For many years, I’ve had a hidden relationship with eczema. Occasionally, it would flare up into small, stubborn patches that came and went. But a few years ago, I experienced a more intense episode. I tried everything I knew at the time: diet adjustments, acupuncture, Western remedies, and topical corticosteroid treatments. But what I hadn’t yet done was pause and ask eczema what it was trying to tell me. As someone who has been a perfectionist most of her life, I was very self-conscious of these eczema flares. I could usually conceal them, but this episode was loud, very visible, and deeply emotional. I wished eczema away so badly, but it would not clear until I truly listened and alchemized the experience.
When I finally did sit and listen, the message was clear. Eczema was my ego-projected inner child speaking. If you’re not familiar with this term, it's one that I coined years ago when I started working with the inner child. The ego-projected inner child is the one people often talk about fixing. It's not our real inner child; it's the storied one that creates a fog or barrier between you and the real one that I call the divine inner child. The divine inner child needs no fixing, simply remembering. When I dropped the shame and judgment so I could listen, it began to speak to me; it was the anger, sadness, and frustration I had been holding. Some of it was my own, and some was carried through my family lineage/bloodlines. This experience became one of the inspirations, along with 16 years of being a nanny, behind Inner Child Alchemy. This work I first did with myself, specifically around eczema. I carried so much embarrassment and shame because of how my hands looked. I did not feel beautiful or lovable. This very notion was challenged the day Michael asked me to marry him. I had thinned skin and scars from corticosteroid use on my hand, along with eczema on my ring finger. It was so heartbreaking to feel so vulnerable in such a special moment in my life. This moment gave me permission to lean into the discomfort and finally heal the emotions behind the eczema.
This experience stayed with me as I continued my journey and learning in TCM school. When it came time to formulate products for our Skin Wash line, it was this moment we thought about, creating the wash I wished I had all those years ago: something gentle, herbal, and nourishing, a formula I could trust to support healing rather than the corticosteroid creams that kept me in a cycle of reapplication and slowly thinned and weakened my skin.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), skin imbalances like eczema, dermatitis, and other chronic skin conditions are often linked to heat, dampness, dryness, and/or stagnant Qi. Within this framework, emotional well-being, stress, and tension may also be considered alongside the physical presentation. Skin flare-ups are not failures; they are signals guiding us to pause, listen, and care for ourselves more intentionally.
My most recent offering, The Compassion Path, brings my Inner Child Alchemy work and my wisdom of TCM into one offering, one that I wish I had all those years ago in my healing process. Through the Compassion Path, you can explore the emotional and energetic layers you feel may be connected to what you are experiencing. This guided 1:1 session offers a safe space to sit with what arises, notice subtle patterns, and support holistic healing through the practices and methods I’ve developed.
At the same time, intentional physical care supports this process. Our Skin Washes provide gentle, herbal-based relief while honoring your body’s innate intelligence. Our Skin Washes offer gentle, herbal-based external support for different skin presentations and can become part of an intentional skin-care routine. Today, I rarely experience major flare-ups. When I notice my skin signaling flare-up symptoms or imbalance, I use one of the KYA Skin Washes and take a moment to observe the emotions that may be present. I explore my diet and ensure I adjust where I need to. This simple practice has become part of how I respond when I notice changes in my skin. We formulated our skin washes with intention and firsthand experience, so that what we offer we can use too! It brings me so much joy to receive a review that our washes have helped people. These reviews are a reminder that although that big flare-up was devastating at the time, it was a pivotal learning experience for so much of the work I do now.
By pairing mindful, TCM-based skin care with compassionate reflection, you create a dialogue between body, mind, and spirit. For me, my skin became an invitation to holistic skin care, self-awareness, and emotional healing. Combining the Compassion Path with herbal skin support allows you to approach eczema and other skin imbalances with curiosity, intention, and empowerment, creating a more integrated path to skin wellness. This combination is what I needed all those years ago and continue to draw on whenever my skin is out of balance. It has empowered me to understand my body and its signals better. Sharing that perspective is part of what I hope to offer others navigating their own relationship with their skin.
Exploring What Your Skin Is Showing You
Just as my own relationship with my skin has evolved, the way we support people through KYA has continued to evolve too.
Our two Skin Washes were created for different skin presentations. If you're unsure which one better reflects what you're experiencing, our Skin Wash Quiz looks at characteristics such as appearance and sensation to help guide you toward the wash that may be the better place to begin.
And for those who feel there may be more to explore beyond the physical symptoms alone, the Compassion Path offers a separate space for emotional and energetic support.
Everyone's experience with their skin is different. For me, learning to care for the physical symptoms while also remaining curious about what else was happening in my life changed the relationship I had with my skin. That perspective continues to influence both my personal practice and the work we create through KYA.