If you grew up in a Black household, eczema is one of those terms you likely heard from a young age. So much so that, in 2014, asking “you got eczema?” became an internet meme. But despite the millions of people who laughed and shared it, many still don’t have a clear understanding of the condition or the many ways it can actually show up on the skin. For a long time, Kelly Rowland was one of those people.
In a candid conversation with theGrio, the Destiny’s Child legend got honest about her personal journey with eczema and how it inspired her latest partnership with EBGLYSS.
“it started with my mother, and of course eons ago, and I remember her having her rash on her neck, on the inside of her arm, the backs of her legs, and she just thought it was a rash, and I think that in a lot of black and brown communities like it starts off like ‘Oh, it’s just a rash,’” Rowland shared. “For my mom at that time, she couldn’t afford to go to a doctor or ask a healthcare provider, a nurse that she knew, like, you know, she didn’t even think to ask what it was or to advocate for herself, etc. and I think that that happens a lot.”
Like her mother, she recalls experiencing rashes behind her ears, between her eyes, behind her neck, and on her back for years, but it was not until after she gave birth to her first son, Titan, that she was diagnosed with eczema.
“Everybody has different places in which they have, you know, their flare-ups, but for me it was like anywhere my skin deemed possible,” she joked. “I thought that I had it under control because, you know, everybody feels like they have a resolve. It wasn’t until I finally asked my doctor, and she was like, ‘Oh, Kelly.’”
That moment of clarity is exactly why awareness matters. As board-certified dermatologist Dr. Camille Howard-Verovic explains, “eczema in general is a chronic inflammatory skin disease involving epidermal or skin barrier dysfunction and immune dysregulation.”
“In some instances, irritants, allergens, and differences in the microbiome can contribute to that immune dysregulation. Some people know their triggers—these could be external, like wearing wool. For some people, it’s heat and sweat. For some people, it’s particular allergens,” she continued. “Everyone’s a little different. Some people are triggered in the summertime. Some people are triggered in the wintertime. But I think most commonly, I would say when your skin barrier is not at its peak — for instance, when it’s really cold and dry outside — that is when I tend to see the most eczema flares.”
As Rowland puts it plainly: “Eczema has its own personality.” And while Dr. Howard-Verovic supports incorporating home remedies like oils and butters to support the skin barrier, Rowland knows firsthand what can happen when you follow well-meaning advice rather than medical expertise.
“Somebody told me it was a temperature thing, and it was like if you sit out in the sun, and then go to something like a cold plunge, it would help. That flares me up worse,” she recalled. “What happened is it stressed the body, and my eczema flares up when I’m stressed.”
So in addition to medications like EBGLYSS, a key part of Rowland’s eczema care is stress management. For her, her skin represents a story of acceptance, evolution, and unbreakable strength.
“I think [my skin] has so many stories to tell, you know what I mean, from ancestral stories to present stories. The scars to me are the best part because that’s experience and that’s wisdom. Even in my flare-ups, it’s like I bring that on, but did that deserve that much stress?”
While the world may know her for the luminous skin she brings to every red carpet, the “Motivation” singer says her focus has shifted inward, toward the kind of glow that only comes from genuinely taking care of yourself.
“The glow to me is one thing that you can put on,” she explained. “But the glow from the inside of you taking care of yourself, whether that’s drinking water, giving your body the foods and nutrients that it deserves, taking the self-care time that you need for your mental health, being still for five minutes at a time. It’s grounding yourself, so that your glow is not just from a maker brand, it’s from a glow from within. Every day I’m working on myself, trying to figure things out, whether it’s within myself or my past journey, within my walk with my husband, my children, and being a mother, being a businesswoman…I want to be great in that, but I can only be great in that if my inner glow is just shining like a mug.”
