Published On: Oct 3, 2023
Last Updated On: Oct 25, 2023
Inspired by the Proust Questionnaire, and popularized by Vanity Fair, we’re back with another edition of our very own NEA Questionnaire. French author Marcel Proust believed that by answering a series of curated questions, an individual reveals their “true nature.” Along these lines, the NEA Questionnaire series aims to highlight prominent figures in the eczema community to try to better understand their impact on the community and the passions that drive them.
Dr. Richard Aron is a world-renowned dermatologist known for originating the CASM (compound antibacterial steroid and moisturizer) method, also known as the Aron regimen, which is a unique and groundbreaking approach to eczema treatment. Get to know Dr. Aron:
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Perfect happiness does not exist.
What is your greatest fear?
The loss of one of my children.
Which living person do you most admire?
My wife, Kate.
Where do you go to find peace?
I go to sleep.
What is your current obsession?
I am mildly obsessed with the correct usage of the English language.
What is the quality you most like in yourself?
Integrity.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Refer to number five!
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My greatest loves have changed from time to time.
When and where were you happiest?
Truly cannot decide.
Which talent would you most like to have?
To have been better at sport in general.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
To have been and be more adventurous in life.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Raising my four children to be admirable people.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
Opening batsman (cricket) for South Africa.
Where would you most like to live?
Cape Town where I live now! No better place.
What is your most treasured possession?
A tiny diary used by my late mother to record family birthdays.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Have never plumbed these depths.
What is your most marked characteristic?
Fortitude in the face of adversity.
What do you most value in your friends?
Patience with my idiosyncrasies.
Who is your hero of fiction?
No such person.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Always play a straight bat (cricket) by an Australian cricketer (Jack Moroney), when I was 10 years old. Implies integrity.
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Ignaz Semmelweiss, the 19th century physician who was the first to perceive the existence of bacterial infection.
What is it that you most dislike?
Hypocritical people.
What is your greatest regret?
I regret having been risk averse to the degree which I practised [sic].
What is your motto?
Spectemur Agendo — “Let us be judged by our actions.”
What do you wish more people knew about eczema?
The understanding and correct treatment of the critical adverse role played by Staphylococcus aureus bacterial infection in atopic dermatitis.
There are many ingredients and products that can cause contact dermatitis — a skin rash caused by an allergic reaction after something touches your skin. Learn more about this type of eczema, including how to diagnose, treat and prevent it.
Amanda Campbell shares how she successfully managed her eczema during one of the toughest backpacking hikes in the United States.
The Food and Drug Administration approved two new treatments for eczema in 2024. Learn more about each treatment option, plus what you can expect in 2025.
In October 2024, the National Eczema Association acknowledged Eczema Awareness Month through the The Ecz-hibition campaign by putting #EczemaOnDisplay.