Do skin moisturizers help prevent eczema in infants?

Atopic dermatitis (AD), also called atopic eczema, is the most common, chronic, recurrent, inflammatory disorder of the skin, and it affects 5–30% of children worldwide. An analysis in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology & Venereology of relevant published studies found that early application of emollients, or moisturizers, is an effective strategy for preventing AD in high-risk infants.

The analysis included 11 randomized controlled trials involving 3,483 infants. Three types of emollients, including cream, emulsion (the combination of two fluids that usually don't mix), and mixed types were comparable in preventing AD; however, an additional analysis suggested that emollient emulsion may be the best option.

"The results of this systematic review and network meta-analysis show that early application of skin emollients can effectively prevent AD development in infants," the authors wrote. "Moreover, among the available three types of emollients, the emollient emulsion is probably the optimal option in infancy to prevent AD development more effectively."