Bath Additives May Not Improve Eczema Symptoms in Kids

BOSTON (CBS) - If your child has eczema, you may want to skip the bath additives.

A new study out of the United Kingdom found that moisturizers added to bath water like those made by Aveeno, Oilatum, or Balneum do not provide any greater eczema relief than standard care.

Standard care for eczema is to use a thick moisturizer after bathing and steroid creams as needed for itchy, irritated skin, but a lot of parents also add moisturizers to the bath water in the hope of locking moisture and preventing eczema flares.

This study looking at nearly 500 children ages 1 to 11 with moderate to severe eczema found that these bath products do not seem to reduce symptoms any more than standard care.

Perhaps parents save their money and instead focus on good thick leave-on moisturizers.  Good old fashioned petroleum jelly works perfectly well.