How to Manage Eczema on the Face

Medically Reviewed by Zilpah Sheikh, MD on August 01, 2024
Written by Steven Brown, Lori M. King, PhD
7 min read

Eczema is a group of skin conditions that makes your skin irritated, inflamed, and itchy. Your doctor might also call it dermatitis. It weakens your skin’s barrier function, which protects you from outside elements and helps your skin retain moisture. This means that your skin may easily react to irritants and allergens in your environment.

Eczema can show up anywhere on your body, but one of the most common places is your face, especially on your forehead, cheeks, lips, and chin. You may also get it in and around your ears.

Any type of eczema can appear on your face, with atopic eczema, seborrheic dermatitis, and contact dermatitis being the most common types. And it's possible to get more than one type of eczema at once.

Contact eczema on the face

Contact eczema (or dermatitis) happens when you come into contact with a substance that irritates your skin or triggers an allergic reaction. This type of eczema doesn't tend to run in families and isn’t linked to other allergic conditions such as hay fever or asthma.

About 80% of the time, contact dermatitis is caused by exposure to an irritating substance, such as:

  • Solvents
  • Detergents and soaps
  • Bleach
  • Nickel-containing jewelry 
  • Makeup
  • Hair dye
  • Over-washing with hot water and soap, which can dry your skin out

However, eczema may also come from a reaction that appears a day or two after your skin is exposed to an allergen. Common causes of allergic contact dermatitis are:

  • Poison ivy and poison oak
  • Nail polish
  • Fragrances in skin care products
  • Nickel
  • Thimerosal, which is a preservative found in some topical antibiotics

You may get patches of eczema anywhere on your face from your chin to your forehead. But your cheeks are the most common site to get flare-ups.

Common symptoms of eczema of the face include:

  • Swelling, redness, and irritation (inflammation)
  • A rash with skin discoloration, which may be red, purple, or dark brown depending on your skin tone
  • Itchy skin
  • Dry, flaky, or scaly patches of skin
  • Small bumps or blisters
  • Wrinkled skin under your eyes
  • Sore or uncomfortable skin

There are many kinds of eczema. The types that are often found on the face include:

Atopic eczema

This is the most common type of eczema. Many people first get it when they're children. People who develop it also tend to have close family members with atopic eczema, asthma, or allergies, such as hay fever.

Atopic eczema tends to develop on the cheeks in infants and toddlers aged up to 2 years. It may also appear around the mouth when your child is weaned. Kids who are a bit older may get it on their eyelids, especially if they have hay fever.

In adults and teens with atopic eczema on the face, it tends to appear on the eyelids or around the lips. The skin around your eyes may also darken, and you may also get an extra fold of skin under your eye (called a Dennie-Morgan fold). Flare-ups of atopic eczema on your face may be related to contact dermatitis because your face often comes into contact with irritants and allergens.

Seborrheic dermatitis

This is one of the most common types of eczema you get on your face as an adult. It causes itchy red patches and greasy scales on your face, especially your forehead, the creases along the sides of your nose, your eyebrows, and behind your ears. You may also get white or yellow flakes on your scalp that can be crusty or powdery.

Contact dermatitis

Contact dermatitis (eczema) happens when you come into contact with a substance that irritates your skin or triggers an allergic reaction. When you get contact eczema on your face, you'll often get it on your lips, eyelids, and cheeks. It can be caused by skin care products or makeup that contains substances you're sensitive to, such as dyes and perfumes.

Doctors don’t know exactly what causes eczema. But they think it's an interplay between your genes and your environment. For instance, people who have atopic eczema often have a personal and family history of eczema, asthma, or allergies.

Factors that trigger a flare-up of eczema can be different for different people. Common triggers of eczema on the face include:

  • Soaps and detergents
  • Air that’s too dry or weather with low humidity
  • Contact with something you're allergic to
  • Makeup
  • Smoke and other pollutants
  • Rough or itchy fabric, such as wool
  • Emotional stress

Eczema can’t be cured, and it tends to come and go. The best way to treat it will often depend on what triggers your flare-ups. Your doctor will work with you to figure them out so you can avoid your triggers. When you do have flare-ups, here are some ways your doctor may recommend to manage your symptoms:

Apply steroid creams to your skin. These are a key part of eczema treatment. Over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream can help with red, itchy skin. Put it on once or twice a day for several weeks. If that doesn’t work well enough, you may need a stronger prescription steroid. Use it only for a short time because it can thin your skin.

If steroids don't work, try a calcineurin inhibitor. Your doctor may prescribe these instead of a steroid cream. Calcineurin inhibitors block certain chemicals that can make your eczema flare. They’re used particularly to treat eczema on your face, especially your eyelids, neck, and skin folds.

Try phototherapy (ultraviolet light therapy). This may help if your eczema is moderate to severe and cream medications haven’t worked. Keep in mind that using this type of treatment for a long time can raise your odds of getting skin cancer.

Take an antihistamine or immunosuppressant. Your doctor may recommend you try an over-the-counter antihistamine to help reduce swelling and inflammation. If that doesn't work, they may prescribe an immunosuppressant to do the same thing.

Take an antifungal medicine if your eczema is caused by a fungus. The overgrowth of one kind of yeast normally found on your skin can trigger an atopic eczema flare-up on your head or neck. A JAK inhibitor, opzelura at 1.5 % can be used twice daily on people aged 12 and up. Find out more about fungal infections of the skin.

One of the best ways to treat your eczema is to take good care of your skin. For instance:

Keep your skin moisturized. Try using thick creams (such as Cetaphil or Eucerin) and ointments (such as Aquaphor or Vaseline) rather than thinner lotions. The best time to moisturize is right after you wash your face. If ointments are too greasy, try using them only at night. Also, choose moisturizers or lotions for gentle or sensitive skin. You're looking for moisturizers that don't have fragrances or dyes that can trigger an eczema flare.

Clean gently. Soap can irritate your skin, but washing with water alone may not be enough, especially if your face is oily. Use a gentle non-soap cleanser or a medical emollient instead. Pat dry with a soft towel.

Watch the temperature. Use only cool -- not hot -- water on your face, and for as little time as possible.

Skip makeup. Don’t use cosmetics when you have a flare. The chemicals in makeup can irritate your skin further and prolong your flare-up.

Learn more about which cosmetics to choose for eczema on the face.

Eczema is a group of skin conditions that makes your skin irritated, inflamed, and itchy. One of the common places to get a flare is on your face, especially on your cheeks. The best way to manage eczema on your face is to find out what triggers your flares and avoid contact with those triggers. But if you do have a flare, take good care of your skin by washing your face with gentle, non-soap cleanser and lukewarm water and using moisturizer several times a day. Your doctor may also suggest you try a steroid cream or prescribe a calcineurin inhibitor cream for rashes on your face.

What products should I avoid using on eczema-prone face skin?

According to dermatologists, it's probably best to avoid cosmetics and skin care products that contain any of the following:

  • Fragrances, which are common allergens for people with eczema or sensitive skin.
  • Essential oils, but especially tea tree oil, which is a common ingredient in many skin and haircare products. But it can cause contact dermatitis.
  • Urea, which can change the pH of your skin and cause irritation.
  • Lanolin, which is made from sheep's wool. Many people with eczema have allergies to lanolin and it may make your eczema flare up.
  • Retinoids, which are often found in anti-acne and anti-aging products. However, they can be drying and irritating, which makes them risky for people with eczema.
  • Cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB), which is a foaming agent used in shampoo, conditioners, and body washes. But it can cause contact dermatitis in both adults and children.
  • Propylene glycol, which is an emulsifier common in moisturizers and creams, topical steroids, and liquid antihistamines. But this can cause eczema flares in people who are allergic.
  • Ethanol, which is often added to gels and hand sanitizers. This can dry out your skin.

Are there any safe sunscreens for eczema?

First, read the label of your sunscreen carefully to make sure it doesn't contain any of your known allergens or eczema triggers. Next, look for an alcohol and fragrance-free sunscreen with a broad-spectrum sun protectant factor (SPF) of 30 or more. Finally, look for a mineral-based sunscreen that protects with either titanium dioxide or zinc oxide.

What stress management techniques can be used on eczema-prone skin?

Emotional stress can be a trigger for many people with eczema. Some healthy ways of managing your stress include:

  • Practice deep breathing while you listen to soothing music or nature sounds. Or, try meditating regularly.
  • Get some exercise, such as tai chi or yoga. Or take a stroll along a nature trail.
  • Do something creative every day, such as writing, painting, knitting, or baking.
  • Enjoy relaxing hobbies, such as reading, bonding with your pets, or playing video or board games.

What foods can trigger facial eczema?

About 30% of people with eczema, specifically atopic eczema, also have food allergies. The foods most likely to trigger a flare include dairy products, simple carbs, sugars, and processed foods.