患有溼疹的人希望你能知道這些事

It's not "just a rash." Here's what it's really like to live with this chronic skin condition.

溼疹並不只是"皮疹"，患有這種慢性皮膚病的真實生活是什麼樣的呢？

What do you think when you imagine eczema? A red rash, dry skin? Or perhaps even an issue that mostly impacts kids? But what many people don't realize is that eczema can be a painful, devastating condition. According to the National Eczema Association, 30 million people in the United States are currently living with some form of eczema. There are different types of eczema, so there's no one-size-fits-all treatment plan. The most common type is atopic dermatitis, which can occur in people from allergy-prone families, and is related to an underlying immune reaction that affects the skin.

當你想象溼疹時，你想到的是什麼？紅疹子，幹皮膚？亦或是主要影響孩子的疾病？但很多人都沒有意識到患有溼疹是件十分痛苦、絕望的事情。據美國國家溼疹協會表示，目前，美國有三千萬人患有各種各樣的溼疹。溼疹類型多種多樣，所以沒有全能的治療方法。最常見的就是特應性皮炎，過敏家庭的人羣會患有這類溼疹，這與影響皮膚的潛在免疫反應相關。

People with the condition can experience flare-ups at any time-sometimes for no reason at all-although eating the wrong foods, coming into contact with an irritating substance, or experiencing a bit too much stress can increase the likelihood. What's more, the symptoms often go beyond red, dry, itchy skin; eczema can disturb your sleep, impact relationships, and wreak havoc on all parts of a person's life. Chances are, you already know someone with eczema. Here's what they want you to know about their day-to-day struggles.

患有溼疹的人隨時都有可能發作--有時候什麼原因都沒有--儘管吃錯食物、接觸刺激性物質或承受的壓力有點大都有可能增加發作的可能性。此外，溼疹的症狀遠不止於皮膚紅、幹、癢，而且還包括睡眠、戀情受到影響、整個人的生活都遭到嚴重破壞。很有可能你已經認識了一些患有溼疹的人。他們想讓你知道這些他們日日所做的爭鬥。

Eczema is not "just a rash"

溼疹不只是"皮疹"

"I've been going through a particularly rough flare-up of my eczema for the past several months. I think the biggest misconception about the condition is that it's 'just a rash.' I feel like people don't take it seriously; even when I look up research on it, most is just targeted to children."

"過去幾個月，我溼疹發作的厲害。我想有關溼疹的最大誤解就是這只是個'皮疹'。我感覺人們沒有把它當回事；甚至當我搜索有關溼疹的研究時，大多數也都只是針對孩子的。"

The condition is more than just cosmetic

溼疹不僅僅是表面的

"In very bad cases or flare-ups, I can't sleep and have no appetite... Physically, people don't understand just how bad it can get. I can barely move my arms because every motion reopens a raw crack in the skin."

"在非常糟糕的情況下或發作的時候，我完全睡不着覺，而且毫無胃口……人們並不瞭解溼疹能給身體帶來多糟的影響。我幾乎動不了膀子，因爲每動一次，皮膚都會裂出一個新口子。"

Dry, itching skin can keep you up at night

幹而癢的皮膚會讓你一整晚都睡不着

"Eczema is the breakdown of the barriers that protect your skin. Sufferers of allergies may know what the rash feels like. Also, since your skin barrier can't really hold in moisture, dry, itchy skin is a constant battle. The discomfort of the itching and dry skin can lead to poor sleep, since you may, even subconsciously, scratch all night in bed."

"保護皮膚的屏障被分解就會產生溼疹。過敏患者可能知道患皮疹的感覺。此外，既然保護皮膚的屏障不能真正地保持溼潤，那麼幹而癢的皮膚就是一場持久戰。幹而癢的皮膚帶來的不適感會讓你睡眠變差，因爲你可能會潛意識的在牀上撓一整晚。"