Map reveals how where you LIVE could increase your baby’s risk of eczema
Minerals that are left to dry on the skin can clog pores and cause skin to flake and become itchy
IT'S not unusual for babies to develop eczema, but did you know where you live could make it worse?
If the water coming out of your taps is "hard" it could affect your little one's skin, experts have warned.
The idea of "hard" or "soft" water is a measure of how many minerals are in your H2O.
In areas like Wales, Cornwall and Scotland where you find soft water, it means there are barely any minerals pouring out the taps.
Meanwhile, hard water, found in East Anglia, London and parts of the South coast and Midlands, contains minerals like calcium, magnesium and iron - all of which can all have a drying effect on your skin and hair.
Minerals that are left to dry on the skin can clog pores and cause skin to flake and become itchy, experts said.
It could mean the water you bath your child in, is partly to blame for their eczema or makes it worse.
One in five children in the UK suffer from the condition.
Recent research from the University of Sheffield and King's College London found exposing the skin to hard water damaged it's natural barrier, which increases its sensitivity.
The natural pH of the skin is normally acidic but hard water is highly alkaline, which means it increase the pH of the skin, the research found.
A shift towards alkaline pH disturbs the skin’s natural function as a physical barrier and leaves it more susceptible to bacteria which can cause infection, they said.
Lead author Dr Simon Danby, from the University of Sheffield’s department of infection, immunity and cardiovascular disease, said: "By damaging the skin barrier, washing with hard water may contribute to the development of eczema – a chronic skin condition characterised by an intensely itchy red rash.
FIND OUT MORE What are eczema and dermatitis, what are the signs and causes and how can you treat the painful skin condition?
"Patients with eczema are much more sensitive to the effects of hard water than people with healthy skin.
"This increase in sensitivity is associated with a genetic predisposition to a skin barrier defect brought about by mutations in the gene encoding filaggrin.
"Filaggrin is a structural protein important for the formation of our skin’s barrier to the outside environment. Up to half of all people with eczema carry a filaggrin gene."
The study, published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, looked at whether removing calcium and magnesium using a water softener improved eczema symptoms.
They found using a water softener reduces the harmful effects of salts in the water, potentially decreasing the risk of developing eczema.
Co-author Dr Carsten Flohr from the St John’s Institute of Dermatology, said: "It is during the first few days and months of life that our skin is most susceptible to damage and most at risk of developing eczema.
"For that reason we are now embarking on a pilot trial to investigate whether installation of a domestic water softener around the time of birth can prevent skin barrier breakdown and eczema in those living in hard water areas."
Dr Flohr and his team are now looking into whether using a water softener in areas with hard water helps relieve eczema symptoms.
Dr Anton Alexandroff, spokesman for the British Association of Dermatologists, said there is some evidence to suggest making the water softer can treat eczema.
"This is to do with the skin barrier - as the skin barrier improves the skin dries out less," he told The Sun Online.
"The salts in the hard water interact with the skin barrier and makes it drier, therefore the skin loses water.
"If this skin dries out it becomes inflamed and eczema is inflammation of the skin."
If you do live in an area with hard water you should regularly moisturise your child's skin to prevent eczema, Dr Alexandroff said, and speak to a GP about treatments.
MORE ON ECZEMA
Also known as dermatitis, eczema is a common dry skin condition.
Though common it is rare for two sufferers to experience the same symptoms and discomfort. It is a highly varied condition and comes in many forms.
In mild cases, your baby's skin will be dry, scaly, red and itchy.
But, in more severe cases there can be weeping, crusting and bleeding sores as a result.
The constant compulsion to itch can leave the skin split and bleeding and also leaves it open to infection.
There are many things that can cause a flare-up of eczema including stress, illness and a reaction to something they've come into contact with - like hard water.
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