Get the Facts: CBD
Topicals containing CB are everywhere, promising better skin and more. While more research is needed, some experts think they’re worth a try for eczema.
Published On: Jan 23, 2026
Last Updated On: Jan 23, 2026
Stella McDermott is getting ready for her senior prom. At 17, she’s looking forward to finally wearing the kind of dress she’s always wanted.
“I’m really excited to be able to wear a dress that has straps and not be self-conscious about how my arms look or my eczema, and just be confident in myself,” Stella says.
It’s a simple statement, but for Stella and her mother, actress Tori Spelling, it represents years of frustration, transformation and, ultimately, hope. That confidence wasn’t always there — in fact, for much of Stella’s childhood, it felt almost impossible.
Stella has lived with atopic dermatitis (AD) since she was a toddler, dealing with constant flares on her arms, face and scalp. She also developed seborrheic dermatitis, another type of eczema that created thick, flaky patches on her scalp that were difficult to hide. Kids would ask loudly if it was contagious.
Stella would cover up constantly, wearing long sleeves even when she didn’t want to, worried about who was looking or judging her. The situation escalated to the point where she missed almost her entire sixth-grade year, too traumatized to return to school.
“I really remember it getting bad in elementary school,” Stella recalls. “Kids didn’t understand what it was, and they thought, ‘Am I gonna get it from you? Do you have some sort of disease or something?’ And it’s so hard to explain at that age that it’s a skin condition that a lot of people have.”
Watching Stella struggle broke Tori’s heart. She cycled through steroid creams and over-the-counter remedies, bathing Stella in oatmeal baths to soothe inflamed skin. Nothing provided lasting relief, and it weighed heavily on Tori.
“As a parent, I didn’t know what to do,” she says. “I wanted to try anything and everything to help alleviate the pain that she was going through emotionally, physically and mentally. I had so much mom guilt. I didn’t want my kid to be on steroid cream, but I didn’t know what else to do. And none of them worked long-term.”
The desperation reached a breaking point. “I thought, ‘My kid’s young and has her whole life ahead of her. I don’t want her not to have solutions. This doesn’t feel fair.’”
Tori understood her daughter’s pain on a deeply personal level. Tori’s own eczema emerged unexpectedly in her early 30s during an intensely stressful period of her life — a time when she was, by all external appearances, on top of the world professionally. She was creating and starring in her TV show So NoTORIous, executive producing and riding high in her career. Yet, behind the scenes, she was navigating her first divorce.
What started as invisible itching escalated quickly. The flares became so severe that her wardrobe had to be changed to cover the bleeding scabs on her arms and hands. Production was shut down while she sought treatment.
Beyond the physical pain, both Tori and Stella struggled with the psychological impact of living with visible skin conditions.
As a self-described “hand talker,” Tori found herself in a constant mental spiral during conversations. She naturally gestures when she speaks and would catch people’s eyes following her hands. During flare-ups, she became convinced everyone was staring at the scabs and scales rather than listening to her words. Social situations became something to avoid rather than enjoy.
Years later, during her 2024 divorce, the stress-triggered pattern returned, reinforcing what Tori had come to recognize: her eczema flares were directly tied to emotional stress.
“I would not want to explain to people that I’m not going somewhere socially because of eczema, and that was my own thing in my head. I’m getting so much more comfortable now, and especially with Stella being willing to talk about her journey and her confidence building.”
Everything shifted when their dermatologist suggested a new treatment approach. For the first time in years, both mother and daughter found relief — and with it, renewed confidence.
“Finding something that worked for me and started to help my eczema really gave me the confidence to talk about it,” Stella says. “Now, I share my story with other people and tell them that there is something that will help you out there.”
That newfound confidence is what inspired both Tori and Stella to partner with Arcutis Biotherapeutics’ Free to Be Me campaign. For them, speaking openly about eczema isn’t just about their own journey — it’s about normalizing a condition that affects over 31 million Americans and encouraging others to seek help and unhide their eczema.
Adam Friedman, MD, FAAD, Professor and Chair of Dermatology at The George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences and member of NEA’s Scientific & Medical Advisory Council, emphasizes the power of sharing eczema experiences: “Not every patient is empowered to really share their story, and what Tori, Stella and so many others are doing is so important. It can help those who may see themselves in their experiences.”
He also highlights how dramatically treatment options have evolved in recent years — and the importance of having trusted resources, like NEA, to navigate them.
“It was just 10 years ago where it was topical steroid after topical steroid,” Dr. Friedman says. “We didn’t have a single approved systemic medication for moderate or severe disease, and now we have a panacea along with new targeted topicals. It’s really a total 180. There are still many issues with access to dermatologists but there are resources out there. NEA is a great resource in terms of having the encyclopedia of treatment options. It’s about going to a trusted source.”
For Tori, deciding to speak publicly about her eczema wasn’t easy. Despite being open about virtually every other aspect of her life, she kept this struggle private for years out of embarrassment and shame. At 52, Tori is finding not just relief from her eczema, but a deeper confidence she wishes she’d found sooner, like Stella.
Her journey underscores an important truth: whether eczema appears in childhood like Stella’s or emerges in adulthood like Tori’s, everyone deserves access to effective care and resources that can improve their quality of life. It’s never too late to seek help, and no one should feel they have to live with eczema in silence.
Watching Stella find her confidence and connect with others online who share their experiences with eczema changed Tori’s perspective. “She’s the one who inspired me to talk about it now,” Tori says. “She made me realize that I should share this with people because my journey might help others, too.”
For Stella, talking about eczema has been empowering. “The more we talk about it, the more we can help each other find things that work for us and know that we’re not alone,” she says.
Now thriving in her senior year with a strong group of friends, Stella and her eczema journey have come full circle. And for both mother and daughter, being part of a larger conversation about eczema represents something bigger than their individual stories — it’s about creating a community where no one has to hide.
Special thank you to Arcutis Biotherapeutics. Tori Spelling is a spokesperson for their ‘Free to Be Me’ campaign.
Topicals containing CB are everywhere, promising better skin and more. While more research is needed, some experts think they’re worth a try for eczema.
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