What precautions should people with eczema be taken while exercising?
Exercise care is required with eczema. Sweating, friction, and heat can trigger flare up. Opt for respiratory fabrics, short sessions, quick rain and gentle moisturizer. With the right routine, you can remain active while protecting sensitive skin.
Eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, affects an estimated 10–20 percent of children and 10% of adults in India, and its prevalence is steadily growing with urban lifestyle and pollution. For those living with this chronic, inflammatory skin conditions, even simple daily routines can demand additional plans: heat, sweating, or weather changes can cause itching, dryness and sudden flaws of irritation.
Indiaatoday.in Rinki Kapoor, with Celebrity Dermatologist, Co-Founder and Director, spoke to achieve more insight on it with The Esthetic Clinic.
Still maintaining an active lifestyle is important for overall health, supporting heart fitness, mental welfare and even immune flexibility. Unfortunately, who looks like a basic welfare habit for something, may look like a luxury for someone with eczema.
Friction, sweating, and environmental triggers that are accompanied by a workout, often stand directly in conflict with sensitive skin.
But the good news is that with thoughtful preparation and some protective habits, people with eczema can embrace exercise without renouncing skin comfort.
Choose the right practice
High-rich activities that cause heavy sweating, such as intense cardio or hot yoga, can trigger provocative. At least-and-and-up-to-tail exercises such as brisk walking, pilates, yoga, or swimming are usually better tolerated. Swimming is often beneficial because water helps to relieve sweat, but it is important to bathe well later to remove chlorine or salt.
Wear the right clothes
Clothes can do or break workouts for someone with eczema. Tight or synthetic fabric trap heat and moisture, increased irritation. Opt for loose, breathing clothes made from cotton or special moisture designed for sensitive skin. Spontaneous fabrics reduce friction on delicate areas such as elbow, knees and neck.
Manage carefully
Sweat is a common trigger for itching and redness. During exercise, never rub sweat with a soft towel gently. After finishing, take a bath immediately with a light, aroma free cleanser and dry the skin to avoid snatching natural oils.
Keep the skin hydrated
Moisturization is important. Apply a mild, non-spill moisturizer before exercising to create a protective barrier. After taking a bath, re -apply a rich amolient to lock in hydration. Take a small tube of moisturizer in your gym bag so that you never leave this step.
See environment trigger
Outdoor workouts highlight the temperature of pollen, dust and ups and downs to the skin, which can all spoil eczema. Whenever possible, exercise in a cool, well ventilated indoor location. For swimmers, chlorine -rich or saltwater helps to apply a barrier cream before entering the pool and immediately subsequently reduce rinsing dryness.
Listen to your skin
Everyone’s triggers are different. If a specific activity continuously provokes, modify your routine or consult a dermatologist for analog advice. Tracking symptoms can help identify patterns and prevent unnecessary irritation.
Managing flares
When the symptoms persist despite careful skincare and exercise precautions, medical treatment becomes necessary. Dermatologists may write topical corticosteroids or new immune-modulating creams to calm inflammation and itching.
Oral antihistamines can help in severe itching, and if the secondary infection sets, a general complication, antibiotics often require.
For more stubborn or broader cases, controlled ultraviolet (UV) light therapy or other advanced treatments may be recommended.
Eczema does not need to limit an active lifestyle. By choosing appropriate activities, dressing wisely, managing sweat, and keeping the skin moisturized, people with eczema can exercise comfortably while protecting their skin health.
