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  • Usually after your baby shower, you have A LOT of baby products.

  • All the lotions, the oils, the baby wash...

  • they all say gentle and fragrance-free.

  • But why is that?

  • Why is it so important to take such special care of a baby's skin?

  • When babies are first born, oh, they look very special,

  • sometimes even gooey.

  • Just...what is that on their skin?

  • So when the baby is born, there's a layer of vernixor that kind of greasy, yellowish, or whitish covering over the skin.

  • It's thought that the vernix is a protective barrier for the baby in the uterus.

  • And also it's thought to be protective when the baby is born.

  • I didn't have them wipe it off, I was like, we're gonna rub it in.

  • Everything that is supposed to do for your skin I want your skin to have.

  • Once the vernix is gone, that baby's skin is super delicatethat's because it's all so fresh!

  • The structure, function, and composition of a baby's skin is still very much a work-in-progress!

  • So there are multiple layers to the skin.

  • The topmost layer is the stratum corneum. And it's actually just made of dead skin cells that shed.

  • And so your top most layers of skin act like the seal that keeps exterior pathogens and irritants out,

  • and also keeps everything that's healthy inside including water.

  • Babies are actually often born lighter and skin tone than they will eventually become.

  • You can typically see how dark or light your child is going to be when they're first born

  • by looking at the skin right beneath the cuticle, or the tip of their ears.

  • And all of my kids are different shades.

  • So I was able to see this will be my browner baby, or this will be my lighter baby.

  • It's just a little...a little secret that we all knew growing up.

  • When a baby's born, it has all the cells that it's supposed to have on the skin,

  • including the cells that make your skin color, they're called melanocytes and there are billions of them on your skin.

  • Initially when a baby's born, even though they have the right number of melanocytes they may not be working very well

  • or making as much melanin, which is the pigment that makes your skin tone, as it will ultimately when it matures.

  • Baby skin also doesn't have the same levels of healthy protective bacteria as adults have.

  • The first introduction to flora is when the baby is being delivered.

  • The mom's flora within the vaginal canal gets deposited onto the baby's skin.

  • But it takes years actually for this flora to mature and develop to have that really wonderful balance

  • of normal and healthy microorganisms.

  • That said, certain organisms like yeast can very quickly find a home on a baby's skin.

  • All of their adorable neck and skin folds give them plenty of places to thrive.

  • In general, yeasts and other fungi love dark, moist areas.

  • And so there often is some sort of component of yeast when you see that redness or scaling in the creases.

  • Sometimes that'll just settle out and improve on its own or there's a component of more like eczema

  • or what we call seborrheic dermatitis, which is an inflammatory skin condition that happens in the creases.

  • And let me tell you the yeaster bunny was hopping all over my babies.

  • My oldest son definitely got a case of eczema on the creases of his legs,

  • and all of them had rashes on their butts.

  • My kids also had a condition called cradle capcute name, not such a cute look.

  • So with cradle cap, you get that kind of yellowish, sometimes greasy scale on the top of the head.

  • Sometimes it's a little red or itchy.

  • It often gets better on its own or will improve with just more frequent shampooing.

  • Sometimes we do use an antifungal shampoo if it's really extensive.

  • Birthmarks are also super common in newborns, and they come in all shapes and colors.

  • One of which my baby's had which is….oh doc, take it away.

  • Dermal melanocytosisthose are the grayish-blue spots that are most common on the lower back.

  • They're present at birth.

  • They also fade over time, and they're not associated with anything dangerous either.

  • They do tend to happen more often in those with darker skin tones, including those who identify as Black, Hispanic, and Asian.

  • Also, we can't forget about the sun, especially since there's a big difference in sunscreens.

  • If you're less than six months, I typically recommend avoiding chemical sunscreen.

  • There's a difference between chemical and physical sunscreens in there are basically only two ingredients

  • that make up physical sunscreens and that's zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.

  • And those are inert, meaning they don't get absorbed.

  • They sit kind of on your skin and protect your skin from ultraviolet radiation.

  • And that would be safe for a baby.

  • But in general, for all patients actually I recommend physical blockers because they work right away.

  • There are lots of other ways to make sure your baby's skin is cared for.

  • And with all those products it can honestly be hard to keep up sometimes.

  • I like to keep to gentle and fragrance-free soaps, lotions, and washing liquids.

  • There's actually a research study looking at how often you should bathe the baby.

  • And that was more in relation to how dry your skin might get with bathing.

  • And this study found that there was no difference in the moisture retention of your skin based on how often you bathe.

  • What was more important was that you moisturize right away.

  • My babies typically got a bath every day because their poop was foul.

  • I know if I were sitting in poop like they were I would want someone to wash me,

  • so I felt as though I was doing them a favor by washing their little butts,

  • at least hosing them offsomething!

  • So I generally recommend for patients to bathe no more than once a day.

  • And when bathing, no more than 10 minutes at a time.

  • And when you use a soap, not one that bubbles or suds

  • those soaps tend to strip your skin of its natural oils.

  • Identifying skin conditions isn't always an easy thing to do.

  • And if you do notice something that looks off, reach out to your doctor or dermatologist.

  • Thank you for watching Seeker Baby!

  • I'm Angel Laketa Moore and I hope you're learning as much about babies as I am!

  • Is there a baby topic you'd like us to cover? Leave us a comment and keep coming back to Seeker for more on babies.

  • See you next time!

Usually after your baby shower, you have A LOT of baby products.

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