While phototherapy to treat hypopigmentation is typically an in-office procedure, she says she’s seen the lasers available for purchase online. However, she stresses that treating skin of color and eczema-prone skin requires specialized knowledge. “Experts in the field should be the ones using lasers,” she notes. In other words, do not try this at home, folks!
Enlisting a doctor’s expertise ensures that treatments are not only safe but tailored to the unique needs of your skin.
Preventing future flares and pigment changes
When it comes to preventing hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation after an eczema flare, both dermatologists emphasize patience; sometimes seeing noticeable improvement can take several months if not longer. Also, it cannot be overstated that early intervention to resolve flare-related inflammation will improve your chances of minimizing long-term discoloration, Dr. Weinstein Velez says.
Perhaps more important, though, is doing your best to prevent those flares in the first place. Dr. Weinstein Velez tells her patients to take a holistic approach to prevention: daily skin care, avoiding known triggers like allergens, and, her big one, managing stress.
This is one of the reasons why Roy, having lived with eczema for three decades, has shifted her mindset from frustration to curiosity as she works to manage her condition. She saw a significant improvement in her skin after working with a dietician to understand how her diet impacted her eczema flares, ultimately deciding to pursue a career in the field herself. In her practice, Gut Skin Nutritionist and Instagram page, she helps clients and followers determine if food reactions drive their eczema flares. In terms of her own health, she also experiments in other ways. For example, she now uses gloves when cooking to protect her hands from irritants and is constantly looking for ways to better understand her body’s triggers and signals. “I’m a brown girl myself, and I wish this could go away, but [something I always tell my clients is that] I know my priority needs to always be to address the eczema, and I know if I can address that, my hyperpigmentation will get better,” says Roy.
Having navigated similar terrain to her patients and her social media followers, she says, above all, she tries to give them hope that people with eczema can regain a sense of control and live more comfortably with the condition. “I started to gear a lot of my content towards people who not only have eczema, but people who have melanated skin,” she said of her Instagram page. “There is a big gap in serving this population.”
Though it may take time and some trial and error to see results on the road to regaining an even skin tone, the good news is that there are safe and effective options. With the proper care and guidance, finding what works for your skin can make all the difference in healing and regaining your confidence.
More ways to care for your eczema-prone skin:
