Hormones and Eczema

For those suffering from eczema, a good rule of thumb is to not begin any new types of treatments for your condition while you are going through a hormonal change. For example, do not start ultraviolet therapy, topical immunomodulators or steroid creams when you are expecting your period. Hormonal changes can wreak havoc with the results you hope to achieve. Instead begin a few weeks before or a few weeks after your menstruation has passed.

Pregnancy, in particular, can cause hormones to go crazy. The volume of blood a woman’s heart pumps increases a great deal when she is pregnant and this increase in both hormone production and blood can bring about changes in a woman’s skin. These changes are not the same for every woman. Some women experiences drier, flakier and itchier eczema skin. Others find that their level of natural oils is plentiful.

Menopause causes a shake up of hormones. During this period, eczema prone skin needs some extra tender loving care. However, in a great deal of cases eczema is not as common for women of menopausal age. Atopic eczema is very rare in menopausal individuals whereas varicose and discoid eczema are more common among this age group of women. After menopause has ended many women have lesser amounts of the hormones estrogen, estradiol and prolactin.