BATHING babies just once a week might be best for their skin, scientists believe.
Experts at City St George’s University of London plan to trial the approach with thousands of UK families after a small study found reducing baths slashed the risk of eczema.
The NHS recommends washing infants two or three times a week but about one in six suffer the dry skin condition.
It can cause itching, pain and trouble sleeping, and may raise the risk of developing further allergies, hay fever or asthma.
Advice on bathing is mixed as washing is said to help hydrate the skin but may also irritate it.
Study author Dr Michael Perkin suggests that a single short bath once a week with plain warm water might be best.
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A small study of 105 families suggested it could halve the risk of eczema and Dr Perkin now wants to do a large scale test.
He said: “Bathing a baby less frequently and less intensively may be one way of preventing eczema, a condition that causes a huge impact on family’s lives.
“We hope to secure funding to proceed with a full trial to find the answer soon.”
He says bathing too regularly affects the chemical balance of the skin and could damage its natural barrier against harmful substances.
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Writing in the British Journal of Dermatology, Dr Perkin added that tap water and soaps and shampoos might also dry out tots’ skin.
His pilot study involved 105 pregnant women from maternity clinics in South London whose babies were likely to develop eczema.
Half of the families were told to bathe their baby only once a week, while the other half received standard NHS advice.
Six months later, 16 per cent of the babies bathed once a week had eczema, compared to 29 per cent of those bathed more regularly.
Dr Perkin said the research was promising but it was too soon to change official advice to parents.