When we sat down with Naomi Scott, also known as Princess Jasmine IRL and our latest cover star, we had no idea that eczema— yes, the skin condition — would come up in our conversation. Although she’s mentioned it to the press before, Naomi hasn’t gone into much detail about the extent to which she experiences severe eczema all over her body. For the 25-year-old British actress, bouts of eczema have been painful and debilitating, and also something she’s been covering up with makeup for years. But as she relays in our cover story, excerpted below, Naomi is no longer trying to mask her condition.

“I thought that maybe after filming it would all simmer down, but it erupted,” she says, showing Teen Vogue the scars and scabs on her knuckles. “It was all over my body, I was itching at night, and every night [there was] blood on the sheets.” She only stopped disguising it with makeup on the last press tour for Aladdin, telling herself, “Wait a second, Nay, you want to hide [it] because you’re playing into the same beauty standards.”

Courtesy of Naomi Scott

Courtesy of Naomi Scott

Being open about having the skin condition doesn’t mean that she isn’t also trying to keep flare-ups at bay, however. Because when it comes to eczema (scientifically called atopic dermatitis), although it is often a genetic and chronic condition, there are certain lifestyle adjustments that can help mitigate symptoms. “Treating eczema is really a combination of preventative and therapeutic efforts,” Kenneth R. Beer, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist in West Palm Beach, Florida, previously told Teen Vogue. “Maintaining the integrity of the skin’s barrier is key to skin health.”

What that means is, if you’re suffering from eczema, in addition to visiting a board-certified dermatologist, you should also take the following tips into consideration, straight from the experts.