Many parents receive conflicting advice about how and how often to bathe a child with eczema, which leads to confusion around this common ritual. On the one hand, baths can quell itch, and hydrate the skin prior to moisturization; on the other, over-bathing may actually dry out the skin and compromise the skin barrier. In this episode, we delve into the research on bathing and eczema with special guest Dr. Tom Marrs, a pediatric allergist at St Thomas Hospital in the United Kingdom. Dr. Marrs studies how the microbiome influences the development of allergic diseases.
Research referenced in this episode:
Bathing Babies More Than Once a Week Ups Eczema Risk
Frequent Versus Infrequent Bathing in Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis: A Randomized Clinical Trial