Obese kids are more likely to develop immune-based skin problems like eczema or psoriasis, a new study says.

Analysis of more than 2.1 million Korean children between 2009 and 2020 revealed that children who became overweight had a higher risk of developing eczema.

At the same time, overweight kids who shed pounds and reached a healthy weight had a lower risk of eczema, researchers reported Aug. 21 in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

"Our findings support the importance of promoting weight maintenance among children who are already within the normal weight range because it may help reduce the risk of developing atopic dermatitis [eczema],” said researcher Dr. Seong-Joon Koh, an associate professor of internal medicine with the Seoul National University College of Medicine in South Korea.

“In addition, prevention of excessive weight gain and purposeful weight loss, including adopting healthy diet strategies in children with obesity to prevent atopic dermatitis, particularly before school age, should be promoted,” Koh added.

Approximately 1 in 5 U.S. children and teens (20%) are obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Previous studies have looked at the link between childhood obesity and skin diseases, said researcher Dr. Seong Rae Kim, with the Seoul National University College of Medicine in South Korea.

However, those studies haven’t tracked children over time to see whether changes in body weight made a difference in kids’ risk of skin problems, Kim said.

The results indicate that childhood obesity can contribute to the development of skin diseases caused by problems with the immune system, researchers concluded.

These diseases include alopecia, eczema and psoriasis, and maintaining a healthy weight could potentially lower kids’ risk of developing these skin problems, researchers said.