Your Baby – July 2019

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JULY & AUGUST 2019 | 35

Q:

How can I take care of my

baby’s skin properly? There is

so much conflicting information.

I want to keep her clean and hygienic,

of course, as I don’t want her to get

sick, but I don’t want to strip her skin

either. Her skin is already so dry.

A:

Prof. Gray answers: You r

baby’s skin is different to yours

in many ways that matter. The skin

barrier is more permeable in infancy

and matures over time.

There are more differences;

compared with adult skin, babies have

a larger surface area relative to their

body weight, which means a larger

surface area for water loss.

Their skin is also only 30 percent as

thick as adult skin. They’re also born

with a slightly higher skin pH than

adults. The slightly acidic pH forms

a skin “acid mantle” and protects the

skin against external pathogens.

All of these factors make the infant

skin more fragile, more vulnerable,

more predisposed to water loss – and

thus predisposed to pathogen and

allergen entry.

It is also important to know that the

skin microbiome (collection of good

bacteria) is still more scanty at birth

with immature diversity, so this also

needs time to develop.

The skin microbiome is relatively

unstable in these first few years

and thus easily influenced by

environmental factors... Everything

from how baby was born to whether

you own pets or not plays a role.

Infants are born with a relatively

immature immune system with lots

of regulatory activity. This means

they have a reduced ability to fight

infections. This immature immune

system needs lots of signals to mature.

Much of the necessary signalling

for immune maturation comes from

contact with microbes.

The plasticity of the infant

microbiome means it can be easily

disturbed, for example by overly

harsh skin products, but this plasticity

also provides an opportunity to

optimise the microbiome.

How? By encouraging touch and

skin-to-skin contact. This transfers

healthy microbes from parents and

caregivers to babies. Also allow your

baby to interact with nature, plants,

soils and clean air. Overly clean living

is not necessarily advantageous.

The role of touch

Touch is the first sense to emerge in

utero, and one of the most developed

of all the senses at birth. It encourages

healthy microbiome development but

has many other benefits too. Frequent

loving touch can enhance the bonding

experience, enhance development and

cognitive performance, ease digestive

stresses, improve sleep quality and

also promote maturation of the

other senses.

Skincare routines provide the

opportunity for exercising all of this

as touch occurs through creaming,

massaging and bathing in addition

to carrying and cuddling. Routines

involving touch can promote

bonding and engagement between

infants and caregivers, positively

impacting growth and development.

This is enhanced by using touch as

part of multi-sensory stimulation;

for example, at bathtime, tactile

stimulation can be combined with

eye contact, gentle talking or singing

and pleasant familiar fragrances for

olfactory stimulation.

When choosing products

• Choose a gentle product that
  doesn’t do harm. Ideally, it should be
  free from parabens, phthalates and
  formaldehyde-releasing preservatives
  but should still contain a safe
  preservative to prevent microbial
  contamination. Avoid harsh cleansers
  such as sulphates, and also avoid
  colourants. Gentle products
  do not disrupt baby’s
  developing microbiome.


• Check if the product complies
  with evidence-based neonatal
  skincare guidelines.


• The product should have a
  moisturising effect. This supports the
  skin barrier. Look out for glycerol,
  emollients and humectants.


• Look for ingredients that can
  enhance skin-barrier function and
  a healthy microbiome, for instance
  products containing lipids such as
  ceramide. Products that mimic skin
  pH are also good.


• Make sure that fragrancing meets
  top internationally recognised
  regulatory standards.


• Choose a product that is tailored
  to age, as it will be suitable to the
  particular needs of the developing
  skin at that age, whether newborn
  or toddler. YB

&

Q A

OUR EXPERT ANSWERS

YOUR QUESTIONS

Prof. Claudia Gray

Paediatrician & Allergy

Specialist

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