Mother and baby
Baby's dry skin is often seen, and there are data that every fifth baby has dry skin. That is why in such a condition, greater attention should be paid to correct hygiene and care. Such skin requires products with the mark that they are specifically for that purpose, which contain a greater percentage of the greasy phase or substances added to ensure retention of moisture in the skin via absorption. This type of skin is an issue of its own, but what must be borne in mind is that it is susceptible to inflammatory processes, irritations, and it happens often enough that babies with dry skin get eczemas.
Advice for choosing shampoo, soap and cream
- You must first consider whether you baby has a completely healthy skin. If there is no redness on the skin, or signs of rash, dandruff at any part of the body, then we feel free to advise you to opt for any products bearing a baby-intended mark.
- If you see any changes on the skin of the baby, in the form of any of the previously stated symptoms, you should opt for a product in a pharmacy. This way, you will also get professional advice from the personnel. These kinds of products are produced in a strictly controlled environment, ensuring that there has been no contamination during production. Besides, these products contain no perfumes, colours or unnecessary substances, which might irritate the already irritated skin. Also, they contain substances that cool down and feed the skin, thus leading to recovery.
There are many hygiene and skin care products. Such as shampoos, soaps, baths, oil baths, milks, creams, lotions, oils, powders... Since there are different types of baby skin, there are different products, and the principle rule is that one is enough for bathing, and one is enough for care:
Baths are milder options; they are prepared diluted in water and may be used with or without rinsing. Soapis a universal washing product, and if used correctly it will not result in any skin irritation.
Oily baths are meant for dry skin or skin effected by dermatitis or eczemas. Similarly to oily baths, there are also two-phase baths, with a large content of grease which leaves a protective layer after bathing which protects the skin from losing moisture. Nowadays, these are very popular products, since they also reduce the possibility of skin dehydration if used with normal skin too.
Hair is to be washed only withshampoo, even though, in the first stages with infants, soap can be used too. As for lotions, body milks and oils, advice is to reduce their use to the level necessary to replenish the lack, rather than using them after every use of the other motioned products.
Healthy skin requires no protection after bathing since it already has a protective layer on it, and only dry skin may require to be covered with an additional protective layer after every exposure to water. The only exception is winter time, when baby skin needs protection, particularly the parts exposed to cold air.
Baby powderis not a necessity, but it is very useful at skin foldings as well as under the diapers at the leg foldings, on the neck or on the foldings at the armpit.
Eczema is a chronic skin inflammation which usually occurs in early childhood and commonly lasts until the age of 4. It may recur later in life too, but it is far less severe then. The true cause is unknown, but it is known that the hereditary factor plays an important role. It is highly related to allergens which might intensify it, and whose elimination can result in mollification of the eczema symptoms.
It manifestsin skin redness, small simmers, and possible peeling. These changes cause itching in babies, and after scratching may lead to wounds, increased redness and nervousness. It often appears on foldings, elbows and under knees. The course of the disease is unpredictable, just like its beginning. There are phases in which it loses intensity, as we as those in which it exacerbates. If possible, given the linkage between allergens and eczema, it is useful to try to identifypossible allergens, and reduce them to the lowest possible measure. There is no universal therapy for eczema, even though there are products that help most children reduce symptoms significantly. Bathing should be reduced to the extent necessary to keep regular hygiene, which means not to force skin cleansing. Bathing should be done with oil based products, or bathes with added oils, thus hydrating and nourishing the skin. Creams and lotions are used immediately after bathing, without waiting for the skin to dry, and spreading it on the wet skin.
The therapy consists of corticosteroid creams which help reduce the itch, irritation and inflammatory reactions, but these substances should not be used excessively, nor incessantly. Their use is limited to 7 - 15 days, and only on affected regions. After a corticosteroid therapy, it is recommended to use neutral skin creams to enable regeneration of the surface layer of the skin. It is also important to mention that in eczemas, if the continuous scratching damages the skin and wounds appear, there can be bacterial infections, and antibiotic creams are sometimes used to prevent bacterial inflammation processes. It is therefore sometimes necessary to apply bandages on eczema regions in babies, to prevent the scratching to cause skin damage.
