When we think about life-long celebrities like Tia Mowry, it may be hard to imagine them ever feeling afraid to go in front of a camera or step out onto a red carpet. While she may seem invincible on screen and throughout her various endeavors from Twitches and Sister, Sister star, to full-time mother and founder of time-saving social media platform Tia Mowry’s Quick Fix, Tia Mowry is one of the 31 million Americans suffering from eczema, according to the National Eczema Association.
Eczema is a chronic, inflammatory skin condition that causes millions to experience itching, dryness, burning, blisters and more, and Mowry is no stranger to the discomfort. In honor of Eczema Awareness Month this October, Mowry partnered with biopharmaceutical company AbbVie and dual board-certified dermatologist and psychiatrist Dr. Evan Rieder to promote “The Eczema Experience: Stories Itching to Be Told”—an immersive pop-up event at Flatiron Plaza in NYC. While Mowry was in town for the event, I had the pleasure of sitting down with her to talk about her eczema diagnosis, from what it took to get diagnosed to how her beauty routine has changed to date.
Getting any sort of diagnosis can be jarring—what helped you overcome the initial shock of the eczema diagnosis?
“I think for me, it was honestly a relief when I was diagnosed that I finally was able to get the proper diagnosis. Having resources and getting a better understanding of the ‘why’ and the ‘what’ because for so long I was suffering with no answers. I had no idea what was going on and I wasn’t properly diagnosed until I want to say I was around 26 or 27. The diagnosis actually came from my gynecologist. I was seeing her for other things and, at the time, both of my hands looked the way a snake’s skin does when it peels—very scaly. I had these red bumps on my hands and I didn’t know what was going on, and she was the one that told me, ‘That looks like eczema, you should go see a dermatologist.’ After that is when I was properly diagnosed!”
“I think for me—and this is why I am partnering up with AbbVie—it was all about knowledge. Understanding and getting a better meaning of what it was that I had so that I could then take action was everything. I’m one in 31 million people suffering from eczema. There’s a lot of people that are trying to manage this condition, but not only that, I believe that there are many people that may even share my story—that they have eczema but don’t know what it is yet. Doing something like this—sharing my eczema experience, bringing awareness, providing expert insights through this pop-up experience—I think will help people better manage their condition.”
What was the first thing that gave you relief from your symptoms?
“I don’t even know if people talk about this often enough, but I think what has really helped me manage my condition—of course we can always talk about the topical things—was changing up my lifestyle. Understanding the triggers, being an advocate for your own health and wellness, asking questions, those are the things I did that helped me the most. My doctors, still to this day I think, are sick of me [laughs]. In a good way, you know what I mean? You are in control of better understanding your condition. I took control and I realized that certain things in my day to day can trigger my flare ups, so once I got a better understanding of what that was—like allergies to certain foods—I was able to help manage my condition in a better way. I also took a look at my stressors in my life and how I could manage that. Meditating, journaling and doing simple things like that have helped me better manage my eczema flare ups.”
There is so much misinformation online today—is there anything you regret doing before you got your eczema diagnosis?
“The only thing that I regret is not knowing what it is that I had. What’s so crazy is, I had a family member in the household that was experiencing the same symptoms, but they didn’t know that it was eczema either, so I had nothing to base it off. I think for me, being empowered with knowledge and now knowing I am able to help my children when I see them being symptomatic at a very young age, I knew right away what it was. So I think my biggest regret was not knowing and that’s why—I hate to sound corny—but knowledge is power. That’s what I love about this initiative. We are encouraging people to check out eczemahq.com to find resources and get educated.
Of course this pop-up experience is released during National Eczema Awareness Month, so it’s really all about talking about it and being vulnerable and sharing your story so that others can feel seen and heard and also say, ‘Oh wow, maybe I should look into that because that kind of is what’s going on,’ or ‘This is what’s going on with me, let me go check this out.'”
What has the emotional response to eczema flare ups been like and how have you learned to cope?
“There is this one flare up that I always remember that was just so incredibly embarrassing. I was doing an interview with my sister and we were promoting our reality show, and I remember we were about to sit down. We sat down, and I don’t know why, but the makeup artist ended up showing me her compact mirror before we went live. I remember looking in the mirror and realizing I had a flare up. I didn’t know that I had one, my skin wasn’t like that in the morning, but then it ended up being so red and inflamed before we went on, and I was so incredibly embarrassed.
But again, I think the more you share your story and the more vulnerability you have about the situation, the less embarrassed you feel, and you won’t necessarily feel so alone. I would say that has really truly helped me—not being afraid to talk about it. This is why I’m here—eczema happens, and it’s okay and there are resources out there that help us to manage whatever it is that we are experiencing. You don’t have to suffer alone.”
How has the rest of your beauty and wellness routine evolved after your eczema diagnosis?
“I’ve definitely become more mindful of sensitivities and ingredients. I lean more towards natural ingredients, and that’s from skin to hair to body, because it’s about being mindful of what causes inflammation. I’ve also learned not to dismiss internal factors. Being mindful of what it is that I eat is important because, for me, I will see flare ups pretty soon when it comes to stuff like that. It’s about educating yourself and learning more about how your flare ups trigger your body. And, of course, seeing a dermatologist and not being afraid to share your story.”
