Although Tia Mowry is best known as the upbeat and vivacious twin from Sister, Sister, not everything was as happy-go-lucky as it first appeared.
The 43-year-old actress, wife, mother of two, and wellness entrepreneur recently disclosed that she spent years having her eczema misdiagnosed as “sunspots,” only to discover it in her 20s.
In a recent interview with Individuals, Mowry stated that eczema is “certainly a chronic ailment that is quite prominent within the African American community, but unfortunately, there is a significant number of people suffering from eczema, and it actually goes underdiagnosed.” And that’s a part of my story, too. I most certainly fall into that category, she said.
- Tia Mowry shares that it took her years to get her eczema properly diagnosed.
- The 43-year-old opened up about her disappointment in the lack of visibility for Black skin health, education, and resources.
- Mowry partnered with Aveeno’s Skin Visibility campaign to raise awareness of the underdiagnosis of eczema for African Americans.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, is a disorder that results in your skin becoming dry, red, itchy, and rough. It appears in a variety of forms and is not contagious. The precise causes or triggers of eczema are frequently not fully known. Medical professionals stated in a prior eczema report for Prevention.com that eczema can occasionally be brought on by a particular gene mutation that results in a deficiency of protective proteins in the epidermis of the skin.
Earlier than the age of 20, Mowry began experiencing symptoms of the skin issue, and she recalled that doctors initially dismissed them as sunspots.
When I was younger, I used to have these raised, rounded spots on my arms and back that were itchy. “The doctor told my mother they were sunspots when she brought me to the pediatrician… because that certainly wasn’t what I had.
Mowry claimed that she felt alone after finally receiving the correct eczema diagnosis. She believed she lacked sufficient knowledge on the subject and didn’t know anyone else going through what she was.
Being in the spotlight made it extra daunting; she remarked, “How do you handle this?”
She partnered with Aveeno’s Skin Visibility campaign, which is focused on bringing attention to the underdiagnosis of eczema in the Black community (which affects roughly 10% of African Americans in the United States), as a result of a lack of education and a sense of isolation.
“Black skin health has long been neglected, misdiagnosed, and unnoticed by the general public. As a result, I had little information to turn to when I first started experiencing eczema, which put my self-confidence to the test,” Mowry said in a statement for Aveeno. Because of this, I’m excited to work with Aveeno to raise awareness of eczema and its diagnosis on Black skin and help those who may be suffering to find relief.
The company has also teamed up with the Center for Black Women’s Wellness, an Atlanta-based group that aims to guarantee that the community’s Black women and families have access to high-quality medical care through personal, engaging experiences, such as online classes and health expos.
We’ve included a few customer-favorite and dermatologist-recommended lotions and moisturizers for treating the bothersome condition below if you’ve been diagnosed with eczema and are searching for some relief.