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Eczema Awareness Month: Can Diet Improve (or Worsen) Eczema?

October 2024


The Relationship Between Food and Your Skin Condition 

We’re back with another Derm Deep Dive, a series where we provide expert advice from one of our board-certified dermatologists about common skin conditions or treatments. For Eczema Awareness Month this October, we collaborated with Dr. Virginia Barton about how diet can affect eczema – both positively and negatively. 

The Low-Down on Eczema 

Diet is often an area worth examining if you suffer from a health issue. The old saying “you are what you eat” isn’t too far off – there are many foods that have negative impacts on the body and can cause certain reactions in some people, just as there are foods that help us improve our health and wellness over time.  

But before you can understand whether your diet is potentially hurting or helping your eczema, you need to understand this condition – and what makes it “tick”.  

Eczema is a very common, non-contagious skin condition that causes the skin to lose its ability to act as a barrier, which initiates an inflammatory response. Without the barrier function, your skin is left open to irritation, dryness, or infection.  

Common symptoms of eczema are dry, itchy, red, and often bumpy patches on the skin, and it can be quite uncomfortable but is manageable with the right treatment. There are many types of eczema that each manifest differently on different people, and treatments can be quite varied.  

While there are a host of topical ointments and creams that can alleviate symptoms, eczema is, ultimately, an inflammatory response to a trigger and will continue to flare up as long as the trigger is present. 

Triggers can include sweat, allergens, sun exposure, and even stress, among others. It is widely discussed whether food plays a role – either in worsening flare ups or helping alleviate them.  

Determining Whether Food is Contributing to Your Eczema Flare Ups 

Allergy testing or an elimination experiment are helpful methods to determine if a diet-related trigger is causing your eczema flare ups.  

Some individuals do see a distinct pattern between food and flare ups – for example, every time you eat bread or enjoy a bowl of ice cream you immediately experience those tell-tale itchy patches. In these cases, patients may end up being diagnosed with another health condition like Celiac Disease or Lactose Intolerance that is creating larger problems for their eczema.   

However, outside of allergy-related cases, there is no proven relationship between diet and eczema, and treating eczema with dietary changes might help some individuals but have no impact for others.  

For children with eczema, parents shouldn’t begin elimination diets without consulting with a board-certified dermatologist. If your child doesn’t have a known food allergy, restricting their diet to manage eczema can do more harm than good. Children need nutrients from many different foods and food groups, and if there is no immediate health risk or other type of restriction to their diet, it’s best to continue feeding as normal.  

That being said, examining your own diet and making lifestyle changes to potentially alleviate eczema flare ups is never a bad idea. And there are certainly some foods that are harmful to our bodies in general, such as alcohol and sugar, that are always wise to cut back on.  

Treating Eczema From Within 

Because eczema is an inflammatory condition, it makes sense to eliminate or cut back on foods that cause inflammation (like sugar) and increase your intake of foods that reduce inflammation.  

Foods that cause inflammation include: 

  • Dairy products 
  • Fried food 
  • Refined carbohydrates like rice, white bread, and pasta 
  • Foods containing trans fats, such as baked goods and margarine   
  • Red meat and processed meats 
  • Sugar and sugar-sweetened products 

In general, eating a healthy diet will reduce inflammation in the body. Some recommended foods that have anti-inflammatory properties include: 

  • Vegetables containing antioxidants, such as broccoli, kale, and brussels sprouts 
  • Certain types of fish that contain omega-3 fatty acids and protein 
  • Berries, which contain antioxidants and fiber 
  • Yogurt or cottage cheese, which contain gut-healthy prebiotics and probiotics 
  • Bananas and pineapples, which contain the anti-inflammatory enzyme, Bromelain 
  • Plant-based foods, coffee, dark chocolate, and whole grains, which all contain polyphenols 
  • Mushrooms, which contain antioxidants and phenols (and are low in calories!) 

Cooking with olive oil is also recommended, and it has properties that are known to reduce inflammation and even alleviate pain.   

It’s best to consult with your dermatologist about your eczema before trying an elimination diet or changing your lifestyle to alleviate eczema symptoms – especially if you’re trying these approaches and your eczema isn’t improving.  

Dietary Changes Can be a Win-Win 

If dietary changes help alleviate your eczema symptoms – great! And if they don’t, you’re still better off for it.  

Dermatology is really a whole-health practice because the skin is the largest organ and is exposed to so much in our everyday lives. Improving what you put into your body can only have long-term positive results for your overall health and your skin, even if it doesn’t provide relief from your eczema.  

Luckily, there are treatments for eczema that are highly effective, and don’t require a dietary overhaul. I’d love to meet with you to discuss your eczema and the best treatment method to help you feel better, more confident, and less itchy! 

Schedule an appointment with Dr. Virginia Barton to discuss a treatment plan that will work best for you.