In 2021, Tia Mowry shared with Folks that her eczema had been misdiagnosed for years. “Eczema is unquestionably a power situation that’s very distinguished throughout the African American neighborhood, however sadly, there’s an enormous share of individuals struggling with [it] and it really goes underdiagnosed,” she mentioned.
She advised InStyle that when she was in her 20s, her Black gynecologist observed the peeling pores and skin on her arms and referred her to a dermatologist. However her signs first popped up throughout childhood within the type of raised, itchy spherical spots on her arms. “When my mom would take me to the pediatrician, the physician advised us they have been sunspots,” she advised Folks.
In accordance with the Nationwide Eczema Affiliation, eczema flare-ups in individuals with deeper pores and skin tones have a tendency to seem as brown, purple, or grey rashes, relatively than the pink or crimson patches that seem on individuals with lighter pores and skin.
Now that she understands what triggers her flare-ups, together with stress and sure meals she recognized by way of allergy testing (much less dairy, no alcohol), Mowry has felt a “big shift” and has discovered methods to higher look after her situation. And he or she needs different individuals of coloration to know they’re not alone if their story feels much like hers: “I really feel like that’s why I’m extraordinarily keen about illustration and why it’s so necessary. Whenever you see somebody that resonates with you or that appears such as you, it makes a big impact.”