Dr Scotts surgery

Jul 8 2002 By The Evening Chronicle

Recent research is supporting the idea that every 10-year-old boy already knows. Too much soap can be bad for you.

We use five times as much water for personal washing as we did in 1961, and spend more than twice as much on shower gel and bubble bath than we did in 1981. And over the last five decades, the number of children developing eczema has risen sharply from one in 30 in to one in five.

Soaps and detergents remove protective oils and grease from the skin, breaking down its protective barrier and creating a lack of moisture.

House dust mites also may damage the skins defence mechanisms, and have been linked to the triggering of asthma and eczema.

These tiny mites like central heating and warm carpets, so there are far more of them about than there were when our bedrooms were unheated.

These factors affect most people to a degree, but if you are genetically susceptible, they can create real problems with red, itchy dry skin or eczema.

If there is a history of eczema, asthma or hay fever in your family, your skin is more likely to become damaged by soap or bubble bath. Dermatologists recommend emollients as the best cleansing agents for people with dry skin. These contain lubricating creams and oils rather than soap, and there is a huge range available at chemists and supermarkets.

Go on - treat yourself to a luxury jojoba and coconut oil bath soak. The detergent should just be for cleaning the bath afterwards!