4. Too Much Bathing or Showering
“It’s very common for Americans to take a bath or shower once — or even twice — a day,” says Dr. Del Campo. “But by overwashing, we lose the natural oils of our skin. The skin then becomes more dry and more prone to developing eczema.”
5. Jewelry
Not all jewelry aggravates atopic dermatitis–prone skin, but earrings, necklaces, rings, and other body ornaments made of nickel can be problematic, especially if you develop an allergy to nickel. A nickel allergy is a common cause of contact eczema, a condition linked to atopic dermatitis.
It may not be obvious that nickel is in a piece of jewelry, since a small amount of the metal is often mixed into silver or white gold. You can develop an allergy to nickel through repeated and prolonged exposure, and once the allergy is established, you’ll always be sensitive to it and need to avoid contact.
Note that buttons, eyeglasses, snaps, and zippers may also contain nickel.
Nickel can be found in many products, so if you suspect you have a nickel allergy, purchase a home test kit to check for nickel in metal items that may otherwise be difficult to pinpoint. Your dermatologist can perform a patch test to confirm the allergy. If you’re sensitive to nickel, avoid prolonged exposure to items containing nickel, wear hypoallergenic jewelry, and cover up buttons, snaps, zippers, and tool handles with duct tape or a clear barrier, such as Nickel Guard.
6. Certain Foods and Food Allergies
Although uncommon, certain foods can cause atopic dermatitis to flare, according to Del Campo. He says acidic foods can be a particular issue, including tomatoes, strawberries, and citrus, such as oranges, limes, lemons, and grapefruit.
Eggs, fish and shellfish, milk, peanuts and tree nuts, sesame, and wheat are also common causes of food allergies and can trigger atopic dermatitis flares, particularly in children.
7. Fabrics and Face Masks
Fabrics that trap heat and sweat or irritate the skin are well-established troublemakers when it comes to atopic dermatitis, especially wool. But nylon and polyester can also worsen atopic dermatitis and other forms of skin inflammation, while fabrics made with pure cotton, bamboo, or silk tend to be more eczema friendly.
Del Campo says the COVID-19 pandemic introduced another skin agitator: the face mask.
“During the pandemic, we saw a lot of flare-ups around the mouth and on the lips in patients who otherwise were doing well for a long time,” he says. “People were constantly reusing the same mask, and dyes used in the masks sometimes created a problem. Masking was definitely a new factor that we weren’t expecting.”
To reduce the likelihood that a face mask will cause an eczema flare, cleanse your face with a gentle wash, pat the skin dry, and apply moisturizer before putting on a mask. Make sure the mask isn’t too tight (it shouldn’t dig into skin) or too loose (it shouldn’t move around and rub). Also be sure to wash cloth face masks often to remove germs, oils, skin cells, and sweat.
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