I agree with Aeessa, there’s no need to hide dermatographia, because sometimes the welts just appear out of nowhere anyway! I’ve found that once people know what’s up with my skin, they find it interesting and aren’t weirded out by it all. In fact, they think it’s cool!

Here’s what Aeessa has to say about dermatographia:

I’m from Texas. And, I got dermatographia my junior year of highschool. It was the most painful thing ever for a few months. Until I went to an allergist and they put me on some meds. I would always try to hide it but you never really can! Cause you can just rub your eye and then out of nowhere these hives pop up.

Now, I don’t really mind. Everybody seems to be amazed by this condition. And, if you are going through severe pain visit your allergist as soon as possible. There are medications out there that will let you live way more comfortably!!

Very true! There is no need to suffer when you can take medication. Also, if your condition isn’t too severe, you may be able to make some dietary changes and it will significantly improve. I wrote about it on Skin Tome here. For me, antihistamines are not necessary because I’ve figured out how to manage my symptoms without them. But I realize this isn’t the case for everyone.

I asked Aeessa to tell me a little bit more about her skin:

I’ve had this condition for about 2 years now. One night I couldn’t sleep at all due to the itching. I thought I had scabies, so I went to my doctor and was told it wasn’t scabies. They said I had some kind of allergic reaction so I went on with the pain for about 2 more months until I couldn’t take it any longer. I decided to go to an allergist and that’s when I was told about what I had. Yes, most people know I have it. When people find out at first their first question is “Does it hurt?” and then they ask if they can write on me. My friends think it’s pretty cool.

I’m currently on these meds that make me very drowsy. If I take them every day like I’m supposed to I do not itch. But, when I don’t I usually start to just get numb wherever I put pressure and then I get a welt that later turns into a very itchy area. And, it’ll spread like wildfire.

It does make me feel embarrassed sometimes because people will ask me “what happened to you?” if they see a mark on my face. And, I have to explain to everybody and people will sometimes not believe me and just make faces. This condition is very annoying. But, it makes me different and I like that too.

I’m Aeessa Ramos- 17 years old. From Mission, Texas. I spend most of my time playing guitar and hanging with good friends. Dermatographia is something that I think I will have for the rest of my life. And, it feels good to know that I’m not the only one who has this condition. Thank you for taking the time to listen to my story, Ariana.

You’re welcome, Aeessa! Thanks for sharing. And I get asked, “What happened to you?” all the time–even though most people know about my dermatographia! I’ve just learned to explain it so people understand the welts don’t hurt, and they will go away.

Images courtesy of Aeessa Ramos