Read time- 5 mins Topics covered- infant skin health, skin infections and cure

 

Is it ever too early to start thinking about skin health?

The skin is our largest organ, and within it lives an entire community of organisms which act as a protective barrier; the skin microbiome. Children, especially babies under 3 months old, don’t have all these building blocks fully developed. In fact, their skin is very thin and incredibly susceptible to rashes, dryness and irritations.  

“Infant skin is known to be sensitive and more prone to inflammatory conditions such as atopic dermatitis and diaper dermatitis and to infections such as candidiasis. Therefore, the timely and proper establishment of a healthy skin microbiome during early childhood has been suggested to have a pivotal role in preventing inflammatory skin diseases and access to potentially infectious microbes.”  (Source) 

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

How can we protect our baby’s skin microbiome?

1. Use gentle cleansers that don’t disrupt this already delicate ecosystem in the skin. The WOSH mineral bar has not only been dermatologist and paediatrician approved, but it also contains a 100% natural ingredient, Kisameet Clay, which helps nourish and balance the skin microbiome
2. Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! Especially during the first couple of months the skin is working very hard to produce lipids which trap in moisture. Babies are extremely prone to dryness so ensure that you are lathering them with moisturizer from head to toe at least once a day!
3. Bye-bye Sun! One of the primary functions of the skin’s microbiome is to protect you from UV light and radicals, because the skin is still developing at this early stage, it is important to keep your baby away from direct sun exposure, and apply a healthy amount of baby sunscreen at least once a day.

 

Even in the early stages of skin development, a baby's skin is prone to various infections. But these conditions can be avoided with products that have natural and mild ingredients. Don't just wash, WOSH!

 

 

Source: https://yeouth.com/blogs/news/kids-skincare-101

Source: https://www.waterwipes.com/me/en/health-care/resources/skin-microbiome

Source: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40257-020-00549-5