What to do if the skin of a newborn is flaky?
Increased dryness of the skin contributes to the fact that the skin of a newborn baby is peeling off. This situation can face every mommy. How to help your child in this situation. described in this article.
Causes
Healthy skin of a newborn baby looks pale pink and fairly moist. However, this is quite rare. Every day the number of different skin pathologies grows many times. Doctors explain this by the fact that babies are already born with a rather high predisposition to the development of dryness.
If the parents of the child also have a tendency to increased dryness of the skin, then these adverse symptoms may also develop in the baby. This leads to the fact that the child has a peeling on the most different skin areas.
Peel can skin on the face, arms, legs and abdomen. Usually this manifestation is detected by moms during daily hygiene procedures.
Various allergic diseases are often manifested by the development of pathological desquamation. In this case, various food allergens usually lead to the development of adverse symptoms.
The peak of the development of this form of the disease, according to statistics, falls on the age of 3-8 months. It is at this time that babies begin to receive their first lures, which can cause them to develop adverse symptoms.
Doctors note that severe dryness can develop in children who were born later than the deadline for their birth. Toddlers with congenital endocrinological pathologies are also at high risk.
The appearance of a child of separate dry areas on the skin in the first days after birth is not yet evidence of any pathology. This can be explained by the fact that for adaptation in the external environment, and not in the womb, sufficient time is required.
If the behavior and mood of the baby does not change, and there are no other adverse symptoms, this condition may be transient. It may take several weeks to compensate. During this time, parents should choose only the best children's care cosmetics. In this case, dads and moms need to wait a bit, and the situation is fully normalized.
Some forms of allergic conditions occur with the development of areas of increased dryness. They can occur in a child in almost all parts of the body.
One of these pathologies is atopic dermatitis. This condition is manifested in children who have a congenital increased predisposition to it.
The development of adverse symptoms in this case may occur even after swimming in ordinary chlorinated water. Cosmetics that are used to wash a baby can also cause a child to develop adverse symptoms.
If the baby’s skin on the head is flaky, it is most likely a consequence of the seborrhoeic development of the baby. dermatitis. This disease, according to statistics, is more common in boys. This pathology is characterized by the development of pronounced desquamation. Skin flakes easily exfoliate, which looks like the appearance of dandruff. Such peeling can develop not only on the head, but also behind the ears.
This situation is explained by the fact that the child has a pronounced development of the sebaceous glands. In some cases, the baby also appears peeling on the forehead, on the eyebrows, in the cheek area. Flaking flakes may be gray or yellow. Their severity is usually significant and increases after bathing..
Strong dry air in the children's room can also lead to the fact that the baby has a large number of areas with dry skin. Maintaining optimal humidity is very important, especially for babies in the first days of life. This will help maintain optimal physiological moisture of the skin.
Reducing the humidity in the nursery below 40% can lead to the fact that the skin of the child will be very flaky.
Conducting the wrong cosmetic care quite often leads to the fact that the child's skin is very dry. Damaged areas become very dry and irritated.
The child may significantly increase itching. Combing the itchy skin, the baby can introduce a secondary bacterial infection into such microcracks. This will only contribute to dangerous infection and worsening the course of the disease.
Quite a common situation, which leads to the fact that the skin becomes dry and cracks, is bathing the child in a solution of potassium permanganate. Conducting such hygiene procedures only leads to the fact that the skin becomes dried up.
The use of children's cosmetics, which also does not have additional moisturizing additives, aggravates the course of this pathological condition.
What does it look like?
Irritated skin becomes drier. Their color may be pale pink or change its color, taking into account the reason that caused the child to develop these disorders. As a rule, such areas become paler.
In some pathological conditions in the dry areas, many different skin scales may appear that are easily exfoliated.
Severe itching contributes to the fact that a large number of microcracks appear on the skin. They appear as multiple red stripes, located on various parts of the body. Quite often, such rashes appear on the arms and legs of a newborn baby.
How to maintain healthy skin?
Hygiene should always be carried out correctly. This will help to normalize the hydration of the skin and prevent the development of dangerous pathological changes. Every mommy is very important to understand the means of household chemicals, which she uses to wash baby clothes.
All washing powders and fabric softeners must have special markings that allow them to be used for the youngest children.
Such household chemicals should not contain any aggressive chemicals and fragrances that could cause various allergic rashes or areas with increased dryness on the skin.
Wash items and clothes can also be using baby soap. Special stain removers are used to remove stains from clothes.
When choosing washing powders, mommy should prefer products that do not contain aggressive chlorine. A large number of surface active substances (surfactants) can also cause various skin rashes on the skin of a child.
If a strong odor is noted when choosing a product, it may have an adverse effect on the skin.
Controlling baby's nutrition is also very important in treating a child suffering from severe dry skin. Breastfeeding is an important condition for maintaining healthy skin.
By its chemical composition, mother's milk is a unique product that contains all the necessary nutrients necessary for the growth and development of the baby.It also contains all the vitamins and trace elements that support the optimal water-lipid layer of the skin.
The first lures can cause various rashes and areas of increased dryness on the skin of a child. Introduce new products to parents as carefully as possible. Especially "dangerous" in this case are various vegetables and especially fruits..
In some babies, increased dryness of the skin may appear as a manifestation allergies on the components of cow's milk. In this case, it may also be necessary to replace such fermented milk products with products made on the basis of goat protein.
Nutrition nursing mommy should also be under careful control. A lactating woman must always remember that the composition of her milk will contain all the components that she consumed during the day.
Dieting for a nursing mother plays a very important role.. Drinking coffee or too strong tea in the diet of a lactating woman should be limited.
All tropical fruits that do not grow in the region of residence can contribute to the development allergies like a nursing mother and her baby. Red berries or fruits also often become a provoking cause for the development of areas with increased dryness in the baby’s skin.
Special attention should be paid to the restriction in the diet of sweets. These foods contain a fairly large amount of various dyes, preservatives or other additives that increase the risk of developing allergic manifestations on the skin.
Nutrition nursing mom should be as natural as possible. All products should be selected as carefully as possible.
A nursing mother should consume a sufficient amount of protein products, which are necessary for the active growth and development of her child, as well as for the functioning of his immunity. Doctors are allowed to include in the diet of a nursing mother fruit green.
Optimal hydration of the skin is not possible without observing the drinking regime. Of course, babies get a certain amount of fluid in the process of breastfeeding. However, in hot time this may not be enough. In such a situation, you should additionally solder the child with boiled water. This not only helps to maintain the well-being of the baby, but also improves the moisture of his skin.
Proper skin care
Conducting hygiene for a newborn baby is a very important task. The doctors of the maternity hospital, when mother and baby are still there on the first day after birth, should be taught how to conduct such care at home.
Bathing should be carried out without the use of cosmetics. In some cases even the use of baby soap is limited. Frequent use of such products can lead to severe dryness of the skin.
After the child has bathed, his skin should be gently blotted with a towel. To do this, you should only carefully ironed and soft textile product.
Parents should remember that the child’s skin should not be rubbed with a towel. This only contributes to the application of microdamages, which can also become sources for penetration into the skin layers of secondary infection.
For babies of the first months of life, you should choose soft enough towels. When choosing such textiles, parents should pay attention to the fact that they are made from high-quality natural materials.
Clothes that a newborn baby wears are also very important. Too warm clothes made from "not breathing" materials, can lead to the fact that the baby significantly increases sweating.This condition will not only contribute to the development of the child further pathological dryness, but can also lead to more dangerous pathological conditions and even the development of chronic diseases of the skin.
Doctors recommend not using chlorinated water for hygienic procedures. Before you bathe your baby, you must defend the water or use special filters. They reduce the chlorine concentration and help improve the properties of the liquid.
If the baby has increased dryness of the skin, then after the bathing you should use special healing creams. They can be used for both therapeutic and prophylactic purposes. In some cases, you can use several products at once, which help to significantly improve the health of a sick child.
Drug therapy
Prescribe treatment for newborn babies with severe dry skin, should a pediatrician. Parents can use special medicinal creams and ointments on their own, but they must remember that each drug has a number of contraindications to its use. For certain diseases, certain drugs cannot be used.
To eliminate the increased dryness of the skin, various creams, ointments or lotions are used. These funds are not only different in form of release, but also in texture.
Ointment
You can use the ointment with a sufficiently pronounced dryness of the skin. When using them, remember that they are rather slowly absorbed into the skin.
For complete absorption in some cases it may even take 20-30 minutes.
Creams
Creams have a more delicate texture and are absorbed somewhat faster than ointments. They perfectly penetrate the upper layers, and are well distributed over the skin.
If allergic diseases lead to the development of increased dryness, then creams with antihistamine ingredients are prescribed as medical cosmetics.
Lotions
Lotions - the most gentle in texture means. They have a rather liquid consistency and are relatively quickly absorbed into the skin.
Children's products have a fairly good moisturizing effect. Many of them can be used for a long time, not only with medical, but also with the preventive purpose. Regular use of them allows you to maintain optimal moisture content of the skin.
If the baby dryness of the skin is quite pronounced, then you can use special oils. Their nutritional basis promotes not only moisturizing, but also nourishing the skin.
Use such oils immediately after bathing your baby. These funds can be applied to both dry and wet skin.
Apply the oil best massage movements. Conducting such a massage is usually very well perceived by the baby.
This procedure has not only a healing effect. It also helps improve emotional contact between mom and baby. Apply the oil along the massage lines with soft rubbing movements. The intensity of the impact should be pleasant and not cause any pain in the baby.
As such oils, you can use not only products that are sold in a pharmacy. Food oil products are also well suited. for carrying out such a procedure. These oils include olive, sunflower and other varieties.
They are also applied along the massage lines. After applying the oil, wait until it is absorbed. Use better oil products that do not have a strong smell. Neutral oils will not cause irritation in a newborn baby.
About what to do if the skin of a newborn is peeling off, see the following video.