© Press AssociationManda Tsang demonstrates the research process using a probe on the skin while Professor Richard Guy looks on. They found some ointments thin the skin
Using moisturising cream to treat eczema could actually make the condition worse, scientists claimed today.
Research from Bath University claims well-known high street branded creams can aid skin irritation.
Instead, sufferers of the painful skin condition should use oil-based treatments, the scientists said.
The university study found ointments such as aqueous cream BP reduces the thickness of healthy skin over a period of four weeks.
Originally used as a wash product, the cream is currently the most widely prescribed moisturiser for the treatment of dry skin conditions.
It is used to moisturise the skin, improving flexibility and preventing cracking in the protective outer layer, called the stratum corneum.
However, the cream contains
a detergent, called
sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS), which can increase the permeability of the skin barrier and cause irritation.
The study found that when healthy volunteers applied the cream to their forearms daily for a period of four weeks, the thickness of the stratum corneum was reduced by more than 10 per cent.