What ?! - Bleach bath for Eczema

[Sarah]

159

Hi, not done this before, hope I am allowed to attach this. In the Health and Well-bing section of my Life & Leisure Mag was an article that states "bathing children in household bleach for 10 minutes has been found to be a good treatment for eczema". "... say the authors of a study printed in the medical journal Pediatrics". Are they serious?? :confused: The mere wiff of bleach near my hands brings me out in eczema. I tried to find this study on the net but was unable to read it in full as I did not have necessary passwords. From the little I read though they do seem to suggest this is a good option. Doesn't bleach burn??

[3monkeys]

Do you have the name and date etc of the study. I can access that journal through the Uni if you want to read the full text.

[Wonder-Full]

No idea about whether it's a worthwhile treatment (considering a lot of people remove chlorine from their water), but maybe because it's a "disinfectant" it's helpful for some eczema? Not something I would use personally (and surely is only a "bandaid" opposed to getting to the root of the problem), but a half cup in a full tub of water isn't going to burn if you look at it from that angle (and you can add it to emergency water to make it safe for drinking).

ETA: I would have actually thought that chlorine would be an aggravant anyway...

[ZGT Mummy]

From what I understand it's only used when there's infection to kill the bugs but not useful on stock standard eczema.

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

I use hydrogen peroxide for bacterial infections on the skin and it works brilliantly. And it's a bleach of sorts...

[deesalie]

Well, if nothing else, they'll have that delightful bleachy clean smell :p

[jules]

I know of many mainstream parents now doing this..advised by their doctor. Because of the itching/scratching, it's suppose to help prevent MRSA or other bacterial infection from occuring as well.

I'm not entirely sold on the idea of bleach baths for kids. It's drying to the skin like chlorine pools are. But some swear by it.

I have to wonder though too..if they are doing bleach baths, wouldn't they need EFA's supplements to reduce the drying of the skin??

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

The thing is that if the skin immune system is working properly, the combination of salt on the skin, which reduces the ph, and the production of hydrogen peroxide by the skin itself, should technically "bleach" the skin anyway. Unless parents are constantly washing their kids in which case, the immune system is constantly derailed.

[jules]

salt..my son's eczema totally cleared up when we spent a week in FL. We also swam in the ocean. Within 2 weeks of going back to NY, he was back to square one:( I swear he got better from the sea salt and the sea air...

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

Maybe he did. So maybe you need to make sure he doesn't keep so clean that his skin doesn't have enough salt on his skin. Perhaps if you have baths, sea salt could be added?

[jules]

yep..sea salt and imo epsom salt doesn't hurt.

Epsom salt in a bath water helps my own itching from dry skin and reduces it, and for restless leg syndrome.

Has anyone ever come across a child/adult with thick rubbery skin? That's what my son's feel like. I don't know how else to describe it,lol. His grandfather has it too. And both have inheirited the Keloid gene, along with his dad, although they are all white skinned. Yet his dad does not have the thick rubbery skin feel. That makes me think maybe he can't hold in the salt or other into his skin as we do?

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

No that's new to me. Interesting. Will keep it in the back of my mind.

do I need to shave your post off, to start a thread on thick rubbery skin? :D

[jules]

LOL..naw. When I commented on his skin as an infant because I found it somewhat different in texture and feel, my MIL said FIL's was just like it, and she said she always found it quite interesting as well.

[ZGT Mummy]

Even my GP has always told me that my skin will get better when I go on holiday to places like Fiji etc as it will mean I'm doing lots of swimming in the sea. And yes, it does get better.