Two dermatologists debate bleach baths for eczema. One recommends a quarter cup bleach in a full tub, three times weekly, to kill Staphylococcus aureus. The other skips bleach entirely, using intranasal mupirocin twice daily instead to control bacterial colonization.
So it has come to my attention that a lot of y'all don't know bleach is like the perfect solution to eczema. Did y'all know this?
Some of you are probably expecting me to call this out as BS, but I'm not going to because it's real. Bleach baths are actually an age-old, tried-and-true treatment for widespread eczema, and it works by reducing the bacterial load on your skin. Normally, if you have an intact skin barrier, then the bacterial load isn't so important. But when it's impaired in conditions like eczema, certain bacteria can trigger inflammation and flare-ups. Thus further damaging the skin barrier and perpetuating the cycle. If you want to try this on yourself or your kids— yes, it's safe in kids, I do it in mine once in a while— add a quarter cup of bleach to a full tub of lukewarm water and soak up to your neck for 10 minutes, 3 times a week. If you don't like the smell, just rinse it off. Just moisturize after and you're done.
Bleach is not a recommendation that I use in my practice to reduce colonization of Staph aureus. Staph aureus is a really true problem in impetigo and eczema. Instead, I use active skin repair, and I do agree with the mupirocin in the nose twice daily, but you have to do it for several weeks to keep the colonization down.
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