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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Getting the latest healthcare news for you
A new feasibility study found that 44% of eligible families were willing to try reducing infant bathing to just once a week to help prevent eczema — surpassing researchers' expectations. Adherence was high, and early results are promising: only 15.8% of infants in the low-bathing group developed visible eczema at 6 months, compared to 29.2% in the control group. Researchers are now planning a larger multicenter trial.
Could bathing your baby less often keep eczema at bay? A new feasibility study published in the British Journal of Dermatology suggests it might — and that families are surprisingly open to the idea. Researchers enrolled 105 families with infants who had a first-degree relative with eczema or hay fever, randomly assigning them to either bathe their baby no more than once a week (with short, lukewarm, water-only baths) or follow standard postnatal care advice.
The results were encouraging on multiple fronts. Not only did enrollment exceed targets, but adherence and follow-up were both strong — a notable achievement given how notoriously difficult infant eczema trials have been to run. A blinded assessment at 6 months showed fewer eczema cases in the low-bathing group, hinting at real preventive potential.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: Eczema places a heavier burden on families than conditions like Type 1 diabetes, affecting sleep, employment, and finances. A simple, no-cost behavioral intervention could be a game-changer — and researchers say a larger multicenter trial is the logical next step.
