The frequency of showering or bathing and follow-up application of moisturizer appear to be more important factors associated with atopic dermatitis (AD) severity than the duration of showers or baths, results from a prospective observational study found.
Dr Uros Rakita
“Patients may benefit most from counseling on showering or bathing once daily and regularly applying moisturizer after showering or bathing,” one of the study authors, Uros Rakita, MSc, told this news organization. “Recommending less than daily shower frequencies or counseling on specific shower durations may not be necessary.”
During a late-breaking abstract session at the Revolutionizing Atopic Dermatitis Virtual Conference, Rakita, a fourth-year student at the Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University in North Chicago, Illinois, presented findings from a prospective, practice-based dermatology study that investigated the longitudinal relationship between different bathing practices and AD severity to help inform patient counseling about optimal bathing practices.
“AD is a chronic, inflammatory skin condition with a diverse set of environmental triggers and exacerbating factors,” Rakita said during the meeting. “Maintaining adequate skin hydration, skin hygiene, and avoiding triggers are key aspects of AD management across all disease severities. Therefore, understanding optimal shower or bath and moisturizing practices is essential.” In fact, he added, “bathing has been shown to not only hydrate the skin, but also to improve symptoms, remove allergens, and decrease
