Among patients with atopic dermatitis, apple cider vinegar soaks did not enhance skin barrier integrity significantly, but did lead to skin irritation in most subjects, a pilot split?arm study found.

Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) increased and pH declined immediately after the treatment, but the effects were not maintained 1 hour later, reported Lydia Luu of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, and colleagues.

They said that notably, 72.7% of participants had mild side effects from apple cider vinegar with improvement after the soaks were stopped.