Contents:
- Medical Video: At Home with Your Newborn | Skin Conditions
- Dry baby skin, what is the cause?
- Then, how to deal with dry baby skin?
- Don't bathe your little one for too long
- Use moisturizer
- Give baby enough fluids
- Give protection to the baby
- Perform maintenance after playing in the pool or beach
Medical Video: At Home with Your Newborn | Skin Conditions
Not only adults can experience dry skin. In fact, babies can have it too. Dry baby skin can be caused by various things. For parents, this can be a worrying thing. Then, what exactly is the cause of dry baby skin? Is this dangerous for the baby's health? How to deal with it?
Dry baby skin, what is the cause?
Just like adult skin, baby's skin can become dry, even scaly to peel off. Moreover, in infants, the skin surface is still very soft and vulnerable to exposure to the surrounding environment, causing the skin to dry out.
The skin can become dry due to lack of water content on the outside of the skin, the epidermis. This can occur due to various things, namely:
- Environment. Environmental temperature affects skin health. A hot and dry environment can cause the skin to lose fluid. However, the use of air conditioners (AC) can also cause this to happen.
- Choose the wrong soap. Bath soap used can be the cause of dry baby skin. Usually, this happens because your baby does not match the soap used. Moreover, if your baby's skin is sensitive. It's better to discuss with your doctor what type of soap is suitable for use.
- Other skin problems, like eczema. Eczema can also be the reason why your baby's skin is dry and peeled off. Eczema is a skin problem that often occurs in infants and children, which is caused by various things, such as food allergies, asthma, fever, environmental allergies, and family history.
If indeed the baby's dry skin does not heal and returns to normal, you should immediately have your baby checked by a doctor.
Then, how to deal with dry baby skin?
Generally dry baby skin is not dangerous and can return quickly if treated in the right way. Here are ways to deal with dry baby skin:
Don't bathe your little one for too long
The most frequent cause of dry baby skin is bathing or playing water for too long. It's nice to be able to play water with your baby, maybe your baby likes it too. However, too long and often exposed to water actually makes the skin dry easily.
Limit your baby's bath time to 10 minutes. Use warm water and soap that does not contain too many additional chemicals. For example perfume or preservative.
Use moisturizer
After bathing the baby, you should make it a habit to give it moisturizer so that the skin's moisture is maintained. Choose products that are safe for your baby. Now there are many choices of baby moisturizing products that you can use.
Give baby enough fluids
Not only do you treat the skin, but you also have to make sure that your baby's skin is not 'thirsty'. This can be done by giving enough liquid. Make sure that your baby often drinks water - but if it is still under 6 months, breast milk alone is enough.
Give protection to the baby
Besides moisturizing, you can use sunscreen orsunblock specifically for children. This is so that the baby's skin is maintained while outdoors and exposed to direct sunlight.
Perform maintenance after playing in the pool or beach
If you invite your child to play on the beach or swimming pool, then after playing you should immediately rinse your baby's body clean. Chlorine and salt in the pool or sea water can damage the skin.
