Researchers are due to carry out a trial to determine whether water softeners could help to improve children's eczema.
Up to a fifth of school-age children suffer from eczema and a recent study by scientists at the University of Nottingham found that primary school children living in hard water areas are more likely to have the skin disease than those in soft water areas.
The team are now recruiting families to test their hypothesis and hope that the results could lead to a new treatment for sufferers.
Professor Hywel Williams commented: "I have wanted to do this study for many years as patients keep telling me that water softeners help their skin.
"If ion-exchange water softeners are found to improve the symptoms of eczema, this will be an extremely important finding for both patients and doctors."
Doctors sometimes prescribe steroid creams for eczema, but many consumers prefer to try natural moisturisers, such as aloe vera or coconut oil.
Researchers are due to carry out a trial to determine whether water softeners could help to improve children's eczema.
