Two NEA Ambassadors, One Powerful App

When you live with eczema, you learn that every flare tells a story. But without tracking what’s happening and when, it’s easy to lose sight of the patterns that matter most.

For National Eczema Association (NEA) Ambassadors Sophie Harris and Ed Taguba, that story changed the day they downloaded EczemaWise, NEA’s free app for tracking symptoms, treatments and triggers. What began as a simple tracking tool evolved into a powerful way to manage and advocate for their own care — and contribute to eczema research that can improve lives for others, one data point at a time.

Consistency, clarity, confidence

When Ed first attended Eczema Expo in 2021, he had no real system for documenting his eczema. Like many patients, he’d been told to jot down notes and take photos, but that was it. Then he came across the EczemaWise booth at Expo.

Back home in Oahu, Hawaii, he began using the app and soon realized that tracking only during flare-ups wasn’t enough. “It’s about discipline,” he said. “Once you stop itching, you feel better and stop tracking, but that’s when you lose the data that really helps you get better.”

By documenting even on good days using the app’s body map and photo features, Ed started to see patterns he had never noticed — how his symptoms shifted with Hawaii’s heat and trade winds, when flares peaked and which treatments worked best. His doctor noticed similar seasonal rhythms with other patients, allowing them to adjust Ed’s therapy proactively instead of reacting to each flare.

“Before, I didn’t like taking pictures of my eczema,” Ed said. “Now everything’s stored in one place. It’s organized and easy to share.”

That visibility turned his tracking into an essential part of every visit. “To understand my flare-ups and my good times, I have to put it in the app,” Ed said. “It only takes about a minute. When you can see the data, you can actually do something about it.”

From data to decisions

More than 2,600 miles away in Seattle, Sophie had a similar realization through a different journey. After 12 years with the same dermatologist and stacks of paper files, she discovered EczemaWise while transitioning from topical steroids to a biologic. At the time, she had already been denied prior authorization four times.

When her dermatologist reviewed Sophie’s detailed EczemaWise logs, including medication notes, flare timelines and symptom summaries, everything finally clicked. That consistent data helped secure approval on her fifth attempt. “EczemaWise gave me something I didn’t have before: proof,” she said.

Before using the app, Sophie often felt stuck in a cycle of uncertainty, trying to guess what triggered her flares. Tracking through EczemaWise gave clarity. Instead of vague descriptions or relying on memory, she could show data on how eczema affected her daily life — the hours of sleep lost, the days of work missed and the changing patterns over time.

Now, Sophie uses the app strategically. Before appointments, she reviews her entries to refresh her memory and add updates. On difficult days, she logs new symptoms to discuss later. Through consistent tracking and her dermatologist’s guidance, she fine-tuned her biologic schedule, discovering that she could safely extend injections from every 14 days to every 16.

“It’s not a magic fix,” she said, “but it gives you facts. All the small details — sleep, exercise, temperature — start to connect. Things I never would have noticed before suddenly made sense.’”

Contributing to something bigger

Beyond personal progress, both Ed and Sophie recognize how EczemaWise supports NEA’s broader mission — transforming patient experiences into research insights that can enhance eczema care for everyone.

Ed often encourages others to complete the app’s short surveys, knowing each response adds to NEA’s growing data pool. “The more data NEA can collect, the more researchers can understand who’s being affected and how,” he said. “It helps patients, it helps doctors, and it helps research move forward.”

That greater impact hits close to home for Sophie. Her father, who has severe eczema, grew up in a rural area with few resources. Looking through the app with her, he wondered what might have changed if it had existed decades ago.

As a nanny caring for a child with eczema, Sophie also sees how the app could empower young patients to express their experiences directly — helping them document symptoms they might be too shy to describe in appointments. “It helps make sure their eczema story gets heard,” she said.

For both Ambassadors, EczemaWise is a bridge between lived experience and improved care. Every entry, photo and survey response adds to a deeper understanding of eczema’s real impact.

“If you want to manage your eczema better, tools like this can really help,” Ed said. “It’s about awareness and consistency.”

Sophie agrees. “Having your experiences reflected as data gives you confidence. It helps you understand yourself — and helps others understand your eczema, too.”

Like Sophie and Ed, you too can get wise about your eczema care with EczemaWise. Download the free app today to start tracking your daily experiences and contribute to research that helps the whole eczema community.

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