Your Story Series: Meet Rheanca

What is your occupation?

I'm not employed yet, I am a high school student from regional Queensland.

How did you discover your skin condition and how long ago?

I have a skin condition called atopic dermatitis along with its associated allergy conditions: rhinitis, asthma, anaphylaxis and food allergies.

Atopic dermatitis is one of the several different types of eczema. It is a chronic skin condition involving dry, scaly, itchy skin and skin rashes, affecting localised or more extensive areas of the skin with symptoms ranging from mild and moderate to severe. A few people grow out of it, I am not one of them yet!

The kind of atopic dermatitis I have is generalised, severe and treatment-resistant. Scratching day and night has been part of my life since birth. I was hospitalised a couple of times as a toddler when bleeding and infection of my skin set in. My skin gets really bad on exposure to triggers like dust mites, hot sun, sweat and most chemicals including sunscreens and chlorine. During flare-ups, my skin requires extensive medicated dressings.

Besides preventive measures like avoidance of triggers, wet wrappings and using Solbari products outdoors, I regularly use daily medications for my skin condition.

Living with atopic dermatitis is the hardest of all the medical conditions I have because of the intense itching that can make my skin burn and put me in physical pain. But I have learnt to cope using the technique of mind over matter, like meditation, yoga and getting involved in heaps of co-curricular and extra-curricular activities. I am a happy teenager focused on what I can do and enjoy in my life, rather than stress about the medical conditions I have, or the foods and things in life I cannot have.

Thanks to you Solbari for this opportunity to be an advocate for the skin condition atopic dermatitis and for other sufferers of this skin condition in the community.

What is your attitude towards sun protection today?

I know that it is extremely important to protect my skin and eczema from the harmful rays of the sun so I always wear my Solbari arm sleeves. Since I can’t use sunscreen, I totally rely on Solbari. Besides the arm sleeves, I also use Solbari tops, Solbari leggings, Solbari sun hats and the Solbari umbrella, especially when I am out all day at the tennis tournaments. Solbari products help keep me and my skin safe and cool!