31 people, in their own words
Parents who found welts on a nine-month-old. People who worked it out after twenty years. Someone who wrote their daughter's name on their own arm to make her laugh in a hospital waiting room. Every story here is a real person with dermatographia.
First names only, published with permission, read by a human before it goes live.
Last story added
Laura's skin began writing on itself every time she adjusted her newborn. It eased around three months, without breastfeeding being the factor she assumed.
What helped: A daily antihistamine plus meditation and relaxation therapy — and time
Laura
1–3 years
Waiting through his daughter's surgery, Tyrel used the condition he had never looked into to make her smile. His story is about perspective more than treatment.
What helped: Keeping perspective — and using it to make his daughter smile
Tyrel
More than 5 years
Monique is writing from the middle of a bad stretch — prednisone, cetirizine every twelve hours, and still unable to move or touch anything without a reaction.
What helped: Currently on prednisone and cetirizine, still searching for relief
Monique
1–3 years
Kelly itches in her ears, scalp, throat and mouth when her medication wears off. Her advice is to stay consistently medicated — and to take throat symptoms seriously.
What helped: Staying consistently medicated instead of letting doses wear off
Kelly
3–5 years
Elizabeth was bathed in oatmeal as a child and spent decades assuming that was just her skin. An allergist who took it seriously, Zyrtec and painting changed things.
What helped: Zyrtec, an allergist who took it seriously, and painting to manage stress
Elizabeth
More than 10 years
Katie found welts on her baby from pressure, baths, scented detergent — and from the flame retardants in an enormous number of infant clothing items.
What helped: A daily antihistamine, unscented detergent, and avoiding flame-retardant fabrics
Katie
Less than a year