Early application of emollients to infants at high-risk for atopic dermatitis seems to be effective for preventing the development of the skin condition, according to research published online Nov. 23 in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology & Venereology .

Junqin Liang, from the People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Urumchi, China, and colleagues conducted a network meta-analysis to compare different emollients for preventing infant atopic dermatitis. Data were included for 11 studies. Three types of emollients were compared: cream, emulsion, and mixed types.

The researchers found that early application of emollients effectively prevented atopic dermatitis development in high-risk infants based on direct meta-analysis (risk ratio, 0.64). In a network meta-analysis, emollient emulsion was suggested as the better option for preventing infant atopic dermatitis development, with a surface under the cumulative ranking curve of 82.6, 78.0, and 79.2 percent for all populations, high-risk populations, and populations with food sensitization, respectively. Adverse events were experienced more frequently by individuals receiving emollients.

"The results of this systematic review and network meta-analysis show that early application of skin emollients can effectively prevent atopic dermatitis development in infants," the authors write. "Moreover, among the available three types of emollients, the emollient emulsion is probably the optimal option in infancy to prevent atopic dermatitis development more effectively."