The simple household bleach is not only useful in whitening a load of laundry, but it can also turn out to be an effective treatment for kids' chronic eczema, according to a new study.
Eczema is characterised by severe itching, which is so bad that kids may break the skin from scratching and get chronic skin infections that are difficult to treat, especially from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
And now, researchers from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine have discovered that diluted bleach baths could provide powerful relief from the problem.
It's a cheap, simple and safe treatment that drastically improves the rash as well as reduces flare-ups of eczema, which affects 17 percent of school-age children.
The researchers found that if paediatric patients with moderate or severe eczema (atopic dermatitis) are given diluted bleach baths, it would decrease the signs of infection and improve the severity and extent of the eczema on their bodies.
Thus, bleach baths could translate into less scratching, fewer infections and a higher quality of life for these children.
The typical treatment of oral and topical antibiotics increases the risk of bacterial resistance, something doctors try to avoid, especially in children. Bleach kills the bacteria but doesn't have the same risk of creating bacterial resistance.