Br J Dermatol
Weekly vs. daily bathing: No difference in eczema symptoms
There's no evidence that daily bathing is superior to weekly bathing for eczema symptom control. Patients can be advised to choose a bathing frequency that best fits their preferences and lifestyle, as neither approach showed harm nor benefit over the other in this trial.
Study details: This pragmatic, online, two-arm randomized trial enrolled 438 participants (aged ≥1 year, with Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure [POEM] >2) in the U.K. to compare weekly bathing (1–2 times/week) vs. daily bathing (≥6 times/week) over 4 weeks. Allocation was balanced for eczema severity, age, and usual bathing method. Primary outcome was weekly POEM scores, with 388 participants (89%) completing at least one follow-up.
Results: Mean POEM scores improved similarly in both groups over 4 weeks. The adjusted difference in mean POEM score for weekly vs. daily bathing was -0.4 (95% confidence interval, -1.3 to 0.4; p=0.30), indicating no statistically significant difference in eczema symptoms between bathing frequencies. No serious adverse events were reported, and process evaluation highlighted practical barriers to changing bathing routines.
Source:
Bradshaw L, et al. (2025, November 10). Br J Dermatol. Weekly versus daily bathing for people with eczema: results of the Eczema Bathing online randomised controlled trial. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41208015/