"It's so upsetting," reality show star Garcel Beauvais says of living with a chronic skin condition.

Garcel Beauvais is known for his glamorous lifestyle in The True Wives of Beverly Hills, but behind the camera, he struggles with a painful rash.

"I was in my 30s when all of a sudden I started getting these patches on my skin, and they would itch," Beauvais, 55, told news. I don't know what it is — like, "Did something bite me?" They keep popping up in different places, also the more stressed I was, the more they came out. I don't know what I should do."

Beauvais was eventually diagnosed with eczema, a chronic inflammatory skin condition that affects more than 31 million Americans and can be exacerbated by stress, environmental factors, and allergens.

Over the years, the actress - best known for her roles on NYPD Blue and The Jamie Foxx Show - has found ways to manage her condition, even though last summer's outbreak proved particularly painful.

"I started getting freckles behind my knees, and I wanted to crawl out of my skin because it was so annoying," she says. "I don't want to wear tops or shorts because I can see the dry and itchy areas.

These days, Beauvais tries to avoid his favorite scented lotions, perfumes, and hot tubs, even though the stress of drama-filled reality shows is sometimes unavoidable.

"Oh, I kept having breakthroughs while filming Housewife! She laughed. "But I did the best I could. I have to choose my fight!"