Exercising Causes My Eczema to Flare. What Should I Do?

Exercised-induced eczema is a thing. But you don’t have to give up your gym sessions to appease your skin condition. Jeremy Fenton, M.D., medical director at the Schweiger Dermatology Group in New York City, has some top tips to keep you working out without breaking out.

If you have eczema, you may wonder why when you exercise and work out your eczema seems to flare and get worse. When we exercise, we sweat and the sweat and the heat and the dilating of the blood vessels near the skin can cause your eczema to flare and irritate it. And unfortunately, that’s just the nature of eczema. Eczema tends to get worse in heat. And when you’re sweating, it makes the skin more itchy and irritated. But, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t exercise. Exercising can lower stress levels, which can help improve the eczema in the long run. I would just recommend keeping some moisturizer before and after you exercise to help deal with some of those symptoms.