The skin of the newborn baby
The skin of the newborn baby is tender and immature . Its sensitivity is extreme because it lacks protection from external agents once, when washing or bathing for the first time, babies lose the natural protection that covers them in the womb. Use products with neutral pH, avoid sun exposure, use c
The skin of the newborn baby is tender and immature. Its sensitivity is extreme because it lacks protection from external agents once, when washing or bathing for the first time, babies lose the natural protection that covers them in the womb. Use products with neutral pH, avoid sun exposure, use cotton clothes and avoid friction with the folds of the skin are some of the measures we can take to protect the delicate skin of the newborn baby.
Dr. Ángela Hernández Martín, doctor attached to the Hospital Niño Jesús, in Madrid and dermatologist at the Beata María Ana Hospital, in Madrid, offers us the best tips to take care of the baby's skin and treat the milk crust.
5 tips to take care of the skin of newborn babies
1. How long is it convenient to keep the vernix caseous?Children are born with a predominantly fatty substance called vernix caseosa that has many functions, including protecting the child from dehydration and even from infections in the surrounding environment. In this sense, it seems that it is convenient to keep this fatty substance in contact with the child's skin the first days after birth. It is difficult to specify or establish a specific day in which the child should be bathing for the first time. It is convenient to wait several days, in addition this substance is disappearing little by little without needing to wash it. In principle, it seems that a week is a prudent number of days to continue maintaining the child with his natural protection.
2. What is the best way to treat the newborn's skin?To maintain it in good condition, it is advisable to bathe the child with neutral soaps, and the frequency will depend on the advice of each pediatrician and the criteria of each mother. The person who takes care of the child, who touches him, who kisses him, who bathes him every day, must have clean hands because it is the most frequent source of contact on the baby's skin. The soaps should be soft, without too many perfumes or too sparkling so that they do not drag the grease, which offers the natural protection of the skin. In general, child lines should always be used, which are specifically created to protect the baby's skin.
3. How should we moisturize the baby's skin?As for hydration, it is advisable to moisturize the baby's skin with a moisturizer without perfumes and specific for the baby. Keep in mind that the baby's skin is very finite and can very easily absorb substances that contact your skin. For this reason, you can not be put in contact with any type of cream, soap or antiseptic, and you have to be cautious in that regard. It is always advisable to use the products recommended by the pediatrician or the dermatologist who frequently visits that child.
4. How should we treat the milk crust?The milk crust is a benign condition and very common in babies under three months of age. Many times it goes away by itself, it does not need any type of treatment, but at other times it acquires an important thickness and it is difficult to remove it. In general, they do not have any transcendence because they are going to solve themselves.
Therefore, when the crust is more intense and more adherent to the scalp, substances can be used to soften it. In some cases, it is necessary to use topical corticosteroids, which are anti-inflammatory, or also keratolytic substances that help eliminate this thick corneal layer that the baby presents.
5. What care is necessary for the skin health of babies older than three months?
The skin care of the baby does not differ too much from the skin care of the child or adult. However, one must be careful especially with the delicacy and the ability to absorb substances, which has the skin of smaller children. Therefore, we should avoid applying very fragrant creams, with substances that can irritate your skin. Although an adult can tolerate them normally, children do not. This is the case of creams with salicylic acid.
Source: interview with the dermatologist Ángela Hernández Martín, Hospital Niño Jesús de Madrid.
