\n<\/p>\n
Kelly Rowland, seen here at the Black Women in Music Dinner on June 12, 2026 in Los Angeles, California, has long had to manage her eczema. (Photo by Michael Tullberg\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n Getty Images<\/small><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Grammy-winning singer songwriter, actress and Destiny\u2019s Child alum Kelly Rowland scored a hit with David Guetta in \u201cWhen Love Takes Over\u201d in 2010. But what about when eczema takes over? Well that can be quite a \u201cDilemna,\u201d to borrow the name o another Rowland hit in 2002 with Nelly.<\/p>\n Rowland recently talked to me about her eczema diagnosis and the flare ups that have occurred during rather inopportune times\u2014if you consider during a live stage performance, for example, to be an inopportune time. \u201cMy diagnosis came about when after I had my first son Titan,\u201d Rowland recalled. \u201cI had all these different flare ups, which I thought were rashes at the time. So although I was scratching, I was thinking in my head that I was spreading whatever rash it was all over my body.\u201d The identity of the rash wasn\u2019t clear at the time. In other words, the rash was kind of going \u201csay my name, say my name\u201d without Rowland knowing what it was.<\/p>\n But then Rowland got some \u201cMotivation\u201d to make a rash judgment. \u201cI remember going to get a facial after I had my son, and I just asked my aesthetician, Shani Darden, about it,\u201d Rowland explained. Darden pointed out that Rowland had eczema and “literally sent me to a derm.\u201d That was about 11 years ago. <\/p>\n Once Rowland got to a dermatologist where she was officially diagnosed with eczema, \u201cI realized that I\u2019d always suffered from it,\u201d said Rowland. She realized that she had suffered flare-ups her her legs, elbows, neck, back, eyes, nose and other places. She also realized that \u201ceverybody back home in Atlanta, from what I remember, had eczema.\u201d This helped her understand the range that eczema can have and that \u201cIt\u2019s different for everybody.\u201d <\/p>\n And as I\u2019ve written before in Forbes<\/em>, everybody can be a lot of bodies. The National Eczema Association<\/a>.estimated that eczema affects anywhere from 10 percent to 20 percent of all children and 2 percent to 10 percent of all adults around the world,<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Rowland also commented that \u201ceczema has a mind of its own. It just does what it wants to do. \u201d She described how the flare-ups have been unpredictable, \u201cYou don\u2019t know what the your day is going to feel like. You don\u2019t know what food is going to trigger it. You don\u2019t know what stress is going to trigger it. You\u2019re just, you\u2019re learning how to manage it every day.\u201d <\/p>\n She added, \u201cIt\u2019s really inopportune when it happens sometimes.” Rowland went on to describe a rather eye-opening situation when \u201cI had a flare up, and it was in the middle of my eye bit, and my pickup artist covered it.\u201d Rowland continued with, \u201cI remember speaking to someone afterwards and I said, \u2018I wonder, are they looking into my eyes?\u2019\u201d Rowland talked about how it \u201caffects your confidence\u201d and \u201cmesses with you.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/section>\n \u201cAt the time, when I first learned about the eczema 11 years ago, I was given something topical, which would help in the meantime,\u201d Rowland recalled. But once it was clear that she had eczema, she might as well have sang, \u201cLay It on Me,\u201d because she found. \u201cSo many people that had opinions. And I kind of listened to everything. It was just so much information.\u201d <\/p>\n A lot of that information was wrong, too. For example, here\u2019s a shocker, there\u2019s a ton of misinformation and disinformation out there on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, Poop Map or whatever social media platform you may frequent. Each of these platforms have lots of influencers pushing different viewpoints and supposed remedies. And it may not be clear what the financial or political agendas behind each of these may be. <\/p>\n<\/section>\n Kelly Rowland has emphasized the importance of being aware of your surroundings and body and advocating for yourself. (Photo by Paras Griffin\/WireImage)<\/span><\/p>\n WireImage<\/small><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n That\u2019s why Rowland emphasized, \u201cIt\u2019s important to ask your doctor.” She went on to say, \u201cI think that that\u2019s where sometimes we try to self-diagnose, and I didn\u2019t go to school for this.\u201d Of course, you shouldn\u2019t just ask any doctor. Like in any field or profession, the medical profession has a very wide range of doctors that vary substantially in quality, training, experience, judgment, insight and personalities. When you want to record an album, you\u2019d probably opt for a former member of Destiny\u2019s Child over someone who was just anybody\u2019s child. Similarly, you\u2019ve got to take the time to choose the right doctor. <\/p>\n Moreover, Rowland urged people to \u201cadvocate for themselves and ask the questions the same way I did, and be able to get information back. That definitely creates a situation where you gain more knowledge about whether it\u2019s something that you should use or something that you should eliminate from your diet or space or whatever it might be.\u201d She added, \u201cI think it’s really being aware of your surroundings and aware of your body.\u201d <\/p>\n Moreover, eczema can go beyond being a skin-deep problem. And a given medical issue can call for a collaboration of specialists. “I think an allergist is actually a game changer,\u201d Rowland urged and explained how allergy tests have helped identify potential triggers for not only her flare-ups but also those of her other son, Noah, who has been diagnosed with eczema as well. <\/p>\n<\/section>\n After getting testy in a good way, Rowland made some lifestyle changes. You may say tomato but Rowland says no-go to them. She\u2019s also distanced herself from alcohol. <\/p>\n She also stressed the importance of managing stress, another potential trigger. She called stress \u201cinevitable\u201d but said that she does”a lot more, like calm breathing,” to manage the stress. <\/p>\n As far as Noah\u2019s arc with eczema, \u201cwhen Noah just goes outside, his skin changes and he starts to scratch, especially when it\u2019s really big, I call it a thick season. where the air is just covered in all kinds of stuff,\u201d Rowland said. \u201cHe can walk outside and immediately start sneezing, itching and everything. We have to remove his shirt or his clothes, give him a bath, wash his face and everything to where we get whatever that is in the air off of him and then you’ll have some relief.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/section>\n Rowland has also been using medications to manage eczema. I\u2019ve already covered in Forbes<\/em> the arsenal of things that you can do against eczema, ranging from keeping your skin moisturized to anti-histamine and anti-inflammatory medications to topical and oral steroids to immunosuppressants to newer biologics that consist of antibodies that can block various proteins involved in causing the inflammation seen in eczema. Rowland has been taking one of these biologics\u2014Ebglyss\u2014and working with the makers of the medication<\/a>\u2014Lilly\u2014to increase the awareness of eczema and available treatments.<\/p>\n Rowland was in a movie entitled “Relationship Goals” that came out this past Valentine\u2019s Day on Amazon Prime where she co-stared with Clifford “Method Man” Smith. In it, the character played by Rowland had some struggles until reciving relationship advice that changed her dating life. Well, the same thing kind of happened with her relationship with eczema. The right medical advice had her finally jumpin\u2019, jumpin\u2019 in the right direction. <\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\nHow Rowland Was Diagnosed With Eczema<\/h2>\n
Rowland Said \u2018Eczema Has A Mind Of Its Own\u2019<\/h2>\n
Rowland Heard Lots Of Misinformation And Disinformation About Eczema<\/h2>\n
Rowland Emphasized The Importance Of Seeing Real Doctors And Advocating For Yourself <\/h2>\n
Rowland Has Made Lifestyle Changes To Manage Eczema<\/h2>\n
Rowland Also Takes Medications For Eczema<\/h2>\n