Bleach Baths Safely and Effectively Treat Childhood Eczema

Relief for children who suffer from atopic dermatitis, commonly known as eczema, can be found just inside the household laundry room. While it is neither dangerous nor contagious, the allergic condition commonly affects children and babies and causes red, swollen and itchy skin. It is estimated that about 17 percent of school-aged children suffer from eczema.

Researchers from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine have discovered that diluted bleach baths offer safe and effective relief from the annoying itch of eczema while significantly improving the rash and reducing flare-ups of the condition. Bleach baths are simple and affordable, in addition to being a highly successful form of treatment.

The study found that patients who were given the diluted bleach baths over a one- to three-month period experienced a reduction in the severity of eczema that was five times greater than patients treated with placebos. The study was recently published in the journal Pediatrics.

According to lead author, Dr. Amy S. Paller, chair of dermatology and professor of pediatrics at the Feinberg School, the standard use of oral and topical antibiotics as treatment for eczema heightens the risk for bacterial resistance. Bacteria such as staphylococcus can aggravate eczema and cause more intense itching. This leads to more scratching that can break the skin and allow the bacteria to gain entry into the body. With the spread of deadly antibiotic-resistant staph bacteria known as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) on the rise, avoiding the risk of bacterial resistance as well as finding ways to combat bacteria has become increasingly important. The use of bleach creates no risk for bacterial resistance as the bleach simply kills the bacteria.

The analysis included 31 children between the ages of 6 months to 17 years who suffered from eczema. Over a three-month period, half of the children were bathed twice weekly for 5 to 10 minutes in a full bathtub of water containing 1/2 cup of bleach, while the other children were bathed in water containing a placebo. In addition, the children bathed in bleach were also given a nasal antibiotic to fight staph bacteria. Such a marked improvement was observed in the children bathed in bleach water that the researchers cut the study short in order to allow the children in the placebo group to benefit from the bleach baths as well.

Although no improvement was seen those bleach-bathed children who had eczema on their faces, this actually serves as further evidence that the bleach baths work. Since the children were not instructed to put their faces in the water, their faces were not treated. Furthermore, when considering why water in swimming pools has a tendency to worsen eczema instead of improving it, Dr. Paller says this is due to the many other chemicals in the pool and not from exposure to bleach.

Dr. Paller said that it is safe for parents to bathe their children in the highly diluted bleach solution used in the study. However, she recommends telling the child’s doctor that you are doing so. Dr. Paller also said that to receive benefits to the face, the bather could close his eyes and mouth and then dunk his face in the bleach water.