NewsMax.com Wires
Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2001

"That little pump dispenser leads people to wash more frequently," Dr. Marianne O'Donoghue, associate professor of dermatology at Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago, said Tuesday. "Sometimes they wash too frequently with these harsh soaps, which can cause cracks in the skin which can lead to hand eczema."

O'Donoghue, speaking at a news briefing at the summer meeting of American Academy of Dermatology, noted that many scientists are concerned that overuse of products containing anti-bacterial agents may result in emergence of "super bugs" resistant to the anti-bacterials.

O'Donoghue said when a person who has eczema moves his hand from surface to surface, microbes find new homes and then can attach to other bodies that touch the same surface.

"I've seen patients who have developed hand eczema from these products," said Lt. Cmdr. William Baugh, chief of dermatology at the Beaufort Naval Hospital in South Carolina.

"It certainly can occur, much the way Dr. O'Donoghue suggests. When I ask these patients how often they wash their hands they say 20 to 25 times a day. They think they are being good citizens by washing frequently. But you can overdo a good thing."

Baugh said the detergents in the anti-bacterials strip away the natural lipids - fats and oils - on the skin. These lipids protect the skin from developing cracks into which infections can breed. Baugh said his patients often are disappointed when he tells them to stop using anti-bacterials and use non-detergent products that do not eliminate the lipid layers. The eczema can be treated with standard emollients that replace oils on the hands.

A recent survey found nearly half of 1,100 liquid and solid soaps contain anti-bacterial agents.

"No one has ever been able to prove that using anti-bacterial soaps meant that anyone was better off than those using standard soap," said Dr. Eli Perencevich, a research fellow in infectious diseases at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. "However, there are studies that suggest use of such products kill off the sensitive bacteria, leaving hardier bacteria, such as E. coli and staphylococcus aureus, which could be detrimental to health."

Perencevich reported his findings last year at the annual meeting of Infectious Diseases Society of America in New Orleans.

"The fear is that this process will result in bacteria that live longer," he said. That fear may be misplaced, contended industry representatives.

"The rising incidence of antibiotic drug-resistant bacteria is a serious worldwide concern," said Dr. Jerry McEwen, vice president for science at the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association. "There is no real-life evidence that anti-bacterial products - as they are normally used in hospitals, in food preparation and in people's homes - contribute to bacterial resistance."

McEwen said while some studies have shown anti-bacterial ingredients may promote resistant bacteria, these studies have been done under controlled laboratory conditions and "do not reflect what happens to bacteria that consumers encounter in the real world."

Copyright 2001 by United Press International.

All rights reserved.

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
Health Issues
A product that might interest you:
No kidding: 5 cents a minute long distance - all day, every day!