There is a easy cause gymnasts put on leotards to compete: they’re formfitting, stretchy, and will not get in the way in which throughout a entrance structure. However whereas they might be useful, in addition they occur to place fairly a little bit of pores and skin on show — one thing Olympian Suni Lee struggled with when she first began coping with eczema.
“It was one thing that I felt ashamed of, being in a leotard and competing for Crew USA,” she tells PS. “Our pores and skin could be very uncovered, cameras are at all times on us, persons are at all times taking footage, and it is arduous whenever you’re type of ashamed to be your individual physique or your pores and skin as a result of you may see that it is tough or flaky.”
Lee began experiencing itchy, crimson pores and skin that was “at all times uncomfortable” when she was youthful, and it wasn’t till she’d tried “every little thing” she may get over-the-counter earlier than she was formally recognized with eczema.
The inflammatory pores and skin illness is characterised by dry, itchy pores and skin. At its core, it is a power (however manageable) situation that is brought on by an overactive immune system disrupting the pores and skin barrier. Nonetheless, sure triggers — like particular meals, alcohol, and environmental irritants — may cause it to flare. In accordance with the Nationwide Eczema Affiliation, it impacts over 31 million folks within the US alone. Nonetheless, it may possibly present up otherwise on everybody — making it arduous to deal with and much more troublesome to speak about.
“I used to have it actually unhealthy on my arms, legs, and behind my neck — it was swollen and infected,” Lee says. “It made me not wish to be seen wherever as a result of I knew folks had been it as a result of it was so infected. It has positively taken a success to my safety ranges after I’m competing, as a result of it seems like persons are me.”
The gymnast has since gotten her eczema beneath management, which has been immensely useful for her general well-being. “My docs, dermatologists, and I’ve a extremely good system — we all know what works,” she says. Lee lately partnered with Eli Lilly and Firm, a pharmaceutical firm that makes eczema medication and Crew USA’s well being fairness sponsor, to destigmatize the dialog round atopic dermatitis, aka eczema. “I’ve had my fair proportion of insecurities with eczema, however it’s not one thing to be ashamed or embarrassed about. And now, I wish to share my story to assist encourage youthful generations to be snug in their very own pores and skin.”
Analysis printed by The Journal of Allergy and Medical Immunology has proven that those that have eczema are at the next threat for melancholy and nervousness, and based on a latest survey carried out by the Nationwide Eczema Affiliation, 30 p.c of individuals with atopic dermatitis take care of one or each of those psychological well being considerations. However paradoxically, psychological and emotional stress is without doubt one of the high triggers for eczema flare-ups, which Lee has skilled firsthand. “I get the worst stress eczema flare-ups,” she says. “On the 2021 Olympics, I used to be having a flare-up on my neck that I fortunately received dealt with proper earlier than the competitors. Nevertheless it occurs rather a lot after I’m burdened and I am unable to sleep. I get actually unhealthy flare-ups. So then I am continually itching and uncomfortable.”
“I used to be scared to speak about [mental health] for a very long time, however when Simone and different athletes began speaking about it, it made me really feel extra snug.”
It is one of many many causes Lee prioritizes her psychological well being. Along with remedy, two practices that assist handle her stress are journaling and visualization. “I am a really personal particular person and I hold lots of issues, so I do not actually share how I completely really feel on a regular basis, so I write all of it down,” she says. “I write down my ‘whys,’ my targets, my key phrases, and I visualize rather a lot throughout my routines as a result of it is essential to recollect them whenever you’re on the market and nervous and attempting to dam every little thing out.”
Whereas navigating her personal psychological well being journey, Lee has been grateful to see fellow athletes open up about theirs forward of the 2024 Paris Olympics, the place she is at present competing and has gained a gold medal for the Girls’s Inventive Crew All-Round and a bronze medal for the Girls’s Inventive Particular person All-Round. “The angle now’s simply a lot extra optimistic, and it is extra targeted on the psychological well being of the athletes as a result of if we’re not in the suitable headspace, you may’t count on us to compete one of the best routines in the way in which that we’re anticipated to,” she says. “Our wants are crucial as a result of they’re issues which might be going to assist us after we’re on the market competing.”
In the previous couple of years, athletes like Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, and Naomi Osaka have spoken out about their very own psychological well being experiences, which has helped Lee really feel snug sharing her story. “I discuss to and hearken to a bunch of different athletes, and I am continually attempting to listen to and perceive how some folks do the issues they do,” she says. “And it has been so useful as a result of I used to be scared to speak about it for a very long time, however when Simone and different athletes began speaking about it, it made me really feel extra snug.”
Zoë Weiner is a contract magnificence and wellness author. Her work has appeared in Bustle, Byrdie, Cosmopolitan, PS, GQ, Glamour, Marie Claire, Attract, Self, Brides, and Teen Vogue, amongst others, and she or he was the senior magnificence editor at Properly+Good.
