Peter Moffat talks about his experience with eczema and making awareness and education accessible.
Executive producer and award-winning writer Peter Moffat gave millions of viewers a glimpse into the reality of living with severe eczema, or atopic dermatitis (AD), when he created the character John Stone (played by John Turturro) for the HBO crime drama The Night Of. In each episode, viewers saw Stone’s struggles, as he tried a variety of extreme remedies to alleviate the pain and itching from his AD—from Crisco to topical creams, UV light therapy, and exotic herbal teas. That part of the story is inspired by the personal experiences of Mr Moffat.
Now his new project, Understand AD: A Day in the Life, in partnership with Regeneron, Sanofi, and the National Eczema Association (NEA), takes the struggles with AD directly to the broader public through a short video to raise awareness and educate on the disease. The short video, written and narrated by Mr Moffat, is a documentary style experience that allows viewers to peek inside a day in the life of a person living with uncontrolled moderate to severe AD (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Producer Peter Moffat said he hopes the new short video Understand AD: A Day in the Life will help reduce the stigma and isolating nature of this chronic disease.
In an interview with The Dermatologist, Mr Moffat noted that the video aims to educate on the significant physical and psychological impact of the disease—from sleeplessness, to feelings of anxiety, depression, and isolation—and to drive empathy for this often-misunderstood disease.
Spreading Awareness
Just like Stone in The Night Of, Mr Moffat said he often wears sandals even in winter when no one else is wearing them. “It is what works for me, it brings air around my feet,” he said, noting it also brings stares from people. “In the London Underground (the tube), parents look at me wearing sandals in winter, they look at my feet and then they move away. I think the parents of those kids move away for fear of me, they don’t want to catch what I have got. I wish the world would understand you can’t catch AD from anyone,” he said.
This shows how poorly educated people are about the condition. “Maybe they think it is contagious. In my worst imaginings, they think maybe I have leprosy. I want to make people understand what it is like to live with eczema. If something like this project works against isolation and depression that would be good. It can also help let people know they can find out how they can help themselves,” he said.
Lifetime of Experience
Mr Moffat has had severe AD for 50 years and was diagnosed at 5 years old. “When my mum and I went to the doctor he said, ‘you have infantile eczema and it will go away really soon,’” but it never did.
“There are no signs of it going away. I have still got it,” he said. While eczema can affect different parts of the body, it mainly affects his feet. “My feet can be a real mess. I kind of describe it as looking like a cross between corn flakes and puss. It is really ugly. I got to bed and my feet are itching, and then I scratch in the night, and then my skin flakes. I take off my socks and I shake the flakes out. It is a bit grim,” he said.
Article continues on page 2
{{pagebreak}}
His lifetime of experience drew him to write about it. He created the Stone character first through the popular BBC series, Criminal Justice, from which The Night Of was adapted. The trial lawyer also suffered from uncontrolled AD and through the popularity of the show drove mass awareness of uncontrolled moderate to severe AD in the United States and globally.
“I desperately wanted a global audience to get an intimate view of the burden caused by the intense, persistent itching, and pain that someone living with this disease experiences every day,” he said. “I love how each episode of The Night Of captured the often-extreme things people do to try to overcome the physically and emotionally daunting symptoms of atopic dermatitis. John Turturro’s portrayal was terrific,” he said.
Mr. Moffat said he usually does not read reviews or tweets, but checked on the internet after the show’s debut to gauge the reception of the AD information in the show. He said the response was “really positive” and his favorite tweet said, “TheNight Of is a show about eczema with a murder subplot.”
The Video
He joined the project Understand AD: A Day in the Life to continue telling these real-life stories, which he said he hopes will help reduce the stigma and isolating nature of this chronic disease. When the show finished, he wanted to carry on spreading the message of what it was like to live with AD, and help educate the public about the condition so they can better understand it. The goal, he said, is to help empower people so they are better able to talk about it and be less worried about it.
“The more the world hears about severe eczema the more chance to make the stigma go away,” he said, noting that people with eczema still feel like social pariahs.
The video, which can be seen at Understandad.com, depicts the experiences of real people and their real stories, about how they deal with everyday life daily activities in their home and in the world. The extreme coping mechanisms are uncomfortable to watch and depict the anguish and discomfort people with uncontrolled moderate to severe AD endure daily. Symptoms of AD include pruritus, dry, inflamed, cracked skin, and insomnia. In the video, a woman uses a hair brush to vigorously scratch the inflamed skin on her forearm, pours bleach into the tub for a bleach bath, and runs hot water from the kitchen sink over her affected skin on her arms to relieve itching (Figures 2-4).The narration details that sometimes “the sink isn’t for dishes, sometimes bleach isn’t for laundry, sometimes a brush isn’t for hair…”
To many people with AD, this is their “normal.” Mr Moffat explained when his feet are extremely itchy and he cannot stop scratching them, he puts his feet in hot water and it helps with the itch. The video notes that for those living with uncontrolled AD this does not have to be normal and there are available resources and support.
Empowerment and Education
Mr Moffat noted that while he had not received any new recent treatment, he said he feels hopeful and is never down on himself because of the AD. “I am empowered by wanting to empower other people. I remain optimistic,” he said.
The website also features videos of 3 other people, Lindsay, Holly, and William, who explain the difficulties and effects of living with the chronic immune mediated disease.
“The Understand AD: A Day in the Life program signifies our commitment to driving education and growing public awareness of this serious and often overlooked disease,” said Julie Block, president and chief executive officer of the NEA. “Because it’s a skin disease, people may not understand how the disease can take hold of people’s lives, personally, socially, and professionally. NEA is dedicated to providing support for patients impacted by atopic dermatitis—offering resources, advocating for better care, and raising awareness about the seriousness of this disease.”
Visit www.UnderstandAD.com to view the Understand AD: A Day in the Life video, learn more about this program and moderate to severe AD, and connect with NEA about its resources, patient tools, and support services.
Peter Moffat talks about his experience with eczema and making awareness and education accessible.
Executive producer and award-winning writer Peter Moffat gave millions of viewers a glimpse into the reality of living with severe eczema, or atopic dermatitis (AD), when he created the character John Stone (played by John Turturro) for the HBO crime drama The Night Of. In each episode, viewers saw Stone’s struggles, as he tried a variety of extreme remedies to alleviate the pain and itching from his AD—from Crisco to topical creams, UV light therapy, and exotic herbal teas. That part of the story is inspired by the personal experiences of Mr Moffat.
Now his new project, Understand AD: A Day in the Life, in partnership with Regeneron, Sanofi, and the National Eczema Association (NEA), takes the struggles with AD directly to the broader public through a short video to raise awareness and educate on the disease. The short video, written and narrated by Mr Moffat, is a documentary style experience that allows viewers to peek inside a day in the life of a person living with uncontrolled moderate to severe AD (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Producer Peter Moffat said he hopes the new short video Understand AD: A Day in the Life will help reduce the stigma and isolating nature of this chronic disease.
In an interview with The Dermatologist, Mr Moffat noted that the video aims to educate on the significant physical and psychological impact of the disease—from sleeplessness, to feelings of anxiety, depression, and isolation—and to drive empathy for this often-misunderstood disease.
Spreading Awareness
Just like Stone in The Night Of, Mr Moffat said he often wears sandals even in winter when no one else is wearing them. “It is what works for me, it brings air around my feet,” he said, noting it also brings stares from people. “In the London Underground (the tube), parents look at me wearing sandals in winter, they look at my feet and then they move away. I think the parents of those kids move away for fear of me, they don’t want to catch what I have got. I wish the world would understand you can’t catch AD from anyone,” he said.
This shows how poorly educated people are about the condition. “Maybe they think it is contagious. In my worst imaginings, they think maybe I have leprosy. I want to make people understand what it is like to live with eczema. If something like this project works against isolation and depression that would be good. It can also help let people know they can find out how they can help themselves,” he said.
Lifetime of Experience
Mr Moffat has had severe AD for 50 years and was diagnosed at 5 years old. “When my mum and I went to the doctor he said, ‘you have infantile eczema and it will go away really soon,’” but it never did.
“There are no signs of it going away. I have still got it,” he said. While eczema can affect different parts of the body, it mainly affects his feet. “My feet can be a real mess. I kind of describe it as looking like a cross between corn flakes and puss. It is really ugly. I got to bed and my feet are itching, and then I scratch in the night, and then my skin flakes. I take off my socks and I shake the flakes out. It is a bit grim,” he said.
Article continues on page 2
{{pagebreak}}
His lifetime of experience drew him to write about it. He created the Stone character first through the popular BBC series, Criminal Justice, from which The Night Of was adapted. The trial lawyer also suffered from uncontrolled AD and through the popularity of the show drove mass awareness of uncontrolled moderate to severe AD in the United States and globally.
“I desperately wanted a global audience to get an intimate view of the burden caused by the intense, persistent itching, and pain that someone living with this disease experiences every day,” he said. “I love how each episode of The Night Of captured the often-extreme things people do to try to overcome the physically and emotionally daunting symptoms of atopic dermatitis. John Turturro’s portrayal was terrific,” he said.
Mr. Moffat said he usually does not read reviews or tweets, but checked on the internet after the show’s debut to gauge the reception of the AD information in the show. He said the response was “really positive” and his favorite tweet said, “TheNight Of is a show about eczema with a murder subplot.”
The Video
He joined the project Understand AD: A Day in the Life to continue telling these real-life stories, which he said he hopes will help reduce the stigma and isolating nature of this chronic disease. When the show finished, he wanted to carry on spreading the message of what it was like to live with AD, and help educate the public about the condition so they can better understand it. The goal, he said, is to help empower people so they are better able to talk about it and be less worried about it.
“The more the world hears about severe eczema the more chance to make the stigma go away,” he said, noting that people with eczema still feel like social pariahs.
The video, which can be seen at Understandad.com, depicts the experiences of real people and their real stories, about how they deal with everyday life daily activities in their home and in the world. The extreme coping mechanisms are uncomfortable to watch and depict the anguish and discomfort people with uncontrolled moderate to severe AD endure daily. Symptoms of AD include pruritus, dry, inflamed, cracked skin, and insomnia. In the video, a woman uses a hair brush to vigorously scratch the inflamed skin on her forearm, pours bleach into the tub for a bleach bath, and runs hot water from the kitchen sink over her affected skin on her arms to relieve itching (Figures 2-4).The narration details that sometimes “the sink isn’t for dishes, sometimes bleach isn’t for laundry, sometimes a brush isn’t for hair…”
To many people with AD, this is their “normal.” Mr Moffat explained when his feet are extremely itchy and he cannot stop scratching them, he puts his feet in hot water and it helps with the itch. The video notes that for those living with uncontrolled AD this does not have to be normal and there are available resources and support.
Empowerment and Education
Mr Moffat noted that while he had not received any new recent treatment, he said he feels hopeful and is never down on himself because of the AD. “I am empowered by wanting to empower other people. I remain optimistic,” he said.
The website also features videos of 3 other people, Lindsay, Holly, and William, who explain the difficulties and effects of living with the chronic immune mediated disease.
“The Understand AD: A Day in the Life program signifies our commitment to driving education and growing public awareness of this serious and often overlooked disease,” said Julie Block, president and chief executive officer of the NEA. “Because it’s a skin disease, people may not understand how the disease can take hold of people’s lives, personally, socially, and professionally. NEA is dedicated to providing support for patients impacted by atopic dermatitis—offering resources, advocating for better care, and raising awareness about the seriousness of this disease.”
Visit www.UnderstandAD.com to view the Understand AD: A Day in the Life video, learn more about this program and moderate to severe AD, and connect with NEA about its resources, patient tools, and support services.
Peter Moffat talks about his experience with eczema and making awareness and education accessible.
Executive producer and award-winning writer Peter Moffat gave millions of viewers a glimpse into the reality of living with severe eczema, or atopic dermatitis (AD), when he created the character John Stone (played by John Turturro) for the HBO crime drama The Night Of. In each episode, viewers saw Stone’s struggles, as he tried a variety of extreme remedies to alleviate the pain and itching from his AD—from Crisco to topical creams, UV light therapy, and exotic herbal teas. That part of the story is inspired by the personal experiences of Mr Moffat.
Now his new project, Understand AD: A Day in the Life, in partnership with Regeneron, Sanofi, and the National Eczema Association (NEA), takes the struggles with AD directly to the broader public through a short video to raise awareness and educate on the disease. The short video, written and narrated by Mr Moffat, is a documentary style experience that allows viewers to peek inside a day in the life of a person living with uncontrolled moderate to severe AD (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Producer Peter Moffat said he hopes the new short video Understand AD: A Day in the Life will help reduce the stigma and isolating nature of this chronic disease.
In an interview with The Dermatologist, Mr Moffat noted that the video aims to educate on the significant physical and psychological impact of the disease—from sleeplessness, to feelings of anxiety, depression, and isolation—and to drive empathy for this often-misunderstood disease.
Spreading Awareness
Just like Stone in The Night Of, Mr Moffat said he often wears sandals even in winter when no one else is wearing them. “It is what works for me, it brings air around my feet,” he said, noting it also brings stares from people. “In the London Underground (the tube), parents look at me wearing sandals in winter, they look at my feet and then they move away. I think the parents of those kids move away for fear of me, they don’t want to catch what I have got. I wish the world would understand you can’t catch AD from anyone,” he said.
This shows how poorly educated people are about the condition. “Maybe they think it is contagious. In my worst imaginings, they think maybe I have leprosy. I want to make people understand what it is like to live with eczema. If something like this project works against isolation and depression that would be good. It can also help let people know they can find out how they can help themselves,” he said.
Lifetime of Experience
Mr Moffat has had severe AD for 50 years and was diagnosed at 5 years old. “When my mum and I went to the doctor he said, ‘you have infantile eczema and it will go away really soon,’” but it never did.
“There are no signs of it going away. I have still got it,” he said. While eczema can affect different parts of the body, it mainly affects his feet. “My feet can be a real mess. I kind of describe it as looking like a cross between corn flakes and puss. It is really ugly. I got to bed and my feet are itching, and then I scratch in the night, and then my skin flakes. I take off my socks and I shake the flakes out. It is a bit grim,” he said.
Article continues on page 2
{{pagebreak}}
His lifetime of experience drew him to write about it. He created the Stone character first through the popular BBC series, Criminal Justice, from which The Night Of was adapted. The trial lawyer also suffered from uncontrolled AD and through the popularity of the show drove mass awareness of uncontrolled moderate to severe AD in the United States and globally.
“I desperately wanted a global audience to get an intimate view of the burden caused by the intense, persistent itching, and pain that someone living with this disease experiences every day,” he said. “I love how each episode of The Night Of captured the often-extreme things people do to try to overcome the physically and emotionally daunting symptoms of atopic dermatitis. John Turturro’s portrayal was terrific,” he said.
Mr. Moffat said he usually does not read reviews or tweets, but checked on the internet after the show’s debut to gauge the reception of the AD information in the show. He said the response was “really positive” and his favorite tweet said, “TheNight Of is a show about eczema with a murder subplot.”
The Video
He joined the project Understand AD: A Day in the Life to continue telling these real-life stories, which he said he hopes will help reduce the stigma and isolating nature of this chronic disease. When the show finished, he wanted to carry on spreading the message of what it was like to live with AD, and help educate the public about the condition so they can better understand it. The goal, he said, is to help empower people so they are better able to talk about it and be less worried about it.
“The more the world hears about severe eczema the more chance to make the stigma go away,” he said, noting that people with eczema still feel like social pariahs.
The video, which can be seen at Understandad.com, depicts the experiences of real people and their real stories, about how they deal with everyday life daily activities in their home and in the world. The extreme coping mechanisms are uncomfortable to watch and depict the anguish and discomfort people with uncontrolled moderate to severe AD endure daily. Symptoms of AD include pruritus, dry, inflamed, cracked skin, and insomnia. In the video, a woman uses a hair brush to vigorously scratch the inflamed skin on her forearm, pours bleach into the tub for a bleach bath, and runs hot water from the kitchen sink over her affected skin on her arms to relieve itching (Figures 2-4).The narration details that sometimes “the sink isn’t for dishes, sometimes bleach isn’t for laundry, sometimes a brush isn’t for hair…”
To many people with AD, this is their “normal.” Mr Moffat explained when his feet are extremely itchy and he cannot stop scratching them, he puts his feet in hot water and it helps with the itch. The video notes that for those living with uncontrolled AD this does not have to be normal and there are available resources and support.
Empowerment and Education
Mr Moffat noted that while he had not received any new recent treatment, he said he feels hopeful and is never down on himself because of the AD. “I am empowered by wanting to empower other people. I remain optimistic,” he said.
The website also features videos of 3 other people, Lindsay, Holly, and William, who explain the difficulties and effects of living with the chronic immune mediated disease.
“The Understand AD: A Day in the Life program signifies our commitment to driving education and growing public awareness of this serious and often overlooked disease,” said Julie Block, president and chief executive officer of the NEA. “Because it’s a skin disease, people may not understand how the disease can take hold of people’s lives, personally, socially, and professionally. NEA is dedicated to providing support for patients impacted by atopic dermatitis—offering resources, advocating for better care, and raising awareness about the seriousness of this disease.”
Visit www.UnderstandAD.com to view the Understand AD: A Day in the Life video, learn more about this program and moderate to severe AD, and connect with NEA about its resources, patient tools, and support services.
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He joined the project Understand AD: A Day in the Life to continue telling these real-life stories, which he said he hopes will help reduce the stigma and isolating nature of this chronic disease. When the show finished, he wanted to carry on spreading the message of what it was like to live with AD, and help educate the public about the condition so they can better understand it. The goal, he said, is to help empower people so they are better able to talk about it and be less worried about it. 
