A DISFIGURING AUTO-IMMUNE DISEASE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED DR COOK’S SKIN AND HER ADOLESCENCE. HERE, SHE SHARES HER EXPERIENCE — AND AN UNEXPECTED UPSIDE.
Throughout my childhood, teen and adolescent years, I used to suffer from a rare and painful skin condition known as erythema multiforme. It used to flare up during and after times of stress, like my high-school and medical-school exams, and it left me with irritated and inflamed skin. I felt disfigured and incredibly self-conscious; not only were my symptoms physically painful but they had a very real psychological impact.
THE IMPACT OF SKIN STRESS
I know how not being comfortable in your own skin can impact so many parts of a person’s life. For me, my condition made me incredibly shy, awkward and introverted and came at a time when I was just trying to find my place in the world. Having erythema multiforme also kept me isolated at home for extended periods which meant time away from school and missing many milestones. I was ashamed of how I looked and had extremely low self-confidence. I was bullied, found it hard to make and maintain genuine friendships and the impact that my disease had on my mental health at times was significant.
THE UPSIDE
My treatment journey was frustrating, time-consuming and often felt like it was never going to end. I was prodded and poked by doctors, tried so many different treatments, spent hundreds of dollars at cosmetic counters as a result of probably well-intentioned but ill-informed sales consultants. I felt like I was never going to have smooth, clear, even skin. Did my own experience drive me into medicine and then a specialty in dermatology? Undoubtedly. Did my confusion and frustration with the cosmetic industry motivate me on the years-long path to formulating my own, simple-but-effective skincare range? Hell yes. And my early and ongoing interest in the innovative world of laser technology definitely came from the desire to heal my own facial scarring.
While I no longer suffer with erythema multiforme, I still remember those feelings of anxiety, frustration and total despair at the state of my skin and how, at times, it seemed to take hold of my identity. That lived experience has definitely informed my clinical work with patients; I have (extra) empathy for those with challenging skin conditions, and it only motivates me more to keep researching, creating hard-working drNC products and investing in the latest innovation in laser and energy devices to help people have healthy, high-functioning skin for longer.
