Daily ‘Soak and Smear' OKed for Kids with Eczema

Daily bathing is fine for children with eczema as long as it's followed by lots of moisturizer, according to a new article in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

Researchers led by Portland, Maine allergist Ivan D. Cardona, MD, examined studies on the topic to see if there was agreement on how often children with eczema should be bathed.

Those in favor of frequent bathing (defined in the paper as at least once a day) believe the presence of very dry skin requires hydration with daily baths followed by moisturizer. Limited use of pH balanced skin cleansers should also be part of frequent bathing, along with gentle patting dry, and the immediate application of a moisturizer to "seal" in moisture, they report.

"The weight of the evidence in the literature we reviewed and our experience in caring for these patients suggests daily bathing with 'soak and smear' is more effective for soothing dry skin from eczema," says Gilbert, AZ-based allergist Neal Jain, MD, ACAAI Fellow and co-author of the paper.