ALEXIS: Eczema is so much more than just a rash.
It is sleepless nights. It’s missing out on things that you really wanted to do. I mean, it’s definitely a roller coaster to wake up and feel like you have to cover a part of yourself.
TEXT ON SCREEN: Eczema affects over 31 million Americans. Source: National Eczema Association
TEXT ON SCREEN: Atopic dermatitis is the most common type of eczema. Source: National Eczema Association
TEXT ON SCREEN: Lanese
LANESE: A lot of times people, when they hear eczema, they just think dry skin, but they don’t understand.
You feel like your body is burning. It changed my life.
TEXT ON SCREEN: A survey from 2021 revealed that more than 30% of people with eczema were also diagnosed with anxiety and/or depression. Source: National Eczema Association
TEXT ON SCREEN: Rob
ROB: When you have eczema, there is a whole side to it that really kind of just goes under the radar. I stayed inside a lot. I would avoid going outside. It made me reclusive.
TEXT ON SCREEN: A film by Sarah Klein & Tom Mason
TEXT ON SCREEN:
UNDER MY SKIN
Untold Stories of Life with Eczema
TEXT ON SCREEN: Act I: The Diagnosis
TEXT ON SCREEN: Baltimore, MD
TEXT ON SCREEN: Alexis
ALEXIS: So I always had shame and embarrassment related to my eczema.
Like when I was in seventh grade, I was taking pictures with my friend and I remember, I kind of noticed that I was getting a little rash.
My mom took me to the dermatologist and he diagnosed me with eczema. From what I knew, there was a little tiny rash. It was fine.
But I was extremely wrong about that.
TEXT ON SCREEN: Syracuse, NY
ROB: It's hard to describe 23 years of not being able to live like a normal person. But as far back as I can possibly remember, I was always scratching away.
And then as I grew up, I just had big red patches everywhere. And it's so obvious, like there's no hiding it whatsoever. My neighbors would look at me funny and that always made me feel like I was an outcast.
TEXT ON SCREEN: Jacksonville, FL
LANESE: I've always felt like I could do anything that I put my mind to. But, you know, eczema, it will do what it wants to do.
When I was young, my mom, she would always have family gatherings and she had a barbecue and the whole family was there.
PERSON 1: Stop all that scratching baby.
LANESE: I must have been scratching for too long. And they told me, “Hey stop scratching.”
It made me feel like they don't understand. But that's when it hit me. Like, this is not just normal scratching.
ALEXIS: As I started to get older, it just got really bad all of the time. Spread like all over my face and like, I would always fall asleep in school because I would be up all night scratching.
You know, like, even just picking up my prom dress, I had to make sure it would hide what I needed it to hide.
I mean, that's the age where you're already self-conscious about what you look like. So I thought I was ugly. And as far as I knew, I was the only one dealing with it.
ROB: I couldn't move. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't take a shower. I couldn't go outside. I couldn't do anything. And between the slow suffering pain, the depression and the social anxiety, I felt like there was only so much I could do.
LANESE: Eczema, it just can affect everything you do. I couldn't put clothes on because the clothes would stick to my skin. Even walking was difficult. It would hurt to the bone.
As I got older, I was in and out of the emergency room so much and dealing with those type of things and not seeing anybody else deal with them. It was hard.
TEXT ON SCREEN: Act II: The Turning Point
LANESE: So when I had my daughter Brianna, I was just so happy. Having a baby, something clicks in you like, okay, this is my main focus.
But I just started seeing red spots on her skin that made me realize she has eczema. And then I remember one time I just, you know, went in there to wake her up and the pillow was sticking to her face a little bit.
She had scratched her face open so bad, her whole cheek was bloody. I felt defeated at the time because, you know me, I had it all my life and I'm like, okay, it's really severe. But seeing her go through that, I couldn't handle it. It just made me realize, like, I have to do something.
ALEXIS: With eczema, it was very rough for a while. I was like, everyone is going to be grossed out by me. I would always cover it with makeup. I would always do anything I could to kind of like hide the fact that I had it.
And then on the internet, I saw people doing, like, half of their face with makeup, half their face without, like, oh, look what makeup can do. And I was like, well, I have eczema. And like, I'm going to show people, you know, the half they've been seeing and then what I'm hiding.
I posted it on my page.
I wasn't expecting anything out of it, but then it got a really great response
COMMENTS ON SCREEN:
I feel you
You're so inspiring
Thank you thank you thank you
I have eczema too. Thank you for sharing and being so brave.
ALEXIS: People were like, I have eczema that looks exactly like that, and I've never seen that on anyone else.
COMMENT ON SCREEN: Alexis, I never knew
ALEXIS: Like, even a lot of my friends were like, 'Oh my God, I have eczema too.'' I'm like, 'What do you mean you have eczema too? We've been friends for years.'
ROB: I had become a reclusive guy that just keeps quiet and stays to himself and, you know, it was really hard to be completely alone. But I ended up meeting this girl named Cait.
TEXT ON SCREEN: Cait
CAIT: Visually, how I would describe Rob is gorgeous. My goodness gracious. We had a connection from the moment we met.
The eczema never made me uncomfortable. What made me uncomfortable was seeing somebody suffer in silence. And I told him, you deserve to sleep at night. You deserve to be able to walk outside and see the sunlight without feeling pain.
TEXT ON SCREEN: Act III: Finding Help
LANESE: That morning, when I found her and her face was bloody. I couldn't handle it. I was just like, we need to fix this.
I made it my mission to get us better.
INTERNET SEARCHES ON SCREEN:
Painful skin
Eczema
Severe eczema
LANESE: So I started doing a bunch of research looking into our diet, what we wash our clothes in. Met a really great dermatologist and just getting somebody that's compassionate and that is interested in solving the issue, it makes a world of difference.
ALEXIS: So with my first post, honestly, I thought people weren't going to like seeing that I looked the way I did.
You know, I was hiding for so many years. But now all of a sudden I realized it was something that a lot of people were dealing with. And I was like, you know, I feel like people need to know this.
COMMENTS ON SCREEN:
your journey, You are perfect
I really needed this today. I've had eczema for my whole life.
ALEXIS: I started posting a lot. Then eventually the following started building up. And now the eczema community is definitely a sense of strength for me.
ALEXIS: Hey!
PERSON 2 : Alexis, oh my gosh, it's so good to see you.
ALEXIS: How has your skin been?
ALEXIS: Now it's basically just one big support group because, like, we're all just there for each other whenever we need it, which is something none of us had before.
PERSON 2: Absolutely. I could totally picture that.
ALEXIS: And we're all just sharing about our little itchy experiences.
CAIT: Rob was feeling pain. And it was so hard to watch him suffer. But about two or three months after Rob and I started dating, I coincidentally got a job at a dermatology practice and I was like, Wow, I know somebody that needs this help.
ROB: I hadn't seen a dermatologist just because I spent the last 23 years before that avoiding people examining me. So I was nervous.
DR. CIZENSKI: Hi, Rob, how are you doing?
ROB: Good. How are you?
DR. CIZENSKI: Good. I'm Dr. Cizenski. It's nice to meet you.
DR. CIZENSKI: I remember seeing Rob for the first time and his eczema was pretty severe.
TEXT ON SCREEN: Dr. Jeffrey Cizenski
But with options that we have, there is really no reason that Rob should be suffering with eczema the way that he has. We started a journey to be able to make his life better.
I told him that there's going to be some bumps in the road, but we will get through everything together.
ROB: His treatment plan set me on the right path.
DR. CIZENSKI: Hey, Rob. How you doing?
ROB: I'm great. How are you?
ROB: There was a list of things I needed to change in my lifestyle, right down to the specific shampoo I'm using in my hair. And something that took him 5 seconds to tell me, you know, was a life changing thing for me.
LANESE: For me, I feel like even though I have different colors on my skin, scars, I embrace it a lot more than I did as a child and a younger woman.
It's really just me growing more and more confident because, you know, I have to be an example for my daughter.
ALEXIS: I realize having eczema does not make you ugly. And honestly, I want to give people what I didn't have, which is just someone that they can look up to that looks like they do. Because, you know, it's nice to just feel less alone.
CAIT: It's a beautiful thing to watch somebody build their confidence. Rob is on a different level now. I sensed a weight off of his shoulders. He has such beauty, so much charisma, and now he's just loving life, which is so incredible. And I'm so proud of him.
ROB: There's a whole playbook of things that go behind dealing with my eczema, and it's definitely an ongoing process. But between my girlfriend and my doctor, I have a whole team on my side for the first time. And I feel like I finally found a light at the end of the tunnel.
TEXT ON SCREEN: Lanese, Rob and Alexis hope their stories will inspire others living with eczema to talk to a doctor about a customized care plan that's right for them.
TEXT ON SCREEN:
UNDER MY SKIN
Untold Stories of Life with Eczema
Presented by AbbVie
TEXT ON SCREEN:
Directed by
Sarah Klein & Tom Mason
Featuring
Lanese Avery
Rob Paddock
Alexis Smith
Supervising Producers
Marcus Peterzell
Amy Slotnick
Producer
Heather Martino
Editors
Tom Mason
Jessica Gidal
Cinematography
Taylor Gentry
Bob Miller
Assistant Camera
Jay Hunter
Nick Solorzano
Dunstan Thompson
Field Audio
Matt Ritt
Matt Saeva
Kurt Seery
Colorist
Stephen Derluguian
Music
“Genius” by Luke Richards
“Legacy Unfolds” by Amie Doherty
“Joyous Things” by Jody Jenkins
“Past Life” by Terry Devine-King
“Falling Forever” by Richard Lacy
“Frog” by Helen Jane Long
“Energised” by Paul Mottram
“Not A Care In The World” by Matt Nasir
“Family Tree” by Alex Arcoleo
Appearances by
Dr. Jeffrey Cizenski
Caitlin Kearney
Filmed on Location in
Baltimore, Maryland
Jacksonville, Florida
Syracuse, New York
Publicity and Distribution
Passion Point Collective
TEXT ON SCREEN:
Passion Point Collective
Redglass Pictures
© 2024 AbbVie Inc
