Baby Skin vs Adult Skin

Have you ever noticed that beauticians and dermatologists talk about ideal skin as being like that of a babies? It's true. Adults these days aspire to have that soft, supple, and practically flawless cover that is the unattainable objective of all cosmetic treatments however, beyond the smooth and supple beauty, there are significant structural and functional differences that make infant skin more susceptible to certain problems. During the first years of life, there are considerable developments of the skin and subcutaneous fat that warrant handling infants differently than adults.

Human skin provides a barrier for the body and it helps with thermoregulation, immune surveillance, hormonal synthesis and sensory perception, which remains essentially the same at all phases of life. However, there are many important structural differences between the skin of a baby and an adult. The barrier function of skin is vital for the survival of all human beings, but with the increasing rate of premature childbirth, we can see an increasing rate in barrier dysfunction with higher transepidermal water loss - a measurement of the quantity of water that passes from inside a body, through the skin, to the surrounding atmosphere - and increased percutaneous absorption of chemicals. As a result, there is greatly increased mortality in premature infants with impaired barrier function due to microbial invasion. Other micro structural differences in a babies skin include a thinner stratum corneum or outermost layer of the epidermis (skin) and a thinner papillary dermis or uppermost layer of the dermis (layer of skin between the epidermis).

 

There are several factors that converge to make an infants skin more susceptible to percutaneous toxicity, like their high surface area-to-volume ratio, immature drug metabolism systems, and decreased subcutaneous fat stores effectively increase the absorptive area while decreasing the volume of distribution of a drug or toxin. This is worsened by the fact that once absorbed, babies lack fully developed drug carriage and detoxification systems. 

 

In newborns, the subcutaneous fat - the fat stored just under the skin -is rich in the saturated oils, palmitic and esteric acid. These fats have a higher melting point temperature than the unsaturated fats of adulthood, as more oleic acid becomes present with age and the melting point diminishes. This higher melting point means that the fat in infants can freeze more easily which calls for extra care being made to avoid temperature extremes.

This delicate nature of infants skin means that it is much more susceptible to damage, and something like UV damage in childhood may have particularly profound consequences in later life however, many studies have shown that their inability to process chemicals makes sunscreens and skin care products more detrimental than helpful. Unfortunately many parents are unaware of how fragile a babies skin is and they use their own products on their babies which can be even more harmful. 

 

This unique status of baby skin dictates the necessity of carefully formulating skin care products that specifically cater to their needs and requirements, although minimal use of any products of a child is highly optimal.

 

In my future 'Take Care Baby' posts, I will talk to you about common rashes and skin conditions common in babies and natural cures and preventatives. I will also help with natural, easy tips on bathing, sleep, even skin care tips to help with what's happening inside their tiny, precious bodies. If you have questions, or want me to write about something in particular feel free to email me at thesixthscentskincare@gmail.com or find me on facebook www.facebook.com/thesixthscent where I sell my organic, hand made skin care products. I recommend minimal use of products on babies but I do have baby and child safe products as well. I hope you will benefit from this information and start thinking about how much your little ones need you to look after them.

Take Care Baby!

The Sixth Scent.