Travel Insurance for Eczema or Dermatitis

What are eczema and dermatitis?

Eczema and dermatitis are names for inflamed, itchy, and dry skin. Atopic eczema is the most common type and often starts in childhood, while contact dermatitis is an adverse reaction to something touching the skin, like certain soaps, metals, or plants. Both are commonly-delcared skin conditions.

Eczema tends to flare up and settle down. Emollients, steroid creams and, for more severe cases, tablets, injections or light therapy can all play a part. Broken skin can become infected, sometimes needing antibiotics. The NHS has pages on atopic eczema and contact dermatitis with more detail.

Why do I need to declare eczema or dermatitis for travel insurance?

Eczema or dermatitis that needs prescribed treatment counts as a pre-existing medical condition. Flare-ups can be set off by heat, sweat, chlorine, and unfamiliar toiletries, and broken skin can become infected, sometimes badly enough to need a doctor abroad. Stronger medicines that dampen the immune system add to that risk. If it isn’t declared, a related claim could be turned down or reduced.

You won’t need to declare every medical condition you’ve ever had or been diagnosed with, only those that fall into the initial set of medical questions.

Can I get travel insurance with eczema or dermatitis?

Yes, usually. Whether cover can be offered depends mostly on how severe your eczema is, whether it has needed hospital care or infection treatment recently, and whether you take medicines that affect the immune system. People with eczema often have asthma or allergies too, and those should be declared as well.

What we’ll ask about your eczema or dermatitis

The medical screening is online and simple to complete. For your eczema or dermatitis, it asks about the treatment you use and whether you’ve needed hospital care for a flare-up. When you’ve finished with this condition, carry on declaring any other relevant pre-existing medical conditions.

With the medical declaration complete, you’ll go through to the quote page. A list of quotes is shown if your eczema or dermatitis and any other conditions are coverable, and the premium quoted includes the cost of covering your medical. If we can’t offer cover, you’ll find that out before going any further.

If your health changes before travelling

Skin conditions can flare at the wrong moment. If you have a bad flare-up, you start a new treatment, you go into hospital, or you’re referred to a specialist before you travel, you must let us know. It may mean reviewing your cover or referring your medical situation to the underwriters, and in some cases we may not be able to proceed with cover. Not telling us about a change in your medical can lead to a future claim being affected or denied.

What can eczema travel insurance cover?

When eczema is accepted, emergency treatment abroad can be covered. For instance, if your eczema became badly infected in Portugal and you needed antibiotics or a hospital visit, those costs can be claimed. If you needed help getting home, repatriation can be covered too, subject to the policy terms, exclusions, limits and excess.

A serious flare-up or infection before departure might mean a doctor advises you not to go. In that case, cancellation cover may help with non-refundable costs.

Routine prescriptions abroad, or treatment planned before you left, aren’t covered. An undeclared condition can also lead to a claim being declined.

Will eczema or dermatitis affect the cost of travel insurance?

Eczema or dermatitis could change the cost of a policy. Your screening result is what determines this, and the online medical screening may include questions about how your skin is treated and how well flare-ups are controlled. Other parts of the quote, like your age, destination and trip length, count as well. You can see the final figure before buying.

Single trip or annual cover with eczema

For a single break, single trip insurance is straightforward. If you travel more, annual travel insurance could be better value, depending on your screening result.

Travelling with eczema or dermatitis: practical tips

These are general tips, not part of your cover.

Your skin may react differently somewhere new. Dry air on the plane and in air-conditioned hotels can make eczema worse, while heat and sweat can trigger itching. Keep a small tub of emollient in your hand luggage and use it often on the flight.

Pool chlorine and sea salt can irritate eczema. Rinsing off with fresh water after swimming and moisturising straight away can help. Choose a fragrance-free sunscreen for sensitive skin, and test it on a small patch before your trip.

If you know what triggers your dermatitis, take your own soap, shampoo and washing liquid. Hotel toiletries often contain perfume.

Pack enough treatment for the whole trip, plus extra, in your hand luggage. Emollients over 100ml may need to be carried under the medicines exemption, so take your prescription. Know the signs of infected eczema, such as weeping, crusting or feeling unwell, and get help early if they appear.

How to get a quote

Enter your trip details, answer the medical questions for eczema and anything else, then select your cover. The price is shown before you pay.

Get a Quote

Other Useful Skin Pages

• Acne Travel Insurance
• Eczema or Dermatitis Travel Insurance
• Impetigo Travel Insurance
• Psoriasis Travel Insurance
• Rosacea Travel Insurance
• Shingles Travel Insurance
• Skin Cyst Travel Insurance
• Varicose Eczema Travel Insurance

Don't worry if your condition is not listed above - we cover plenty more medical conditions.
* Please note that cover will vary depending on individual medical screenings.