The study lasted 30 days, during which the study children given their standard topical treatments along with the massages. The control group had improvement only in scaling. The massaged children and their parents also showed a reduction in anxiety levels. The study authors note that it cannot be determined whether the reduction in symptoms was due to this or to factors related to the physical stimulation provided by the massage. The study did not address long-term effects of massage intervention in AD, but the authors speculate that the children's condition would stabilize or continue to improve if the parents continued do the massage.
Further research is needed to explore longer-term effects.
Many persons with xerotic eczema have to use high potency topical corticosteroids, and have to be very cautious about the use of soap and water to avoid further damaging what little moisture barrier their skin possesses. A new approach to cleaning xerotic skin combines mild cleansers with small droplets of petrolatum. This action helps to maintain the moisture barrier that would otherwise be removed by the cleansing agent and water. The patients who used it showed better results than a test group who used a synthetic detergent-based bar cleanser. The patients in both groups were also using topical steroids, but the body wash patients were using lower potency steroids than the ones using the bar cleanser.