Silk Clothes Won't Soothe Eczema's Itch

What your child wears doesn't affect severity of skin troubles, study finds
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TUESDAY, April 11, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Although it may feel nice against the skin, new research says silk clothing offers little benefit for kids with eczema.

Eczema is a skin condition that can cause a rash and itchiness, and some parents believe that clothing can either worsen or soothe the problem. This prompts some to avoid dressing their children in wool clothes, and instead dress them in only fine weave fabrics such as cotton or silk.

This new research included 300 children from the United Kingdom. They were between the ages of 1 and 15. All had moderate to severe eczema.

During the study, they received standard care for their skin condition and wore either their usual clothing or silk garments.

After six months, there was no difference in eczema severity, use of medication or quality of life between the two groups, the study authors said.

"The results of this trial suggest that silk garments are unlikely to provide additional clinical or economic benefits over standard care for children with moderate to severe eczema," Kim Thomas, University of Nottingham, and colleagues wrote.

The study was published April 11 in the journal PLoS Medicine.

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians has more on eczema.

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