No Evidence Eczema Bath Products Work

Featured Article
Main Category: Eczema / Psoriasis
Article Date: 03 Oct 2007 - 0:00 PDT

email icon email to a friend   printer icon printer friendly   write icon opinions  


Current Article Ratings:

Patient / Public:4 stars

3.59 (22 votes)

Healthcare Prof:5 stars

4.75 (4 votes)

Article Opinions: 1 posts

Eczema bath products, most of which contain liquid paraffin, are of "questionable" value, according to an article in the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB), from the BMJ Group. The UK National Health Service (NHS) spends 40% of its total eczema treatment costs for pre-school children on bath emollients.

These gels, creams and lotions have very little published research to back them, says the DTB. The report explains that even medical expects do not seem able to agree on their effectiveness.

Emollients are aimed at improving the symptoms and the look of dry skin conditions and reducing the use of steroid creams. They are supposed to stop water loss from the skin and form a protective barrier against external skin irritants. The DTB explains that the long experience of healthcare professionals seems to indicate that normal emollients applied directly to the skin are beneficial for the patients. Some research indicates that emollients are effective. In fact, national treatment guidelines recommend that emollients be used liberally, up to three times per day, even after an eczema patient has had a bath.

Bath emollients, on the other hand, do not seem to have such consensus. How bath emollients compare with other bathing products and post-washing skin creams is unknown. So, why do healthcare professionals often tell their patients to use them? Even the British Association of Dermatologists recommends their use in its advice to patients.

The DTB explains "Given that bath emollients are expensive, and the NHS spends a considerable sum on them, we believe their use requires proper evaluation."

The article concludes that the application of topical creams without the addition of bath emollients is "entirely reasonable".

"Bath emollients for atopic eczema: why use them?"
DTB; 45: October 2007
http://dtb.bmj.com

Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Visit our eczema / psoriasis section for the latest news on this subject.
There are no references listed for this article.
Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA
Christian Nordqvist. "No Evidence Eczema Bath Products Work." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 3 Oct. 2007. Web.
14 Feb. 2012. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/84413.php>

APA
Christian Nordqvist. (2007, October 3). "No Evidence Eczema Bath Products Work." Medical News Today. Retrieved from
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/84413.php.

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.




Eczema / Psoriasis

What is Psoriasis?

Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disease that mainly affects the skin. It is non-contagious. A reddish, scaly rash - often referred to as red, scaly patches - is commonly found over the surfaces of the scalp, around or in the ears, the elbows, knees... Read more...

Most Popular Articles



Follow Our Eczema News On Twitter

Follow Us On Twitter
Get the latest news for this category delivered straight to your Twitter account. Simply visit our Eczema / Psoriasis Twitter account and select the 'follow' option.



View list of all 'What Is...' articles »