Jessica Simpson Opens Up About Her Struggles with Eczema (and Shares Her Quarantine Beauty Routine with Us)

Since many of us started quarantining earlier this year, our days have looked largely the same. Wake up, work, try to maintain some semblance of structure, sleep and repeat.

And once in a blue moon, something out of the ordinary happens—which is exactly what happened when I found myself face-to-virtual-face with Jessica Simpson to discuss her new partnership with Eucrisa, an eczema treatment from Pfizer. 

"I've had eczema since I was young," the singer tells me over Zoom. "I had it all throughout junior high and high school, which is a time when there's already so much else that's going on. You're trying to find your identity and become secure with yourself and I had all of these bumps on my arms that made me feel really self-conscious. When people would hug me, they'd ask what was on my arms, so I'd find ways to cover them up with jackets and I tried all sorts of topical creams from drugstores that would work somewhat."

Thankfully, Simpson had a long reprieve from the skin condition during the rest of her 20s and most of her 30s. But shortly after giving birth to her daughter, Birdie, who is now 16 months, she noticed the bumps had returned. "My husband, Eric, was taking pictures of me holding her and I was like, what is on my arms?!"

"When you're a new mom, you don't really look in the mirror," she explains laughing. "It's like, yeahhhh, I'll check you out later. Give me a few months. It wasn't until I saw those photos that I realized my eczema had returned. I called my doctor and asked if it was the same thing I had when I was younger and it was. So he prescribed me Eucrisa and I saw a difference within the first two weeks."

Through her partnership, the star wanted to encourage people to talk to their doctors if they suspect they might have eczema. "We're wearing our skin all of the time. If you feel bothered by your bumps, ask your doctor about your options because there are so many. It's not something you have to live with and in the back of your mind be insecure about."

Having just turned 40, Simpson is thinking about her approach to beauty differently. "Two months before my birthday, I decided to change my whole regimen. I started using red light therapy and I love it. I'm obsessed with it. It tightens your skin, so instead of getting Botox, I'm able to do this and maintain my expressions, which I like to have," she says. "It's something I discovered and love to do during quarantine."

As for the rest of her routine? Like so many of us, it's pretty minimal to non-exinsistant. "I haven't worn makeup in months so even just seeing myself on Zoom right now is weird. I'm thinking, wow, you have makeup on! 

Instead, the singer is spending any free time she has journaling and working on projects. "When the kids are busy playing, I definitely take time for myself to be creative. I've started journaling again, like I did when I was younger, and I have a lot of things that I'm working on now that I'm really excited about," she says. "I think you're going to like it and it will be announced soon."