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Denise Van Outen has enjoyed a decades-long career in show business. After starting out on the Les Misérables stage at just 12 years old, she later became a household name, presenting The Big Breakfast, starring in EastEnders, and even finishing second on Strictly Come Dancing.

Yet, behind the scenes, Denisehasn't always had it easy. Back in 2022, the TV star opened up aboutpainful skin flare-ups that left her feeling completely 'self-conscious'. These flare-ups were caused by eczema, a condition that affects people of all ages.

In a past Instagram post, she said: "I have had eczema for as long as I can remember. I used to think it was because of the food I was eating but I realised that my eczema appears mostly when it’s cold. It flares up quite badly on my arms, I'll get dry patches and my skin will occasionally crack if I don't get it under control.

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"It’s difficult when you have a flare-up and I admit my eczema has made me feel self-conscious. Even times when I was performing at my cabaret show I had to amend my costume to have long sleeves to cover it up."

According to the National Eczema Society, around one in five children and one in 10 adults have eczema in the UK. While there are seven main types of eczema, atopic dermatitis is among the most common and can appear on various parts of the body.

The NHS also explains that atopic eczema can make your skin:

• Itchy
• Dry, cracked, crusty, scaly or thickened
• Red, white, purple or grey, or lighter or darker than the skin around it (depending on your skin tone)
• Blister or bleed

Its official online advice adds: "Symptoms can start at any age, but they usually start in babies and young children and tend to get better as they get older. There are usually times where your symptoms get worse (called flare-ups) and times where they are better."

At the time of Denise's post, she recommended Doublebase UK's Dry Skin Emollient to help with symptoms as part of an advertisement deal. She claimed that it 'absorbs really quickly' and 'works by trapping moisture in the skin and restoring its natural protective barrier'.

However, it's important to note that other remedies may also help alleviate eczema symptoms. As per NHS advice, these include:

• Avoiding things that make your eczema worse, such as soap, washing detergent, some fabrics or pets

• Applying moisturising treatments (emollients) to your skin as often as possible (at least 2 times a day) – continue to moisturise even if your eczema improves

• Washing with an emollient instead of soap

• Keeping cool – being hot can make your eczema more itchy

• Keeping nails short and putting anti-scratch mittens on babies to help prevent damage to the skin from scratching

For more information, head to the NHS website here.

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