Children's Hospital Medical Center of Cincinnati Studies Focus on Diaper Rash
CINCINNATI -- Two new studies published in the Journal of Pediatric Dermatology show that newborn skin undergoes significant changes in the first month of life -- a finding that may be important for developing skin-care products and improving skin-care practices.
The studies, conducted by scientists at Children's Hospital Medical Center of Cincinnati's Skin Sciences Institute show that newborn skin's barrier properties undergo progressive changes over the first 28 days, with diaper rash uncommon at birth but developing progressively over the first month of life.
"Babies at birth possess a superb skin barrier, but compromises occur in this barrier over the first month of life," says Steve Hoath, M.D., medical director of the Skin Sciences Institute and the studies' lead author. "We are interested in understanding why these changes come about and how babies protect themselves before birth from the potentially harmful effects of a totally fluid environment."
Despite soaking for months in fluid, measurements of skin hydration show that the skin of the newborn infant is remarkably dry within several hours after birth. In addition, there is no evidence of skin breakdown or rash. But skin breakdown does occur within the first few weeks of life, particularly in the diaper area.
"The changes observed in the skin suggest an orderly process wherein the skin adapts progressively to the new world outside the womb," says Dr. Hoath. "Surface acidity, for example, increases, and the ability of the skin to deflect external water -- its hydrophobicity -- decreases. These changes are not mirrored in the skin of the mother. The findings indicate that it may be inappropriate to assume that adult skin testing is adequate for the evaluation of skin-care products for newborns. Infants are not little adults."
The Skin Sciences Institute is an educational and research organization of the Children's Hospital Research Foundation. The Institute views infant skin as ideal skin and focuses on the skin as a primary care interface -- a biological spacesuit that separates outer from inner space. The Children's Hospital Research Foundation is an operating division of Children's Hospital Medical Center of Cincinnati. The Foundation ranks third nationally among pediatric institutions in National Institutes of Health funding for research.
Contact Information
Jim Feuer,
jfeuer@chmcc.org
