'I literally wanted to die': new hope for thousands with chronic disease

Red raw, bleeding and wrapped in wet dressings, her skin was literally peeling off.

Thanks to a relatively new treatment, Dupixent, her eczema is now well controlled, but remembering back to a time when it wasn't, Mrs Scaife, who also suffers from asthma and food allergies, struggles to hold her composure, such was the effect it had on her physical and mental health.

She had eczema as a child, which was managed with topical steroids and care by her mum, but the condition got worse as she got older.

"As a teenager, it got worse, especially around my neck. I have a lot of loose scarring [as a result]," she said.

At the time, her doctor told her to "smother" herself with steroids, saying that's all she could do.

So she did just that, and coped as best she could.

Years passed, and at 21, living in a house with dogs, and being a social smoker, Mrs Scaife had a near fatal asthma attack, requiring resuscitation.

As part of her post-recovery treatment, she was given the anti-inflammatory drug Prednisone.

"They put me on it for my asthma, and I found my skin was great, and I was like 'whoa, this is great'.

"So I would go back and get a script to help with my skin, and I was sort of abusing that, so I was kind of a Prednisone junkie," she said, saying she "used the medicine on and off for years", but not without serious detriment to her health.

"I was also a guinea pig for lots of new drugs, but nothing worked."

She also went "super organic" and tried a naturopath, but to no avail.

"She didn't know anything about it [my condition]; she'd never seen someone like me," she said.

Eczema is a chronic, non-contagious condition causing itchy, red and dry skin, often due to a weakened skin barrier.

It can flare violently in hot, humid conditions, leaving sufferers with raw, red, cracked and burning skin, and is treated with topical steroids and wet dressings, where limbs are bandaged in wet cloth.

But for Mrs Scaife, the excessive use of steroids came at a cost.

She said her steroid overuse from the age of five caused cataracts, her hair to fall out - and almost killed her when she tried to come off them a second time.

On this occasion, Mrs Scaife had gone almost three months without steroids when she hit rock bottom.

"My organs were shutting down. My whole body went bright red, and I couldn't move. It affected everyone around me.

"I literally wanted to die. The pain was excruciating.

"You feel it down to your bone. You want to scratch to the bone and you can't stop.

"It's your whole body, and it's constant, 24/7.

"You can't sleep, you can't work, you can't do anything."

She went back to hospital, where a specialised team was brought in, and where she had to revert to steroid treatment and wet dressing wraps.

She was told it was the only way.

"I folded because I was in agony," she said.

"It was cruel. At that stage, I had no skin on my face. I was just like a burns victim."

But, after the treatment, within three to four days her skin was perfect.

"That's because the steroids work that quick," she said.

"They smother you in them and wrap you [in bandages]."

After the treatment, she felt fantastic, but knew that once she went home, it would wear off.

Wear off it did, and Mrs Scaife consulted a dermatologist, who still treats her to this day.

She was about 40 when he put her on a number of drug trials. Some worked, some didn't, and Mrs Scaife's skin flared again.

In addition to the problems with her skin, she also lost her hair, which she puts down to a combination of stress and steroids.

"My skin was up and down like a yo-yo, so I just learned to live with it," she said.

At around 50, Mrs Scaife got a call from her dermatologist, saying she'd got the go ahead for Dupixent, a groundbreaking biologic prescription injectable, which targets the underlying immune response, improving skin and breathing and reducing the need for oral steroids.

"He [the dermatologist] literally said to me 'get your ass up here now'.

"So, yeah, I went and got the injection and I've been on it four years now."

She said it had changed her life.

"Oh my god, it's amazing," she said.

Now her husband gives her the injection and she said her life is normal.

"My skin is fantastic," she said, so much so she rarely puts anything on it.

"The only thing I put on my body is Ethical zinc, and MooGoo on my hands."

Allergic disease is a chronic condition where the immune system overreacts to normally harmless environmental substances such as pollen, food or dust and produces IgE antibodies that cause inflammation.

Among the many allergic diseases are:

According to the latest data, one in three people are now reported to have allergic disease, compared with 20 per cent in 2007, with eczema the most prevalent.

Experts warn cases are rising due to more frequent weather extremes, environmental pressures and stress. The region's recent heat wave also made it difficult for sufferers to maintain skin health, as eczema can flare violently in hot, humid conditions.

Aussie natural skin care brand MooGoo, which specialises in products for people with eczema and other skin issues, has seen an incredible spike in demand for its products.

Its CEO, Melody Livingstone, said, eczema can be really debilitating, with thousands looking for relief, and parents seeking help for their children.

"In the last year we have seen an almost 50 per cent increase in demand for our eczema range, with products flying off shelves as soon as they are stocked," she said.

As for Mrs Scaife, her advice to anyone with the condition is to get good medical advice and look after yourself.

She said she found Dupixent worked for her and encouraged others to "give it a shot".

"You will go through side-effects, but push past them.

"It's also about looking after your body; don't eat bad foods, eat clean."