema.
The specialist recommended an elimination diet, in the hope of finding foods which irritated the young girl’s skin.
“It was basically about removing absolutely everything,” Cath says.
“She would eat organic chicken breast, with ‘neutral’ veggies, such as carrots, but no tomatoes or rice.”
Alongside the restrictive diet, Indigo would also have “bleach baths” where she would bathe in a concentrated mix of hydrogen peroxide and water.
As Cath guided her daughter through living with eczema, the mother and daughter became closer than ever.
“Because I understand what it is like, I can really help Indigo,” the mum says.
“I am almost glad I have it so I can help her.”
Together, they trialled foods, brands of clothing, bed sheets and even skincare.
Cath purchased hundreds of dollars worth of soothing topical creams each fortnight.
Although she hadn’t found a miracle lotion for herself, she was determined to find one for her daughter.
“You would think these creams which are designed for eczema would be great,” the mum says.
“But when I would put on the cream, it would sting and burn, and Indigo would just scream.”
The young girl would writhe in pain, and her skin would go beetroot red, as her mum tried to soothe her dry and angry condition.
That’s when Cath discovered the sensitive skin brand, MooGoo.
The $24.50 Fast Hydrating Lotion provided instant relief, not just for Indigo but for Cath.
Cath raced to the shop and filled the bathroom cabinet exclusively with the brand.
Although MooGoo helps soothe their irritated skin, it’s not a cure.
“Our flare-ups can last months,” Cath explains.
“The blisters can pop, get infected and then we have to take antibiotics.
“But what can you do, not use your hands?”
Both Indigo and Cath have eczema from head to toe, with the main flare-ups on their hands.
Sometimes Indigo’s are so blistered she can’t even hold a pen at school.
Cath says eczema is not just a physical ailment, it’s mentally overwhelming as well.
“People underestimate the depression and isolation,” she says.
“The mental component is huge. Sometimes you don’t want to go out in public.”
While Cath tries to ignore the critical comments and the glares at the supermarket, she wants more to be done to help educate the public on eczema.
She hopes that by sharing her story people will stop assuming she is contagious — and instead understand what she and her daughter deal with every day.
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