My Skin & Sunlight

“How do you think it feels to be me, apart from you, covered up in the heat?”

Claire, My Skin & Sunlight Participant

There is a type of eczema that is triggered or made worse by sunlight; photoaggravated atopic dermatitis (PAD). It’s estimated that 3-15% of people with eczema may be affected. Researchers in Manchester are aiming to understand more about the cause and find new treatments.

The condition can have life-altering effects beyond the physical symptoms, but awareness and understanding of the condition is low. To increase awareness of the condition and the research, we partnered with people affected by PAD, researcher Kirsty Rutter and Greater Manchester Eczema & Skin Support to create a new campaign, My Skin & Sunlight.

What matters to people?

People affected by PAD from a range of different backgrounds took part in creative workshops, sharing their experiences and exploring what they wanted to say to say to others about the condition. Together, we created a series of flyers and digital content to raise awareness of this rarely talked about condition.

“It’s the little things that no one thinks about that matter”

PAD causes painful reactions and inflammation, even from brief exposure to sunlight. People shared that they have symptoms even when being outside for a few minutes such as when putting their bin out or walking to their car from their house. Living with this condition means thinking carefully about how and when you leave home, to do your shopping, to socialise or to travel.

“Always on the inside, looking out”

People already feel isolated and restricted by their condition but the lack of awareness and understanding from others made this much harder. Everyone feels that that summer is particularly difficult because they are unable to go outside and join in with social activities. When people do have opportunities to take part, they feel judged if they are scratching or having to explain their condition.

“Why should I be used to the Sun?”

PAD can affect everyone. However, people with Black and Asian heritage experience additional questioning about having the condition. Other people’s misconceptions about dark skin and sun sensitivity add to the experience of not being believed andincreases feelings of loneliness.

“I barely own any short sleeved clothes”

People have to cover all their skin from sunlight, this can include wearing gloves, hats and many layers as well as specialist creams. This can be uncomfortable, make it difficult to control their temperature and can aggravate other health conditions.

Working together

“Taking part in this project made me feel understood, part of a community I hadn’t known before and not judged in any way. It’s been very therapeutic, especially when feeling isolated during the hotter weather.”

My Skin & Sunlight Participant

People valued spending time with each other and working creatively to generate artwork that represents their experiences, including colourful images and words that would grab people’s attention.

“It has been 100% co-produced and to see the end result I feel really emotional about it, I really do, and one of the reasons I feel really emotional about it is because that looks like something I would want to pick up.”

My Skin & Sunlight Participant

Help to spread the word

The campaign provides information about PAD and current research as well as personal experiences of the condition.

If you’d like to join us in raising awareness of PAD please get in touch with Liam via email on vocal@mft.nhs.uk for questions and support. We can provide social media content and printable assets.

If you have personal experience of PAD or other skin conditions and are interested in having a say in research, find out how you could take part in the Dermatology Research User Network.