Love being active, but have moderate-to-severe eczema? A professional basketball player can relate.

Whether you're an aspiring athlete, weekend warrior or just love activities that get your heart racing, you may discover exercise can affect your skin.

But for those living with moderate-to-severe eczema, there are extra considerations. This disease is characterized by recurring symptoms including intense itching and dry, irritated rashes that can crack or ooze. For many people living with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe eczema, much of their lives can be spent coping with nearly constant signs and symptoms that can persist through everyday life and can be especially bothersome as they stay active.

How can exercise be tough on your skin?

There are a few reasons. Namely, when you exercise, you typically sweat. When exercising outdoors, you may also be exposed to allergens, dry air, weather elements and pollution. And, certain fabrics may rub against your skin as you work out. These factors can all potentially worsen eczema signs and symptoms, and being mindful of them is key.

"Changes in weather, including going in and out of frigid outdoor air and heated indoor air, plus stress can all affect your moderate-to-severe eczema," said board-certified dermatologist Dr. Anabelle Garcia. "Tracking instances when you have a flare-up can help identify what irritates your skin, so you can better manage your disease."

Tips for staying active with her moderate-to-severe eczema

Beyond knowing what worsens your signs and symptoms (such as not wearing certain fabrics or using scent-free products), here are some tips to help manage your moderate-to-severe eczema while exercising:

• Stay hydrated
• Exercise in cool environments
• Bathe or shower after exercising
• Keep skin moisturized
• Try lower impact workouts

How a pro athlete copes with her moderate-to-severe eczema

All-star basketball player Diana Taurasi has been living with moderate-to-severe eczema since her college days, when she first noticed symptoms like rashes on her arms and hands. In partnership with Sanofi and Regeneron for the Eczactly Like Me program, Taurasi is speaking up about the challenges this disease can bring — on and off the court.

"Throughout the years, I'd often be thinking about my moderate-to-severe eczema," said Taurasi. "As an athlete, my skin is often exposed, and I'm in this cycle of sweating, showering and drying off — all things that could irritate my skin. It was a struggle to find things that would help relieve the intense itch and rashes."

She continues: "After the team warmup before games, all the starters take their jackets off and my eczema could be seen; I couldn't hide it," she recalled. "It was something I was almost constantly dealing with."

Other activities outside of basketball were tough on Taurasi's skin too.

"Even when relaxing with my wife and kids on vacation, I'd still be dealing with my eczema," remembered Taurasi. "I'd sometimes avoid certain things that could irritate my skin like going to the pool or beach or wearing short sleeves in the heat, as that would be tough on my skin."

Finding treatment that works for her

Taurasi tried her best to identify what factors aggravated her skin the most and worked with her dermatologist to try different prescription topical treatments, but her eczema still wasn't well controlled.

Eventually, her doctor recommended she try Dupixent (dupilumab), a biologic treatment option for people ages 6 months and older with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe eczema.

Dupixent works by helping to block a key source of inflammation inside the body, to help reduce itch and rashes. It is the only biologic medicine approved to treat uncontrolled moderate-to-severe eczema from infancy to adulthood.

Since starting Dupixent, Taurasi reported experiencing clearer skin and less itch.

"Now that I've found Dupixent, it has helped me get my signs and symptoms under control," said Taurasi. "I spent so much time and energy dealing with my eczema, looking for something out there that could work for me. I am happy to be enjoying spending time and doing activities with my wife and kids, without being as worried about my eczema. While everyone's experience is different, I am grateful to have found something that works for me."

Dupixent can help adult patients with moderate-to-severe eczema achieve clearer skin and less itch. In two clinical trials at 16 weeks, adults on Dupixent saw clear or almost clear skin (37% versus 9% not on Dupixent) and had significant itch reduction (38% versus 11% not on Dupixent). Individual results may vary.

The most common side effects include injection site reactions, eye and eyelid inflammation, including redness, swelling, and itching, sometimes with blurred vision, dry eye, cold sores in your mouth or on your lips, and high count of a certain white blood cell (eosinophilia).

Advice for others "eczactly" like Taurasi

Taurasi wants others experiencing symptoms and who are feeling "eczactly" like her to know they're not alone and not to lose hope.

"If you have uncontrolled moderate-to-severe eczema, don't give up — there are others out there that can relate to what you're going through. Do your research, talk to a dermatologist about treatment options, and be an advocate for yourself."

If you or a loved one are experiencing symptoms of moderate-to-severe eczema and topical prescription treatments aren't controlling your eczema well, talk to your doctor about exploring other options that may be right for you.

Visit ShowUpAD.com to read more stories like Taurasi's and about Dupixent (dupilumab).

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION & INDICATION

Do not use if you are allergic to dupilumab or to any of the ingredients in DUPIXENT^®.

Before using DUPIXENT, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you:

• have eye problems.
• have a parasitic (helminth) infection.
• are scheduled to receive any vaccinations. You should not receive a "live vaccine" right before and during treatment with DUPIXENT.
• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known whether DUPIXENT will harm your unborn baby.
  • A pregnancy registry for women who take DUPIXENT during pregnancy collects information about the health of you and your baby. To enroll or get more information call 1-877-311-8972 or go to https://mothertobaby.org/ongoing-study/dupixent/.
• are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known whether DUPIXENT passes into your breast milk.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the- counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Especially tell your healthcare provider if you are taking oral, topical, or inhaled corticosteroid medicines or if you have atopic dermatitis and asthma and use an asthma medicine. Do not change or stop your other medicines, including corticosteroid medicine or other asthma medicine, without talking to your healthcare provider. This may cause other symptoms that were controlled by those medicines to come back.

DUPIXENT can cause serious side effects, including:

• Allergic reactions. DUPIXENT can cause allergic reactions that can sometimes be severe. Stop using DUPIXENT and tell your healthcare provider or get emergency help right away if you get any of the following signs or symptoms: breathing problems or wheezing, swelling of the face, lips, mouth, tongue, or throat, fainting, dizziness, feeling lightheaded, fast pulse, fever, hives, joint pain, general ill feeling, itching, skin rash, swollen lymph nodes, nausea or vomiting, or cramps in your stomach-area.
• Eye problems. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new or worsening eye problems, including eye pain or changes in vision, such as blurred vision. Your healthcare provider may send you to an ophthalmologist for an eye exam if needed.
• Joint aches and pain. Some people who use DUPIXENT have had trouble walking or moving due to their joint symptoms, and in some cases needed to be hospitalized. Tell your healthcare provider about any new or worsening joint symptoms. Your healthcare provider may stop DUPIXENT if you develop joint symptoms.

The most common side effects in patients with eczema include injection site reactions, eye and eyelid inflammation, including redness, swelling, and itching, sometimes with blurred vision, dry eye, cold sores in your mouth or on your lips, and high count of a certain white blood cell (eosinophilia).

Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of DUPIXENT. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Use DUPIXENT exactly as prescribed by your healthcare provider. It's an injection given under the skin (subcutaneous injection). Your healthcare provider will decide if you or your caregiver can inject DUPIXENT. Do not try to prepare and inject DUPIXENT until you or your caregiver have been trained by your healthcare provider. In children 12 years of age and older, it's recommended DUPIXENT be administered by or under supervision of an adult. In children 6 months to less than 12 years of age, DUPIXENT should be given by a caregiver.

Please see accompanying full Prescribing Information including Patient Information.

INDICATION

DUPIXENT is a prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 6 months of age and older with moderate-to-severe eczema (atopic dermatitis or AD) that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin (topical), or who cannot use topical therapies. DUPIXENT can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. It is not known if DUPIXENT is safe and effective in children with atopic dermatitis under 6 months of age.

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