Agony of eczema sufferer, 22, whose eyes were sealed SHUT and face left red raw and ‘burning’ from shocking flare-up

By William On Aug 21, 2023

A woman lost her sight for days due to a painful flare-up of eczema, which led to her being hospitalized.

Beatrice Gaucahas, from Ireland, has suffered from the skin condition for most of her life, which often caused rashes on the skin around her joints.

But the 22-year-old’s eczema… which causes redness and blisters on the skin – took a turn for the worse when it spread to her face and left her in the hospital.

The children’s gym teacher had dry, flaky skin on her face that left her unable to see for days.

Now fully recovered, Beatrice shares her skin journey on TikTok, where she has gained over 41,300 followers.

Beatrice Gaucahas’s eczema (pictured during her hospital stay) — which causes redness and blisters on the skin — took a turn for the worse when it spread to her face, leaving her hospitalized

Beatrice (pictured March 2021), from Ireland, has suffered most of her life from the skin condition, which often caused a rash on the skin around her joints

When Beatrice was 20, she experienced the “worst flare-up” of her life when her eczema began to affect the skin on her face.

It made her face swell and a crust formed around her eyes, closing them and preventing her from seeing for two days.

She also had “no more skin” on her face, as it had peeled off – giving her a “burning sensation.”

“It was one of the most painful and traumatic experiences of my life,” Beatrice said.

She went to the hospital and stayed there for two weeks.

WHAT IS ECZEMA?

Eczema is an inflammatory condition of the skin that leads to redness, blistering, oozing, scaling and thickening.

It usually appears in the first few months of life and affects about 10 percent of babies.

The cause of eczema is not fully understood, but it is thought to be caused by the skin’s barrier to the outside world not working properly, allowing the entry of irritants and allergy triggers.

It may be genetic due to the condition often running in families.

In addition to their skin being affected, patients may experience insomnia and irritability.

Many factors can make eczema worse. These can be:

Heat, dust, soap and detergents
Being unwell, such as having a cold
Infections
Dry skin
Tension

There is no cure for eczema, but 70 percent of children who suffer from it do not have the condition in their teens.

Patients should avoid known flare-up triggers and take sedatives.

Source: British Skin Foundation

Five biopsies were performed by doctors to try to find out what was wrong with her.

Doctors confirmed that her excruciating symptoms were due to an eczema flare-up.

Eczema, also known as dermatitis, affects about one fifth of children and one in 10 adults in the UK and US.

The skin condition, which is not contagious, can be unbearably itchy. During a flare-up, it can also become red, cracked, painful, and raw.

Treatments for the condition, which has more than a dozen types, include medical moisturizers and medication.

Beatrice said, “I thought my skin on my face would never go back to normal. I thought I would be scarred for life.

‘I felt I had no one to turn to for comfort or support.

“Most of my family was abroad to visit my grandfather, as he was seriously ill at the time, which left me more in the lurch as I couldn’t see him as I was in hospital myself.

“Of course, I spoke to my family on the phone every day, and they have helped me a lot to stay strong and have confidence that I will recover, but virtual support and comfort is very different from a face-to-face interaction.”

Since her painful flare-up and hospital visit, Beatrice has made a full recovery and learned to manage her skin condition.

She now follows a strict diet that helps control her skin condition and reduce symptoms.

Her diet consists of vegetables, fruits, greens, fish oil and a collagen supplement every day. She has also completely cut wheat, gluten, and dairy products from her diet.

She has not had a flare-up since this change in routine.

But she’s also learned to cope better when her symptoms get worse.

“I’m much better now, mentally and physically,” says Beatrice.

She added, “Before I learned to accept my skin condition, eczema had taken a major toll on my mental health and social life.

“I stopped going out to see friends, didn’t even go anywhere when I had the slightest flare-up because I was so embarrassed then and didn’t want anyone to see what I was going through.”

Beatrice has described her experience with eczema on TikTok, under the username @beatrice_gauca, where one of her most popular videos has garnered over 2.4 million views and 256,000 likes

Beatrice Gaucahas (pictured during her hospital stay) showed her TikTok followers every stage of her recovery. The now 22-year-old started sharing her skin journey on TikTok (@beatrice_gauca) and gained more than 41,300 followers

Now fully recovered, Beatrice (pictured in June 2023) shares her skin journey on TikTok, where she has gained over 41,300 followers

The video, titled “My skin will never recover from this, I’ll be scarred for life,” shows a collection of clips during the episode where she was hospitalized.

Her followers left supportive comments on the video.

‘OMG!! This is such a relief ending. I know eczema brings a lot of uncertainty, but your glow is just phenomenal!!’, @zhaoxiaoxx wrote.

Another TikTok user, @jade_huper, commented, “You are so awesome for pushing this through and taking the time to fix your amazing girl.”

Beatrice added: ‘I’ve come to accept my condition and no longer see it as a mistake, but as a reason to go out and help others who suffer from the same condition as me.

“It is important for me to share my story to show others going through the same situation that they are not alone and things will get better, and your skin will heal.

‘My main motivation is to raise awareness about eczema all over the world.’