I don’t know when I got dermatographia. I’ve had it for as long as I can remember, but always thought the welts were just what happened when you have super sensitive skin like mine. For the longest time I thought my skin was just extra sensitive until I showed some people my skin drawing photographs and they were like, umm no there’s something else going on here! They’d never seen anything like it.

Hearing others say there was something different about my skin prompted me to go to the doctor and find out what it was. Luckily the doctor knew right away. As soon as she saw the marks she gave me the diagnosis: dermatographia. That was 2004. I’m fortunate I found a doctor who knew about dermatographia back then. Even with all of us out there—it affects about 5% of the population worldwide—many doctors and dermatologists still don’t know about it and can’t give a proper diagnosis.

The Name Dermatographia

The name dermatographia translates to skin writing:

derma = skin

+

graph or graphic = drawing and lettering

I’ve always thought that was so cool! And it’s getting known as “the condition where you can make art on your skin,” which is what the nurse at my dermatologist’s office called it. That was just a few weeks ago, and I was so happy to hear her call it that! Framing it that way puts a positive, fun spin on it. Much better than calling it a disease, which has such a negative connotation to it.

Anyway, after having a name for my sensitive skin I was able to talk about it and research it and share it with people. I immediately felt better knowing I’m not the only one out there. What an epiphany! Isn’t it awesome realizing you’re not alone in your weird skin experience?

Sharing Skin Photographs

Sharing my skin photographs and building a community around dermatographia over the years has helped me come to terms with my weird skin, feel less alone in my experience and then to find ways to heal it. Being able to name something and share it is so freeing!

In 2004 I began making photographs of my skin while in art school. It happened by accident really. Initially I was photographing kelp from the Pacific Ocean (I was living in Seattle at the time) in my apartment for a project. I accidentally scratched my knee a few times while photographing the kelp, and of course some welts formed.

I noticed that the texture of the welts looked like the texture of the kelp, which was really cool. So I photographed my knee too. It was all spur of the moment and just sort of happened. I wasn’t planning to photograph my dermatographia…. it just kind of begged to be photographed!

Later in the week I had some other students and a professor in my art studio to show them the kelp project I’d been working on. The kelp photos were hanging on the wall, ready to be seen, and the skin photos were just haphazardly thrown on my desk. Nobody cared about the kelp once they noticed the skin.

Most Common Questions

The dermatographia photographs were all they wanted to talk about! Of course they asked all the questions I always get: “Does it hurt?” “What is this?” “What’s wrong with your skin?,” etc. I answered all their questions “No it doesn’t hurt, yes it goes away,” and told them my skin was just really sensitive. That’s when I found out that no, my skin is not just sensitive. It’s different.

Anyway, they convinced me to find out more about why my skin welts, and also encouraged me to pursue photographing the drawings. I was so surprised that anyone would care about what my skin was doing! Thank goodness I kept researching and photographing because it’s been really empowering and quite an exciting journey.

Building My Website

In 2008 my good friend helped me make a new website for my work. After it was completed he submitted it to be featured in a blog called It’s Nice That. He didn’t want to tell me in case they decided not to feature it, so it was a surprise. Well, they did feature my photographs after all. What happened after that was so wild, I never would’ve thought it possible. My photos made the internet rounds and became sort of viral—I was getting like a million hits a day. Turns out lots of people are interested in seeing images of dermatographia!

A few days later I received an email from ABC News 20/20 asking me to do a segment with them in New York. It was so cool, they flew me to New York City to do the interview. I was so excited because who doesn’t want to go on a free trip? They also filmed me in my studio and at work in Seattle, which was super fun. It was such a great experience, and thankfully exposed more people to dermatographia who didn’t know they had it. Like I said, having a name and knowing you’re not alone can be so empowering!

From there the photographs and my websites (now I have 2) have spread around the world, educating people about what dermatographia is and how to celebrate it instead of fearing it. It has been quite an enjoyable journey that I never would’ve been on if I had just ignored my skin. I’ve learned a lot in the process and met tons of interesting people.

Lessons I Learned

The biggest lesson though is that it’s so important to maintain a positive relationship to your skin, loving yourself and your skin through the itchiness and embarrassment, and remembering that having dermatographia makes you special and unique.

I’m currently writing a book about how to heal dermatographia naturally. There is no cure but with certain diet and lifestyle changes you can ease the itch. Many people have found they can stop taking antihistamines once they figure out their triggers. (Note: I’ve never taken antihistamines, and not everyone with dermatographia does, but I know some people suffer without them.)

Heal Your Skin

Drink lots of filtered water—like a gallon a day—to help flush your system. Find ways to reduce stress in your life on a daily basis: take deep breaths, meditate, pray, walk, dance, play sports, do yoga, read, write in a journal, make art, cook—anything that relaxes you. Find time to do a little something everyday! Reframe the way you think about your skin and the itching. This one is definitely most important! The more we hate our skin and focus on the itchiness, the itchier we become. Feeling angry and anxious about our skin and the itch brings on more itch. Try really hard not to scratch because that makes it worse. Put some lotion or oil (sweet almond oil and coconut oil are my favorites) on instead, and keep yourself distracted with your stress reducing techniques. Also, change the way you talk about it—don’t call it a disease, don’t say you suffer from it. It’s a condition that you have that makes you unique because you can make temporary art on your body! Eat as many fresh fruits and veggies as possible. Taking a probiotic might really help too.

Be really careful about what you put on your skin and what you ingest. Research toxins and find makeup, lotion and food that isn’t processed or toxic to your system. Look up the Environmental Working Group and their EWG rating system at EWG.org, and check to see if your products are toxic. I listed some of my favorite products for sensitive skin on my Dermatographia page if you’re looking for recommendations.

I know it can be tough to ignore the itch and the pain and annoyance of dermatographia, but I really think that transforming your attitude towards it helps immensely.

