What is a Flare?

What is a flare?

A flare (or flare-up) is a period when chronic condition symptoms suddenly worsen or return after a period of relative calm. The term is used across many chronic conditions, but it’s especially common in IBS, migraine, and eczema communities.

Flares are a defining feature of chronic conditions. The illness doesn’t go away permanently, but cycles between periods of remission (feeling okay) and exacerbation (a flare).

What a flare looks like by condition

IBS flare

An IBS flare typically involves a noticeable worsening of digestive symptoms:

• Intense bloating and abdominal distension
• Cramping or sharp abdominal pain
• Urgent or frequent diarrhea (IBS-D)
• Constipation and straining (IBS-C)
• Alternating between both (IBS-M)
• Nausea, gas, and general digestive discomfort

IBS flares can last anywhere from a few hours to several days. Some people experience short, intense episodes; others have extended periods of worsened symptoms lasting a week or more.

Migraine flare (attack)

A migraine attack typically progresses through phases:

• Prodrome (hours to days before): mood changes, food cravings, fatigue, neck stiffness
• Aura (if applicable, 20-60 minutes): visual disturbances, tingling, speech difficulty
• Headache phase (4-72 hours): throbbing pain (often one-sided), nausea, light/sound sensitivity
• Postdrome (hours to days after): fatigue, difficulty concentrating, lingering sensitivity

Individual attacks can last from 4 hours to 3 days. Some people experience 1-2 per month; others have 15 or more (chronic migraine).

Eczema flare

An eczema flare involves a visible and physical worsening:

• Intense itching (often the first sign)
• Redness and inflammation
• Dry, cracked, or scaly skin
• Oozing or weeping patches (in severe cases)
• Thickened skin from repeated scratching (lichenification)
• Sleep disruption from itching

Eczema flares can last days to weeks. The itch-scratch cycle, where scratching damages the skin barrier and causes more itching, can prolong flares significantly.

What causes flares?

Flares are typically triggered by one or more factors:

• Food: FODMAP foods (IBS), aged cheese or alcohol (migraine), dairy or eggs (eczema)
• Stress affects all three conditions significantly; both acute stress and the “let-down” after stress
• Sleep: poor sleep quality or disrupted schedules
• Weather: barometric pressure changes (migraine), dry air or extreme temperatures (eczema), humidity (IBS/eczema)
• Hormones: menstrual cycle changes affect all three conditions
• Environmental: dust, pollen, irritants (eczema), bright lights or noise (migraine)

Crucially, flares are often caused by combinations of triggers rather than a single factor. You might tolerate a trigger food on a well-rested, low-stress day, but the same food after poor sleep and high stress could set off a flare.

How long do flares last?

How to manage a flare

When you’re in the middle of a flare, the goals are to reduce severity and duration:

• Avoid known triggers: don’t add fuel to the fire
• Rest: sleep and reduced activity help all three conditions
• Use prescribed treatments: medications, topical creams, rescue treatments
• Stay hydrated, especially important for IBS and migraine
• Log it: recording what you were doing, eating, and feeling in the lead-up helps prevent future flares

The value of tracking flares

Tracking flares over time reveals patterns that are invisible day-to-day:

• Average flare duration (is it getting shorter with treatment?)
• Flare frequency (are you improving month over month?)
• Common pre-flare patterns (what consistently happens 24-48 hours before?)
• Recovery patterns (what helps you recover faster?)

Flarely tracks flare severity daily and uses your history to provide context-aware guidance during flares. The Flarely Guide shows what has helped you before and what to avoid, while the Wellness Guide helps prevent flares by identifying your safe and caution factors.