There is nothing quite like the silky smooth feel of an infant’s skin. In fact, most skin care products for adults are aimed at getting that “baby smooth” feeling back again. But that look comes with a price. Taking proper care of your baby’s skin in the first few years of his life is extremely important and may be a more delicate process than you imagined. It’s something every parent should be aware of but many are not.
Baby Skin vs. Adult Skin
At its core, human skin performs the same functions at every stage of life. These include providing a barrier to defend against illness, helping to properly absorb and shed water, protecting against UV damage, regulating body temperature, assuring the proper synthesis of hormones and providing sensory perception. That’s a lot of work to do, which is why you need to take good care of your skin.
Simply put, if the skin doesn’t function properly your overall health could be seriously affected. Those common functions of the skin begin at birth, but as with the rest of the body, a baby’s skin is still in the process of fully developing within the first year or so of life. That means that it isn’t fully able to perform all of the necessary functions and is more vulnerable to damage. All of which means that it needs to be treated with extra special care.
Maintaining Your Baby’s Defenses
Arguably the single most important function of the skin is acting as a barrier to infection. Because a baby’s skin is not fully developed, it cannot properly defend against these potential threats. It is also unable to adequately remove excess water and more susceptible to absorbing toxic chemicals. All of this is particularly true for premature infants, who are even more underdeveloped than full term babies. In order to combat these deficiencies, massaging babies with emollients such as sunflower seed oil, which are proven to enhance barrier function, has been shown in studies to reduce instances of sepsis in infants by almost 50%.
Beyond improving the ability of the skin to defend against toxins, it is also necessary to prevent injury to infant skin as damaged skin can open the door to infection. Infant skin is so much more delicate than that of adults that such simple actions as removing adhesive tape from hospital monitors can cause epidermal damage. For this reason, it is imperative that baby skin be treated as delicately as possible.
Interestingly enough, one of the most natural and calming processes of infancy can actually be among the most distressing for the skin and that’s bathing. While parents and infants enjoy the special bonding that bath time represents, it is necessary to approach it with extra care as washing for too long can actually damage the skin. Most pediatricians recommend bathing your baby for no more than 10 minutes at a time every other day. And while it would seem prudent to avoid even mild liquid cleansers, using a mild cleanser is actually less damaging to the skin than washing with water alone as water can dry out the skin.
Differences Are More Than Skin Deep
The differences in baby skin go beyond the smooth surface, to the fat stores beneath. It is these stores that help the body to regulate temperature. Babies actually have higher stores of saturated oils and these oils have a higher melting point. As we mature into adulthood, our natural level of saturated oils decreases, which improves our ability to withstand temperature extremes. With high levels of saturated oils, babies lack this natural defense and so they are much less tolerant of extremes in temperature. This is why you should be careful to cover your baby up when taking him or her out on very cold or very hot days.
Not surprisingly, the same principle applies to sun protection. A baby’s skin is particularly susceptible to the damaging UV rays of the sun and it has been said that sun damage that occurs in childhood can have effects that last throughout life. Add in the fact that babies are physically incapable of informing you about the early onset of sunburn symptoms and you can better understand the increased risk.
Certainly it is important to protect your baby’s skin from sun related damage. This, however, has opened up some debate about the use of sunscreens on infants whose skin is not fully developed enough to properly absorb and distribute the chemicals in most sunscreen. After several studies on this particular topic, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends avoiding the use of sunscreen in infancy and relying instead on protective clothing.
Skin Disorders In Infants
Despite the differences noted above, it is still possible for infants to suffer from some of the same skin disorders that adults do. Among these are acne, infection and nutritional deficiencies that affect the skin. There are actually two kinds of acne which affect babies: neonatal and infant. Neonatal acne is a much milder form of traditional acne and is fairly common among newborns. It is generally benign and self-correcting, though there are some topical ointments which can be used to treat it.
Infant acne, which is closely associated with the common teenage form of the disorder, is much more rare. It usually occurs between 3 months and 1 year of age and can leave some scarring if not properly treated. Other conditions which may affect infant skin include what is known as “scalded skin syndrome”, where large areas of redness, scaling and peeling occur. Treatment with antibiotics is necessary to fight off this condition before it becomes more serious.
Other skin disorders can be caused by nutritional deficiencies, such as zinc deficiency which often presents after a baby is weaned from breast milk. More mild skin problems stem from the delicate nature of baby skin, which can chafe easily when rubbed or exposed to temperature extremes or moisture, as with diaper rash.
Baby That Skin
The bottom line here is, baby skin needs special babying. In order to help your baby develop healthy skin you need to treat it with care in its earliest stages. Remember, the skin is the first line of defense for the human body and your baby needs your help to maintain that defense during the first few years of life. So make sure you give that delicate skin the TLC it so richly deserves!
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