However, changes in hormone levels can lead to hormonal eczema.
This is why you may experience eczema during your period, after pregnancy, or during menopause.
This article will cover must-know information about hormones and eczema.
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Well explain how and why hormone fluctuations, particularly in females, can cause a hormonal rash or eczema.
Its normal and healthy to experiencehormone fluctuations.
But those fluctuations may impact your eczema, making symptoms more or less severe.
To understand why, you’re gonna wanna understand a bit aboutthe immune system.
Researchers believe that eczema iscausedby an immune system thats not functioning properly.
Hormones affect two types of immune cells: Th1 cells and Th2 cells.
Th2 cells have been linked to allergy responses and eczema.Certain hormones, includingestrogenandprogesterone, can cause more Th2 activity.
Thats especially true during these five stages of hormonal fluctuation.
The hormones that often make eczema worse, estrogen and progesterone, are female sex hormones.
This may explain why eczema is more common in adult females than adult males.
Puberty
Pubertyis a time when a childs body undergoes changes that make it an adults body.
Both sexes experience hormonal changes.
Interestingly, puberty is often a time of fewer eczema symptoms.There are a few reasons for that.
Interestingly, for many, eczema improves before or during puberty.
There are a few reasons for that.
To begin with, up to 80% of people with eczema outgrow the condition.This can coincide with puberty.
Still, skin changes during puberty can be challenging for teens with eczema.
They must develop a skincare routine to manage their condition.
Menstruation
Hormonal changes in themenstrual cycleare closely related to eczema symptoms.
The symptoms may last, leading to eczema during period days too.
Pregnancy
Duringpregnancy, your body has more Th2 immune cell activity.
This helps protect the growing fetus, but also makes you more prone to eczema.
Menopause
Duringmenopause, both progesterone and estrogen levels drop.
While this can lead to less Th2 immune cell activity, it poses risks.
If menopause makes your eczema symptoms worse, talk to your healthcare provider about whetherhormone replacement therapymight help.
Birth Control
Theres no clear research on a birth control eczema connection.
If you think your birth control is making eczema worse, talk with your healthcare provider.
However, sometimes underlying medical conditions like thyroid disease and stress can cause a hormone imbalance.
In that case, you dont need to balance your hormones to control symptoms.
Summary
Hormonal changes can make eczema symptoms worse, particularly for females.
Thats why you might experience a hormonal rash during pregnancy or just before your period.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes.
During menopause, levels of estrogen and progesterone drop.
All of that can compound eczema symptoms.
A hormone test can help you determine whether you’re in menopause.
Talk with your healthcare provider about treatments that may work for you.
Many eczema treatments, like steroid creams, are safe during pre-menstrual time, pregnancy, and menopause.
Treatments that control your symptoms will help keep flares at bay when your hormones change.
There are many differenteczema triggers.
The clothes you wear and items in your environmentlike pollen or pet dandercan all trigger eczema.
Avoiding these triggers can help alleviate symptoms.
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