One shower too many?

This paper reports the association between infrequent showering or bathing (maximum 1-2 per week) and atopy. German children aged 11-15 who had no evidence of allergic disease who were Infrequent bathers (213/756) had a 31% lower prevalence of aeroallergen sensitisation (measured by specific IgE) than more frequent washers. They postulate that this supports the hygiene theory for the acquisition of atopy, and that the microbiome of the skin may be altered by biocides commonly present in shampoos, soaps and shower gels.

References

	Markevych I, Bowatte G, Standl M, Heinrich J, Cleanliness, hygienic habits, and aeroallergen sensitization: German Bitterfeld 3 study, Allergy, 2019;74:1017-1019,DOI: 10.1111/all.13704

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