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baby massage
Can you help us reduce the risk?

WHAT IS THE PEBBLES STUDY?

Do you have a family history of allergy and/or eczema? We are looking for families with newborn babies (up to three weeks of age) where a biological parent or older sibling has asthma, eczema, hay fever or food allergy.

In this study, we want to find out if infant skin management with a particular cream, called EpiCeram™, might help reduce the chances that a child will develop allergies.

Eczema is often the first sign that an infant has allergies, and infants with eczema often go on to develop asthma and other allergic diseases.  It is likely that eczema allows substances from the environment (allergens) to be exposed to the immune system through the damaged skin, resulting in allergies (sensitisation).

EpiCeram™ is a cream that has been designed to help build up the skin’s ability to be a barrier against the environment.  This treatment contains the major components of human skin at physiological concentration.

Our study intends to find out if building and maintaining infants’ skin barrier function can prevent eczema, allergies and eventually asthma.

If eligible, your baby will be randomly (like flipping a coin) put into a group receiving the study treatment cream (EpiCeram™) or a group receiving standard skincare.  If you are in the treatment group, we will ask you to apply the cream twice daily for 6 months.

This study is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council.

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