Water on atopic eczema prone skin – Impact and solutions

The impact of water on atopic eczema-prone skin

When you have very dry or atopic eczema-prone skin, contact with water may become problematic and increase discomfort sensations. In a veritable vicious circle, water makes the skin even drier. What causes it? How do the signs manifest themselves? Or even, how can the skin be soothed?

Atopic Dermatitis is characterized by chronic inflammation and impaired barrier function of the skin, due to a lack of lipids and proteins, leading to intense dryness and itches with flare-ups.

This skin disease presents unique challenges for individuals, including water-related activities. Patients are exposed to potential environmental factors such as water hardness, chlorine concentration, salts, pH and water temperature, all of which contribute to the skin barrier breakdown.

Role of skin microbiome in atopic dermatitis

Hard water is a domestic water with a concentration of calcium that exceeds 200mg/L. The formation of hard water occurs when calcareous water is hot : calcium minerals dissolve in water. The deposition of these minerals on the skin has an influence on atopic skin: exacerbation of symptoms, dryness, skin irritations, disruption of the barrier, etc.¹

^{(1) Danby SG, Brown K, Wigley AM, et al. The effect of water hardness on surfactant deposition after washing and subsequent skin irritation in atopic dermatitis patients and healthy control subjects. J Invest Dermatol. 2018;138(1):68-77.}

Chlorine, often added to swimming pools to ensure water quality, is a potential skin irritant. In contact with nitrogenous substances such as sweat or urine, chlorine reacts to form molecules that can dry out or irritate atopic skin, triggering or exacerbating an eczema flare-up. ²

^{(2) Tlougan BE, Podjasek JO, Adams BB. Aquatic sports dermatoses: part1. In the water: freshwater dermatoses. Int J Dermatol. 2010;49(8):874-885.}

There is few evidence on the salted water impact on eczema prone skin : some reports indicate that seawater can increase irritation for this skin type. ³

^{(3) O'Connor C, McCarthy S, Murphy M. Pooling the evidence: A review of swimming and atopic dermatitis. Pediatr Dermatol. 2023;40(3):407-412.}

The contact with water, often considered a source of joy, can unfortunately have a substantial negative impact on the quality of life for individuals with atopic eczema prone skin. To minimize water-induced feelings of tightness, itching and dryness in atopic eczema prone skin, it's essential to adopt the right reflexes daily, with an appropriate routine:

Cleanse - Use a hygiene product to gently cleanse the skin while preserving its natural moisture.
Care - Use an emollient care product, adapted to atopic eczema prone skin, to moisturize the skin and strengthens the cutaneous barrier.

Atoderm improves the quality of life for eczema sufferers

At BIODERMA, we are very concerned about the quality of life of patients. Eczema causes extremely itchy rashes and can severely impair the living conditions of those who suffer from it. That is why Atoderm has created the perfect routine for atopic eczema prone skin in contact with water:

Atoderm Huile de douche cleanses the skin while nourishing it deeply.
Atoderm Intensive baume reinforces the barrier, offering 6 months without relapses.

Bioderma laboratory has conducted recent clinical studies which demonstrated that the routine Atoderm Huile de douche and Intensive baume counteracts the negative effects of water. 97% of users felt that the routine counteracts the water drying effects on atopic eczema prone skin ^{4b, 5b}.

1. The routine soothe the discomfort sensations induced by hard water and swimming-pool water.

Hard water: -69% of itching sensations , -78% of tightness sensations^4a.
Chlorinated water: -86% of itching sensations , -97% of tightness sensations ^5a.

2. The routine has a positive and long-lasting impact on quality of live of patients. For 94% of users, the long-lasting use of Atoderm routine allows them to go swimming despite their atopic skin ^5b.

True to the NAOS eco-biological approach, the routine Atoderm Huile de douche and Intensive baume plays an essential role in the improvement of the quality of life of eczema sufferers.

^{(4) Clinical study with atopic patients having hard water at home, using HDD + AIB, 33 subjects, 21 days, a/auto-scoring, b/ % satisfactions.}

^{(5) clinical study with atopic patients going regularly to swimming-pool, using HDD + AIB 33 subjects, 21 days, a/auto-scoring, b/ % satisfactions.}