Facing Eczema at Four Months Old
Jaylin Anderson, from Mason City, Iowa, shares her experience of trying to get her daughter’s eczema diagnosed and treated when she was an infant.
Published On: Apr 21, 2025
Last Updated On: Apr 21, 2025
Puberty is a time of big transformations — bodies change, social lives evolve and daily routines shift. For many teens with eczema, their skin starts behaving differently too. Some notice their eczema fades, while others find the flares are worse than ever.
Hormones often get the blame, but they’re only part of the story. Many things that arrive with the teen years, like new skincare routines, increased sweat and even changing sleep patterns, can all play a role in making eczema worse. The good news? Understanding these triggers can help teens better manage their skin.
During puberty, hormones surge which can affect skin and eczema in different ways. Estrogen helps strengthen the skin barrier, while progesterone and androgens can weaken it. Many people also notice eczema worsening during menstruation because of these hormonal fluctuations.1
“During puberty, eczema symptoms can change — sometimes they get better and other times they may get worse,” said Dr. Joy Wan, assistant professor of dermatology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “Hormones play a role because they can lead to increased oil production in the skin.”
The effect of the increased oil on the skin depends on the type of eczema, she added. For example, it can improve atopic dermatitis (the most common type of eczema) by making skin less dry, but it can exacerbate seborrheic dermatitis (another common type of eczema), leading to more flaking or redness.
“Hormones also affect the immune response in the skin, which can either improve or worsen eczema depending on the individual,” said Dr. Wan.
These differences from person-to-person means that the common belief that eczema disappears in the teen years isn’t true for everyone.
“We used to say about 50% of kids outgrow eczema by their teens or young adulthood,” said Dr. Harper Price, a dermatologist and division chief of dermatology at Phoenix Children’s. “Now we know it’s probably more like 35%.”
For teens, an interest in new products like colognes, perfumes, makeup, aftershave, antiperspirants and deodorants — along with social and lifestyle changes — can contribute to eczema flares. Here are the top non-hormonal factors teens should consider:
“Acne can be tough when you also have eczema on the face,” said Dr. Price. “Teens might be using anti-acne medications like salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide or retinoids — all of which can be really irritating when you have eczema.”
For teens dealing with both conditions, treatment can be a balancing act.
“To improve eczema, you’d typically use topical steroids, but steroids can make acne worse,” said Dr. Price. “So, it’s about finding the right approach.” This can mean talking with your doctor about your concerns and letting them know what other medications you’re taking when deciding on the best treatment options together.
As puberty brings more body hair, many teens start shaving, which can irritate sensitive skin.
“Puberty increases the likelihood of developing age-related skin conditions like shaving bumps and folliculitis,” said Dr. Price. “And when you have eczema, you might already have a higher presence of Staphylococcus aureus, or Staph bacteria, on your skin. Shaving can cause small nicks, making it easier for Staph infections to take hold.”
Teens can reduce the risk of infection by taking precautions and learning proper shaving techniques, such as shaving in the direction of hair growth rather than against it.
Experimenting with makeup and skincare is a major part of the teen experience, but these products often contain drying or irritating ingredients like fragrance and preservatives, making them a common trigger for contact dermatitis, a type of eczema. Dr. Price often sees contact dermatitis on the faces, eyelids and necks of teens.
There are two types of contact dermatitis:
Avoiding the trigger usually helps manage both types of contact dermatitis. A dermatologist can help determine whether your reaction is contact dermatitis or another form of eczema.
To reduce the risk of skin reactions to skincare products or makeup, Dr. Price suggests the following:
“Stress never helps anything that I know,” said Dr. Price. And that applies to teens with eczema.
“When teens aren’t sleeping well — whether they’re staying up late on their phones, studying or feeling stressed — their cortisol levels rise,” said Dr. Price. “That’s not good for the skin or overall health.”
Research also shows that eczema can have a significant impact on mental health and sometimes make eczema symptoms worse.
Establishing a healthy sleep routine and adopting stress-relief strategies can help lower cortisol levels and minimize the impact of stress on eczema. Some strategies might include:
“Eczema can be very stigmatizing — it’s visible on your face and arms, so a lot of teenagers will wear hoodies and longer sleeves to cover it up,” said Dr. Price. “But for some, sweating and certain fabrics can create more problems with their eczema and itching. So, sometimes they’re creating a cycle where trying to hide it actually leads to more irritation.”
The same goes for athletic uniforms and gear. “You’re out in the sun more because you’ve got practice in the afternoon, you’re sweating, and that can trigger flares,” said Dr. Price. Choosing the right fabrics or layers can make all the difference. Look for clothing with the OEKO-TEX certification. This certification means the garment is free of harmful and potentially allergenic chemicals. You can also avoid clothing labeled “wrinkle-free” or “stain-resistant” as they typically contain chemicals that can irritate the skin.
“Eczema treatments don’t change dramatically as many of the treatments we use in younger children can still be used in teenagers,” said Dr. Wan. “However, for teens with moderate-to-severe eczema, there are sometimes additional options for treatment that are not otherwise available to younger children because of age restrictions.” These treatments include JAK inhibitors and oral medications instead of injections.
“I always give my teenagers hope — as new medications come to market, they just keep getting better,” said Dr. Price. “So there’s a chance to live eczema-free, even if you have eczema into your teenage years.”
References:
1. Kanda N, Hoashi T, Saeki H. The Roles of Sex Hormones in the Course of Atopic Dermatitis. Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Sep 20;20(19):4660. doi: 10.3390/ijms20194660. PMID: 31547021; PMCID: PMC6802354.
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