This week’s issue is brought to you by Codex Labs
Welcome back, DERM Community!
We have talked about microbes, mechanisms, and the gut-skin connection. Now it is time to bring it all together.
This week’s focus: practical lifestyle strategies, a real-world eczema case, and a book every clinician should read to see medicine through a more connected, human lens.
Featured on This Week’s Chapter:
Learning Opportunities:
See how small, consistent habits can transform outcomes for eczema-prone patients.
Explore diet, stress management, and sleep hygiene as supportive pillars in chronic skin care.
Learn from a case that integrates dermatology, nutrition, and behavioral medicine.
Discover one of the most insightful reads in modern medicine about the mind-body connection that every clinician encounters.
Lifestyle Strategies that Matter
Eczema management goes far beyond prescriptions. Evidence continues to show that everyday routines play a major role in flare frequency and skin recovery.
Diet: Anti-inflammatory diets rich in omega-3s, fiber, and fermented foods can help modulate immune and gut activity. Reducing ultra-processed foods may lessen systemic inflammation.
Sleep: Quality sleep restores cortisol rhythms and supports barrier repair, two key factors in eczema recovery.
Stress: Chronic stress is a well-documented trigger. Mindfulness-based therapies and guided breathing reduce sympathetic overdrive, improving both skin and emotional resilience.
Movement: Moderate, consistent exercise supports circulation and lowers systemic inflammation.
When combined, these are not alternative approaches. They are foundational. They reinforce the barrier from the inside out.
Case in Focus: Integrative Care for Atopic Dermatitis
A 14-year-old patient with moderate atopic dermatitis presents with recurring flares despite optimized topical therapy.
After assessing her history, the clinician identified key triggers: poor sleep, high exam stress, and a diet low in fiber but high in sugar.
The care plan included:
Maintaining topical steroid regimen
Introducing evening relaxation breathing (5 minutes)
Encouraging probiotic-rich yogurt and whole grains
Setting a "digital sunset" one hour before bedtime
Within six weeks, both flare intensity and scratching frequency decreased. The patient reported feeling calmer, and her mother noticed improved adherence to topical routines.
This case illustrates how behavioral and biological care can coexist rather than compete.
Why?
Each element of the plan played a role in restoring balance.
Keeping the topical steroid routine maintained skin stability, while relaxation breathing helped lower stress-driven inflammation.
Adding probiotic-rich foods and fiber supported gut health, a growing factor in immune and skin regulation.
The digital sunset improved sleep quality, reducing nighttime itching and cortisol spikes.
Together, these changes didn’t replace medical care: they amplified its effects, helping the patient break the flare-stress cycle and regain steady control of her skin.
We’ve Put Together a Free Guide Just for You!
The attached guide for this week includes a series of practical tips and step-by-step strategies to help clinicians and patients manage eczema effectively.
Want to Go Deeper?
Take one of our modules
Whether you’re a clinician, student, or educator, our eczema module breaks down atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, dyshidrotic eczema, nummular eczema, and more.
Book Recommendation of the Week
“When the Body Says No” by Dr. Gabor Maté
This book explores how emotional stress, suppressed emotions, and lifestyle patterns manifest physically through chronic illness, inflammation, and immune dysregulation.
It is not about dermatology alone, but it is a must-read for any clinician seeking to understand the full human story behind every diagnosis.
Inspiration of the Week
“Keep your face always toward the sunshine and shadows will fall behind you.”
Walt Whitman
👋🏻 See you next Thursday, DERM community!
Thanks for joining us on Beneath the Surface.
As we wrap up this mini-series, remember: eczema care is not just topical, it is total. From sleep to stress, microbes to meals, healing happens in layers.
Keep empowering patients to take small, evidence-informed steps that make lasting change.
If you enjoyed today’s mix of science and storytelling, share it with your peers or students who believe in whole-person dermatology.
Thank you for being here with us!
— The Derm for Primary Care Team
