At Institute Atopika we joined forces with the photographer Ines Krivec from Ines Image Studios in Rogaška Slatina and embarked on a project entitled “Beneath the Skin.” We invited kids and adults with atopic dermatitis to step in front of the camera and expose their vulnerable and heavily damaged skin. Atopic dermatitis patients are often targets of unwanted commentary and mockery due to the state of their skin—they are perceived as ugly, disgusting, contagious.
The project aims to pave the way for the understanding that an illness is never “ugly” or “disgusting.” It can be beautiful, too, and rouse feelings of compassion in us. Hopefully, the images will help raise awareness about atopic dermatitis in public and gradually reduce the stigma experienced by the patients.
We would like you to meet the people who took part in our project and wanted to be introduced. Today it’s Manca’s turn.
Manca, why did you participate in this project?
I wanted to participate because people know too little about atopic dermatitis. I wished for a really long time for someone to come along and start a project like this, to introduce the illness to the public. I decided to have my photo taken because it’s simply high time for something like this to happen. If you want to see a change, you also have to contribute to it happening.
Where did you get the courage to participate?
I drew on all my pain, confusion and loneliness. I wanted to be understood and I was so happy that I could meet people like me. But I’d say that if I never had atopic dermatitis and went through three years of hell with this illness, I’d never—really, NEVER—let anyone take a picture of me like this, in my underwear. Atopic dermatitis taught me to love my body and respect it in a different way. There was also my desire to help those who are merely beginning to get to grips with their illness.
Manca, what would you say to your younger self today if you had the chance?
Oh dear, I’d tell myself that I’m worth so much more than others let me believe. That it’s completely ok to be sick, that it isn’t a sign of powerlessness. I’d tell myself to listen to my body and establish a better connection with myself. I should have loved myself more and explored this love. As a child, I didn’t have the severe type of the illness. But my endless drive and a completely severed link with my body led me to the state I’m in today.
Manca, what would you like others who meet and work with a person with AD to know (teachers, kindergarten teachers, doctors etc.)?
I wish they knew how serious an illness atopic dermatitis really is; how tremendous its impact on our lives is. It’s hardest for me when my skin looks alright and people start telling me that I should be happy because I’m so healthy. But they don’t know about the sleepless nights, the tightening of the skin, the cracking of wounds and the intense itching—all of this takes so much energy away from me. Don’t forget that in spite of all my symptoms, I still have a chock-full of things to accomplish in a day, just like any other healthy person. Nobody cuts me any slack.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
