Signs Your Eczema May Be Getting Worse

Eczema is a lifelong condition. Your symptoms may flare up from time to time, but with mild to moderate eczema, you should be able to control these flares. If you can’t keep it under control with the right care, your condition might progress to severe. Here are some signs that your eczema could be getting worse.

Typically, you can manage mild eczema with moisturizer, good skin care, and creams. If these tactics don’t keep your symptoms under control, it might be a sign your eczema is getting more severe and needs more targeted treatment.

Doctors measure the severity of your eczema in part by how much of your body it affects. If you start seeing rashes on more of your body than usual, or they appear in new or unusual spots such as your eyelids, lips, ears, hands, or feet, your eczema may be getting worse.

It’s not unusual to have up to two to three flares a month with some symptom-free periods in between. If you find there’s not much of a break between flares, it can be a signal that your eczema is getting worse.

As eczema gets worse, the itching can become almost constant and feel unbearable. You may feel like you have pins and needles in your skin. Or you could fall into the “itch-scratch cycle” that can damage your skin barrier and lead to infection.

Eczema that’s getting worse can crack your skin. When severe itching makes you scratch that broken skin, you may bring in bacteria. If it gets infected, you might see fluid coming out of the affected patches or a yellow crust around them. You may also notice warmth and swelling. You could even get a fever and chills.

Constant itching that’s not under control may keep you up at night. If you notice a pattern of poor sleep because of your symptoms, that’s a sign of worsening eczema.

Eczema that’s getting worse will start to get in the way of your daily activities. If you notice you’re having trouble doing things you normally do, or that your skin affects your overall mood, that’s a marker that your eczema isn’t under control.

Eczema itself isn’t a life-threatening condition, but some of the problems you could face when it’s not under control could be serious. Stay on top of treatment to avoid bacterial and viral infections. If they do crop up, get treatment early before they’re severe.

The goal of eczema treatment is to keep flare-ups at bay so you can enjoy life. If your symptoms seem to be getting worse, see a dermatologist as soon as possible, so you can control your eczema instead of your eczema controlling you.