Chronic eczema: how diet changes helped one man control his after years of failed treatments, and how he’s helping others
- Eczema, or atopic dermatitis, plagued Harrison Li in his childhood and teenage years. After 10 fruitless years seeking relief, he found it by changing his diet
- Having tamed the condition with a largely plant-based diet, he wrote The Eczema Manual and co-founded WeDerm, a Hong Kong social enterprise for eczema sufferers
Harrison Li Kin-cheung turns over his arm, exposing the inside of his elbow. The skin is smooth, a white patch barely visible.
“The creases on the backs of my knees and elbows were the worst areas,” says Li, who studies food and nutritional science at the University of Hong Kong. “I’d scratch until my skin bled and oozed white pus. The itching would sometimes keep me awake at night.”
For most of his childhood and teenage years, Li suffered from atopic dermatitis, or eczema, a dermatological condition that leaves sufferers with red, itchy and inflamed skin; dark and thickened patches; and rough, scaly rashes which may leak fluid and crust over.
According to the Mayo Clinic in the United States, eczema symptoms vary between individuals, with no one trigger to blame. The primary risk factor is having a personal or family history of eczema, allergies, hay fever or asthma. There is no cure.
“My eczema started with a small rash when I was about six years old,” says Li, who is now 24. “I went to the doctor and the first line of treatment is always steroid [oral and topical] therapy,” he says.