You've made it through the worst of your flare: The inflammation has calmed down, and the relentless itch has mostly faded. However, no matter how much you moisturize, the area stays dry.
As other symptoms subside, it often takes a while for the skin to feel hydrated again. The barrier becomes compromised during a flare, and it struggles to retain moisture. Until it fully repairs itself, it's susceptible to water loss.
This is why it's important to continue targeted support for weeks after Active Flare. Here's how to keep your skin hydrated while it rebuilds.
Still constantly reaching for your creams? Take the Flare Quiz to check your stage in 60 seconds.
Why Skin Is Dry During Post-Flare
Flare-prone skin experiences high TEWL (trans-epidermal water loss), meaning moisture easily escapes the barrier while irritants get in. So it's already chronically dry, and even more so after a flare: The skin is damaged from scratching and inflammation, and therefore the barrier is even weaker than usual.
Along with dryness, Post-Flare symptoms often include discoloration, flaking, and fragility as the skin recovers.
How to Hydrate Skin After Active Flare
Hydrating during Post-Flare is more than just basic moisturizing. It's important to be consistent and use an ointment or cream with higher oil content, according to WebMD. Reapply when you feel dry and within three minutes after you shower or bathe. Avoid drying ingredients in your skincare, like alcohol, harsh actives, and sulfates.
It's disruptive to constantly pause what you're doing to put on creams though, and they can rub off easily. Patches help lock in moisture right at the site that needs it for up to 6 to 8 hours. Reset in particular uses microtip technology to deliver ingredients like centella asiatica, which boosts hydration and repairs the barrier.
To support the barrier after a flare, Reset helps strengthen the barrier and lock in moisture.
FAQs
Why does skin stay dry after an eczema flare, even when you moisturize?
Flare-prone skin has high TEWL and a weakened barrier, so it struggles to retain moisture. After a flare, the skin is damaged from scratching and inflammation, so it's even more difficult for it to stay hydrated.
What is trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL)?
TEWL stands for trans-epidermal water loss, and it refers to the natural process of water evaporating from the skin into the air. When the rate of water loss is higher than the skin's ability to rehydrate, the skin becomes dry. The weakened barrier can't do its job of acting as a shield effectively, so external irritants get in and water escapes.
What kind of moisturizer is best for dry skin after an eczema flare?
Moisturizers with higher oil content are best during Post-Flare, because they help seal in water. These usually come in the form of ointments or creams.
How soon after a shower should you moisturize eczema-prone skin?
Dermatologists generally agree on the "three-minute rule," which says that you should apply moisturizer to your skin within three minutes of bathing or showering to lock in hydration and prevent dryness from soaking or standing in hot water.