Water softeners fail to soothe skin
Wednesday February 16th, 2011
Using water softeners does not help children with the skin condition eczema, researchers report today.
The condition is very common, affecting around a fifth of school-aged children. It can cause itching, bleeding, infections, loss of sleep, poor concentration, and distress to the child and their family.
Previous research has suggested that hard water can make eczema worse. So Professor Hywel Williams of Nottingham University, UK, and his team tested the idea.
They identified 336 children aged six months to 16 years with moderate or severe eczema, living in hard water areas. Half of their homes were fitted with an ion-exchange water softener. After 12 weeks their eczema was rated by a nurse. Both groups improved, and having a water softener made no difference.
Results are published in the journal PLoS Medicine. The researchers write: "Water softeners provided no additional benefit to usual care in this study population."
Professor Williams says: "Although the outcome is disappointing in terms of future treatment options for children with eczema, the outcome of the trial is very clear; both the water softening and control groups improved equally in the study when the eczema was measured objectively.
"Despite this, some parents still believed that water softeners were helpful."
He added that eczema is more common in hard water areas. "No one really knows why, but it could be because hard water contains high levels of calcium and magnesium, leading to increased use of soaps which can act as skin irritants.
"We would have been happier if we had shown a clear benefit of using water softeners. However, that is not the case, and we need to face the truth."
Tags: Allergies & Asthma | Dermatology | UK News
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