- Grammy-winning singer Kelly Rowland shares her experience living with moderate-to-severe eczema and how she manages flare-ups, particularly during the winter months.
- Cold weather, dry air, and indoor heating can worsen eczema symptoms by drying out the skin and weakening its protective barrier.
- Managing stress, avoiding hot showers, moisturizing regularly, and talking with a dermatologist about treatment options can help people manage eczema flare-ups.
Wintertime can bring everyone down with its colder weather and less sunlight. But for those with eczema, this time of year can wreak havoc on their skin, too.
That’s the case for Grammy-winning singer, actress, and Destiny’s Child alum Kelly Rowland, who has been living with eczema since her 20s. During the winter months, she often dreads the cold.
“[You] don’t know what the environment is going to give you—because mine is also environmental—or what the weather is going to give you,” Rowland told Healthline.
Cold weather and indoor heating can reduce humidity, drying out the skin and triggering or worsening eczema flare-ups.
“[What we know] about the skin barrier is that it really is like a gate or wall against the outside world,” Camille Howard-Verovic, MD, a dermatologist at Active Dermatology, told Healthline.
In healthy skin, the barrier controls what enters and leaves the skin. However, for people with eczema, Howard-Verovic said they have skin barrier dysfunction, which allows substances such as allergens and irritants to penetrate the skin.
Cold weather can increase transepidermal water loss, a process in which moisture escapes through the skin’s outer barrier and evaporates into the surrounding air.
“People with eczema have a tremendous amount of transepidermal water loss, so you’re just drier,” said Howard-Verovic. “[You’re] not holding onto the water as well, so that causes the itching and the rash that we feel when we have eczema.”
Rowland first noticed eczema flares behind her ears as well as on her elbows, arms, and the back of her knees.
“[It] looked like a rash, so that’s what I thought it was all this time, and I dealt with it for so long until after I had my son and then it started to get worse on my face,” she said.
She eventually went to a dermatologist who diagnosed her with moderate-to-severe eczema, a chronic inflammatory skin condition that can cause intense itching, painful skin cracking, thickened skin, and redness or swelling.
When Rowland learned that eczema can be genetic, it made sense to her.
“I remember seeing big rashes on [my mom’s] neck and her arms…so she had it, and I guess I was the lucky one,” said Rowland.
At first, she tried eliminating foods that she thought might be triggers. She also bathed in oatmeal.
“[I] literally have had a tub full of oatmeal, like literally went to the store to get store-bought fresh oats,” she said. “I tried everything, and it doesn’t help until you go talk to a doctor about it.”
At first, she tried prescription topical medications but found them cumbersome.
“I don’t have the time, if I’m being honest, and we live in a world that is moving so fast…I started buying like three tubes of whatever it was I was using and losing it; it was just too much for me,” Rowland said.
Rowland said she found relief with Ebglyss, a prescription injectable medication for moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis. She has also partnered with Eli Lilly and Company, its manufacturer, to raise awareness about eczema.
Rowland said she’s sharing her experience to help others living with eczema, including people she’s met who have experienced greater challenges managing the condition.
“One lady was telling me about how she’s having a tough time [looking] in the mirror cause she doesn’t know who’s looking back at her, and she saw her skin before eczema and after,” said Rowland.
When she first had symptoms, she said she felt embarrassed, too.
“[Because] it was just in the middle of my arm space and…[if I] put out my hand to shake someone’s hand, you don’t know if somebody’s judgy,” she said.
Rowland hopes being open about her condition will encourage others to advocate for themselves and talk with their doctor about treatment options.
Because eczema can look different on deeper skin tones, Howard-Verovic noted that a dermatologist can help make the correct diagnosis.
“Some people may not even know that they have eczema,” she said. “We know that eczema is a rash; it can appear red on certain skin tones, and it can be grey or white on certain skin tones, so it can look a little different.”
In addition to medication, Rowland said managing stress helps reduce her eczema flare-ups.
“Before [when] I went on tour, because I was under so much stress, it flared up like crazy, like you wouldn’t believe,” she said. “We were in the back trying to figure out how to cover certain things up, and we figured some of it out, and some of it was really tricky, but what helped was when I actually just calmed down…not that it helped overnight, but it did just kind of bring the flare down.”
She said red light therapy, feeling grounded outside without her shoes on, getting vitamin D from natural sunlight, and cooking are ways she reduces ongoing stress.
“Cooking calms me when my kids aren’t here, and I have a really good [Zen] playlist on,” said Rowland. “[If] you ask me a question [in those moments], I might give you my heart; I’m just so happy.”
She also tries to cut back on sugar, which she believes triggers flares.
“I do enjoy chocolate chip cookies and chocolate cake…and the holidays are coming up. I usually [indulge] around the holidays,” Rowland said.
Another way to reduce flares, according to Howard-Verovic, is to avoid hot showers, especially in the winter.
“[We] know eczematous skin likes lukewarm water,” she said.
Because Howard-Verovic and her daughter both live with eczema, she set a rule about when it’s time to get out of the shower.
“[If] you see condensation on the bathroom mirror, you’ve spent too much time in the shower,” said Howard-Verovic. “[That] really hot, hot water feels really good in that moment…but when you get out all that water evaporates, and there’s no moisture in the atmosphere, and it dries your skin out, and now your skin is unhappy again.”
If you prefer to take baths, she said use gentle cleansers.
“[There] are bleach baths for really, really bad flare-ups,” she noted.
Diluted bleach baths are sometimes recommended for people with eczema, but they should only be used according to a healthcare professional’s instructions.
As soon as you get out of the shower or bath, Howard-Verovic said to apply a quality moisturizer to your damp skin. According to the National Eczema Association (NEA), lotions containing the following ingredients can help ease dry skin associated with eczema.
- Aloe
- Glycerin
- Niacinamide
- Oat butter
- Petrolatum
- Shea butter
- Vitamin E
To help identify appropriate products, look for ones that have the NEA’s Seal of Acceptance.
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