Kelly Rowland Opens Up About Eczema Struggles

Grammy-winning singer and actress Kelly Rowland has lived with eczema for more than a decade. The condition, she said, went unrecognized at first.

Rowland recalled that the flare-ups began after she delivered her first son, Titan. At the time she thought they were ordinary rashes. “I was scratching, thinking I was spreading whatever rash it was all over my body,” she said. The cause remained unclear until a facial appointment with aesthetician Shani Darden. Darden spotted the eczema and sent Rowland to a dermatologist. That was about 11 years ago.

The official diagnosis changed her perspective. Rowland realized she had likely always suffered from eczema. Flare-ups appeared on her legs, elbows, neck, back, eyes, nose and other areas. She also noticed that many people she knew growing up in Atlanta had similar skin issues. “It’s different for everybody,” she said.

Eczema affects a wide population. The National Eczema Association estimates the condition touches 10–20% of children and 2–10% of adults worldwide.

Rowland described the unpredictability of flare-ups. “Eczema has a mind of its own,” she said. “You don’t know what your day is going to feel like. You don’t know what food is going to trigger it. You don’t know what stress is going to trigger it. You’re just learning how to manage it every day.”

The timing could be especially difficult. She recalled a flare-up that landed right in the middle of her eye during a performance. Her makeup artist covered it. “I remember speaking to someone afterwards … ‘Are they looking into my eyes?’” Rowland said. The condition, she added, “affects your confidence” and “messes with you.”

When Rowland first learned she had eczema, she was given a topical treatment that helped temporarily. Then she encountered a flood of advice from people around her. Much of it was wrong. Social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Facebook are filled with influencers pushing unverified remedies and viewpoints, often with unclear agendas.

Rowland stressed the importance of consulting a medical professional. “We try to self-diagnose,” she said. “I didn’t go to school for this.” She urged people to advocate for themselves, ask questions and learn what to eliminate from their diet or environment.

She also found that eczema could involve more than skin. An allergist, she said, was “a game changer.” Allergy tests helped identify triggers not only for her own flare-ups but for those of her younger son, Noah, who also has eczema.

Lifestyle adjustments followed. Rowland cut tomatoes from her diet and stopped drinking alcohol. She emphasized managing stress as another potential trigger. “I do a lot more calm breathing,” she said.

Noah’s eczema reacts strongly to outdoor air, especially what Rowland called “thick season” when pollen and pollutants are high. “He can walk outside and immediately start sneezing, itching,” she said. The family washes his face and changes his clothes as soon as he comes in.

For her own treatment, Rowland turned to biologics. She takes Ebglyss, a medication from Eli Lilly (LLY) that blocks proteins involved in eczema-related inflammation. Rowland is working with Lilly to increase awareness about the condition and the available treatments.