Scientists in Nottingham are recruiting 1,300 new born babies for a study looking at whether using non-cosmetic moisteurisers could prevent eczema in babies.
The Barrier Enhancement for Eczema Prevention is being led by the Centre of Evidence Based Deramtology and managed by the Nottingham Clincial Trials Unit at The University of Nottingham.
It is funded by the National Institute for Health Research and Health Technology Assessment programme.
Hywel Williams, Professor of Skin Diseases and Co-Director of the CEBD, has been researching the causes and treatment of eczema for over 30 years.
“Wouldn’t it be great if we could prevent eczema? Although treatments have improved, attempts to prevent it have proved unconvincing and inconsistent.”
-Hywel Williams, Professor of Skin Diseases
He said: “Moisturisers are one of the commonly used treatments for childhood eczema, but they have not been properly studied for the prevention of eczema.”
“This study will hopefully tell us whether using moisturisers after birth can prevent or reduce the severity of eczema. The information we gain will be of benefit to eczema sufferers in the future.”
Eczema is a very common skin problem affecting 16 per cent to 30 per cent of children in the UK and around 20 per cent worldwide. The onset of eczema usually occurs in infancy, and generally dry skin is one of the first abnormalities in babies who eventually develop the condition.
