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Why does a newborn baby have brown skin. Problems of newborns - Imprint. Features and functions of the skin of newborns

But in most cases, there is no reason to worry. The first rashes on the skin of the baby are temporary and, as a rule, disappear by the end of the neonatal period.

Newborn skin

The following phenomena are considered normal conditions for the skin of a newborn. In addition, in this article we will also talk about the most common "marks" normally found on the skin of babies.

  • simple erythema is the reddening of the skin of a newborn. It can be observed 6-12 hours after birth. This condition is caused, first of all, by the skin getting used to contact with air, because for 9 months the baby was in aquatic environment. Gradually, the child's skin adapts to new conditions, and excessive redness practically disappears by itself by the end of the first week of life.
  • peeling skin. It occurs more often in postterm babies born after 42 weeks of pregnancy. After a week and a half, the peeling disappears. You can help your child cope with this condition by treating the skin after bathing with baby milk, which moisturizes the skin and makes it easier to separate the scales.

  • Toxic erythema.     It sounds ominous, but it's actually not a big deal. On the 2-3rd day of life, the baby has dots in the form of yellowish-white dots with seals in the center, surrounded by a circle of reddened skin. They are usually located on the limbs, around the joints and on the chest. The well-being of the child is not disturbed. They usually disappear after 5-7 days without any treatment.

  • Milia- this is the name of the white nodules on the wings of the nose, the bridge of the nose and on the forehead, which can be seen in the baby in the first weeks of life. These are narrow sebaceous ducts clogged with a secret. They uncork on their own and pass without any treatment for 1-2 weeks of life.
  • acne in newborns(infant acne). Perhaps there is no other physiological change on the skin of newborns, which would cause parents and, sadly, medical workers, erroneous conclusions. Most often, acne in newborns is mistaken for an allergy. And first of all, they advise mom to go on a strict diet.
    If the child is an artificial - urgently change the mixture, then it does not suit the baby. Well, of course, because the face of a three-week-old child, which was clean yesterday, today is completely covered with rashes that look like acne. We hasten to please young parents, this condition has nothing to do with allergies. Neonatal acne occurs in about 20% of children. Its appearance is caused by stimulation of the sebaceous glands by maternal and endogenous androgens. Average age the onset of the rash is three weeks. These rashes are very similar in appearance to youthful acne: inflammatory papules and pustules appear on the face, especially on the cheeks, less often on the scalp. In most cases, this condition is mild and requires only daily cleansing with soap and water. No additional treatment is required, as neonatal acne resolves spontaneously within 1 month, maximum four months, without scarring.
  • Seborrheic dermatitis is a condition that is characterized by redness and the formation of sebaceous scales. The first rashes are found already at the 3rd week of life and are most often localized on the scalp, but can also be on the face, ears and neck. When localized on the crown of the head, these changes on the skin are also called milk crusts. Fatty, yellowish-gray scales merge, forming a plaque of various sizes from small single foci to continuous vast areas sometimes up to several millimeters thick. This plaque sits tightly on the skin and cannot be peeled off. It looks like dandruff. Under the plaque, inflammatory changes in the skin are not observed. At the same time, the baby's itching does not bother. When treated with baby oil, seborrheic scales are easier to remove and comb out from the scalp.
  • Nevi are local congenital lesions caused by a malformation, in the structure of which any component of the skin can take part. They are found either at birth, or appear at any time of life, but more often in young age. AT infancy most often there are vascular nevi, that is, they are based on the abnormal structure of the vessels of the skin. They are formed due to the expansion of capillary nodes located in different depths of the skin, thus forming sometimes very colorful pictures. From a cosmetic point of view, their significance is very serious, especially in cases of widespread nevi localized on visible places skin cover.

  • "Stork Spots".     These orange- pink spots can appear on the forehead, eyelids, on the back of the head they meet in the place for which storks carry babies, which explains their vernacular name"stork spots". They are caused by the accumulation of blood vessels under the skin of the baby. In medical language, they are called "vascular nevi", and among the people "birthmarks". As the child grows, the skin thickens and the blood vessels change, these spots lighten in the first two years of the child's life and become noticeable only when the child cries or strains a lot.

  • Flat vascular nevus     (capillary hemangioma, " wine stains») is a flat spot various shapes and magnitude. If dilated capillaries are located on the very surface of the skin, they are light red in color. If the capillaries are in deeper layers, then the nevus becomes slightly purple hue. It is very often located on one side of the face with localization mainly in the upper part of the cheek. Sometimes it also spreads to the mucous membranes. Rarely, it can appear anywhere on the body. Spontaneous reverse development of this nevus is never observed. Therefore, hemagnioma requires consultation and supervision of a pediatric surgeon.


    "Strawberry" spots (cavernous hemangioma).     This vascular formation rises above the surface of the skin of the newborn more strongly than all the others. birthmarks. Usually, bright red, has a convex porous surface. Most often, it grows rapidly in the first weeks of a child's life. With age, it gradually becomes flatter, decreases and turns pale. It appears shortly after the birth of the child and reaches maximum size at about 3 months of age. Approximately 50% of these spots disappear by the time the child is 5 years old, and 90% within the first decade of life. If the hemangioma is located in a place where it is constantly injured and bleeds (on the arms, legs) or presents a cosmetic inconvenience (for example, on the face), it can be removed with injections and laser therapy.

  • Mongolian spots. They are blue to pale gray in color and look like bruises. Such spots occur on the back and buttocks, sometimes on the legs and shoulders, in nine out of ten children whose parents belong to a black, Asian or Indian race. These subtle spots are also quite common in children of the Mediterranean region, but very rarely - in fair-haired and blue-eyed babies. These beating-like spots lighten over time, but in most cases do not completely disappear.

  • Moles. These are brown-black elevations on the skin, ranging in size from a millet grain to large, hairy spots. Basically, moles are pigmented nevus, benign education requiring no treatment. In very rare cases, when a nevus large sizes may need it surgical removal because of the threat of its malignant transformation.

  • Flat birthmarks of coffee-au-lait color    . This is a flat pigment spot, light brown shaped like a puddle of spilled coffee. As a rule, these spots are small, oval shape but can be several centimeters in diameter. They can be found on the skin of a child from birth. Most spots of this type persist throughout life.

As you can see, almost all the conditions described above do not require special medical intervention, and only some of them require medical supervision. However, the newborn may experience changes in the skin that require immediate appeal to the pediatrician.

The more mom and dad useful information the less anxiety and problems in newborns.

The first months of a baby's life are a happy and very exciting time. As soon as the condition of the crumbs ceases to fit into the norms voiced by pediatricians, parents get an excellent reason to panic. Let's find out: when it is really worth worrying, and when there is no reason for anxiety. Usually, parents receive initial information about the condition of the newborn from a neonatologist.

2. Problems of newborns - Difficulties of transition.

The biggest worries for new parents are in the first three months. The first 100 days are a special period in a baby's life. Baby after 9 months of quiet maturation in amniotic fluid falls into the "waterless" world, experiencing severe stress at birth. All this cannot but affect the appearance and condition of the crumbs. Many of these "oddities" of babies are the norm and do not require special treatment.

Physiological erythema. The skin color of a newborn is red, the baby resembles a tomato or a boiled lobster. By the end of the second day, erythema reaches a maximum, and then gradually, by the end of the week, the skin color acquires a pale pink tint.

Sexual crisis. On the 8-10th day of life, some children (both girls and boys) can be seen. Often there are white discharge from the mammary glands and swelling of the genital organs. In newborn girls are not excluded bloody issues from the genital tract. All these phenomena are associated with maternal sex hormones, which continue to circulate in the bloodstream of the child for some time after birth. After 2-3 weeks, these symptoms will disappear on their own. Therefore, it is strictly forbidden (!) to squeeze out the secret from the mammary glands and treat the breast of the crumbs with any medicines.

Milia. On the nose, chin, forehead of the baby, smooth, white acne, the size of a pinhead, is noticeable. This is the secret of the sebaceous glands of the crumbs accumulated in utero. Again, there are no reasons for concern - in a month or two they will disappear.

3. Problems of newborns - Control measurement.

Usually in the first month, the baby adds at least 300 g to the weight at discharge. In the second month, the increase is greater - from 900 to 1100 g. Then the monthly gain is an average of 700 g, and so on for up to six months. From 6 to 9 months, when the baby begins to actively move, weight gain slows down and the monthly increase is about 500 g, and from 9 months to a year, the weight increases by 300-350 g per month.

However, the kids do not always want to comply with the standards drawn up by pediatricians, and then the young mother begins to worry: is her baby starving, is there enough milk for him? This problem is especially relevant when breastfeeding when the volume of food eaten is not so easy to measure.

The easiest way is to conduct a “wet diaper” test. During the day, the baby is left without a diaper and counts how many times he pees. If the baby peed at least 10 times, then everything is fine with his nutrition. before and after each feed There are several ways to calculate how much milk your baby needs.

According to the Shkarin method, an infant at the age of 8 weeks needs 800 ml of milk per day. If the child is younger, then he should receive 50 ml less for each week, if older - 50 ml more. For example, a baby at the age of three weeks should eat per day: 800 - 50 x 5 \u003d 550 ml. A volume breast milk for a 10-week-old baby: 800 + 50 x 2 = 900 ml.

The Heibener and Czerny method is based on the ratio of the volume of food and the weight of the child. During the first weeks of life, the amount of breast milk is 1/5 of the child's weight, up to 3 months - 1/6 of the weight, at 3-5 months - 1/7 of the weight, and in the second half of life - 1/8 of the weight.

Maslov's method proposes to determine whether the baby is starving, based on scientific data on the calorie content of breast milk, which contains an average of 700 kcal. A baby up to 3 months needs 125 kcal per 1 kg of weight, from 3 to 6 months the need decreases to 110 kcal, and from 6 months to a year it is about 100 kcal per 1 kg.

4. Problems of newborns - Imprint.

No less than the diet, young parents are interested in the contents of the diaper. If this content is delayed in appearance or its appearance is different from the usual, restless parents becomes uncomfortable.

First, let's take a look at timing. Of course, babies often get their diapers dirty after each feeding or 1-2 times a day. But in general, it is believed that in breastfed babies, defecation once every 2 days is also quite normal phenomenon. So if your baby hasn’t pooped for a couple of days, but is cheerful, cheerful and happy with life, it’s too early to worry. But if the child groans, strains and cries, and the stool is hard and not mushy, be sure to go to the local pediatrician. By the way, a careful acquaintance with the contents of the diaper can also be very useful. So: sticky, sticky, black or black-green stools of a newly born baby are normal, this is the so-called meconium. It is worth worrying if meconium does not appear in the first week of a child's life.

regular chair infant granular, cheesy or uniform yellow or mustard color. In children who are on artificial feeding, the stool is more formed, usually light brown or yellow. Frequent bowel movements at watery stool greenish color indicates diarrhea, hard stools in separate pieces with mucus or blood are a sign of constipation. In addition, bloody stools can indicate the presence of an anal fissure or an allergy to milk, and slimy stool green or light yellow - about the presence of a virus in the body, such as influenza, or the presence of a stomach infection. If your baby is taking iron supplements, his stool will most likely turn black, this is normal. And finally, having introduced the grown-up crumbs to banana puree, you can find something resembling worms in the diaper. Don't worry, it's banana fiber!

5. Problems of newborns - Eternal call.

In the first months after the birth of a child, mothers usually discover with disappointment that their rainbow dreams of a baby sleeping sweetly in their cozy cradle do not seem to come true - the baby leads an active night life, screams and cries. Let's look at the problem from the other side. Your baby is a helpless creature who has no other way to communicate his needs except through whimpering and crying. But this, of course, does not always mean that the baby is bad or hurt. Perhaps he is uncomfortable lying on his back, or the baby is signaling a wet diaper, his desire to be closer to his mother. Don't Be Nervous, Consistently Eliminate possible reasons:

♦ change your baby's clothes;

♦ transfer to a barrel;

♦ caress the baby, take him in your arms and walk around the room.

As for sleep, it is hardly worth worrying that the baby is not getting enough sleep. Very tiny children are perfectly able to sleep while eating. Therefore, arrange a comfortable place for feeding and rest while the baby is napping at the breast. By the way, sucking movements are a natural relaxant, it alleviates the child's anxiety due to colic or teething. Try using a sling - a device that allows the baby to relax next to his mother, and you - to get freedom of movement without parting with your beloved baby.

An attentive mother can (and should) notice all the above described problems of newborns even before discharge from the hospital. However, these are only external problems. BUT internal symptoms, such as, a change in the shape and size of the brain (when the baby passes through the genital tract), etc. can only be detected when ultrasound examination. Therefore, we strongly recommend that before discharge, an ultrasound scan of the internal organs of the baby (with a mandatory description-conclusion of the doctor), as well as ultrasound genitourinary system young mother (as is done in all civilized countries).

Human skin is made up of two layers - epidermis and dermis(actually the skin). The epidermis is the outer layer of the skin that is made up of horny and basal layers (the first is represented by several rows of constantly sloughing dead - "keratinized" - cells, in the second, new cells are formed to replace the removed keratinized ones). Under the epidermis is the dermis - a layer of loose connective tissue, in which the sebaceous and sweat glands, as well as hair roots, are located.

To the question: “What is the skin for?” - most people far from medicine will confidently answer: "To protect muscles, bones, internal organs." Such an answer would, of course, be perfectly fair, but not sufficient. The skin in our body is assigned not only a protective role. Let's try to list the main functions of the skin, and here's what we get:

  • protective(the skin protects the body from negative external influences);
  • excretory(with sweating, metabolic products are excreted from the body);
  • thermoregulating(it is with the help of the skin that the body adapts to the ambient temperature);
  • respiratory(air enters the body not only through the lungs, but also through the diffusion of gases through the walls of skin vessels);
  • sensitive(skin provides tactile, temperature and pain sensitivity);
  • synthetic(it is in the skin that vitamin D and the pigment melanin are synthesized, which protect a person from the action of ultraviolet rays).

Features of the skin of a newborn

Those features of the skin that we have talked about so far are universal - they are equally characteristic of both children and adults. Now let's talk about what is typical for the skin of a newborn. Infant skin has a number of features that make the little man more vulnerable and defenseless, and new parents need to be aware of this in order to ensure proper child care.

The skin of a newborn is extremely different thin stratum corneum, only 3-4 rows of cells. And since it is this layer that performs a protective function, it is not difficult to imagine how vulnerable the baby's skin is. In addition, such thin skin does not provide a sufficient level of thermoregulation, so the newborn cools and overheats very quickly.

In newborns very loose connection between epidermis and dermis. Without going into anatomical details, we only note that such a structure of the skin predisposes to a more rapid spread of infection than in adults.

The child's skin has well-developed network of capillaries, which, on the one hand, again increases the likelihood of infection spreading through the bloodstream, and on the other hand, promotes skin gas exchange (the child literally “breathes through the skin”). In other words, the protective function of the skin of an infant is significantly inferior to that of an adult, and the respiratory function is expressed many times more intensely.

Children's skin is extremely saturated with water. The skin of a newborn contains 80-90% water (in an adult - 65-67%). This moisture content of the skin must be constantly maintained, however, due to the fact that it is very thin, moisture is easily lost when the ambient temperature rises, and the skin dries.

In the skin of a newborn low melanin content, such skin is practically defenseless against the action of UV rays.

Newborn skin care

The principles of newborn skin care stem from its structural and functional features. In a nutshell, they can be formulated something like this: you need to help the skin perform its protective function - and not prevent it from breathing. Let's try to list the main procedures that will help to follow this principle:

    • Security optimum temperature environment , along with the usual hygiene procedures, is one of the essential conditions proper care of the skin of the newborn. This is due to the fact that infant skin is not yet able to cope with thermoregulation, that is, to maintain constant temperature body during changes in ambient temperature. Therefore, in the room where the child is located, it is necessary to maintain a constant temperature of about 20 ° C. Both hypothermia and overheating are equally undesirable for the child (when overheated, in particular, prickly heat may develop).
    • Bathing. If there are no contraindications for health reasons, the newborn should be bathed daily. In urban conditions, ordinary tap water (36-37 ° C) is used. Until complete closure umbilical wound should be added to the water "potassium permanganate" (a weak solution of potassium permanganate) 1 . 2 times a week it is recommended to wash the child with baby soap, 1-2 times a week to wash your hair (with baby soap or special baby shampoos).
    • Moisturizing the skin. The child's skin should be examined every day. If you notice dryness in certain areas, they need to be moisturized. For this, both simple home remedies are suitable - sunflower or olive oil (only pre-sterilized), as well as branded oils for baby skin care. Vaseline oil can also be used, although it is less effective.
    • Treatment natural folds skin. After moisturizing the skin, it is necessary to treat the inguinal, cervical, popliteal and other skin folds. To do this, you can use specialized creams, for example "Children's" 2 . You can not smear the cream all over the body: this paralyzes the respiratory function of the skin and can even lead to hypoxia (lack of oxygen in the blood).
    • Treatment of the umbilical wound. The umbilical wound is processed until it is completely closed and there is no discharge during its processing. For treatment, a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution is recommended, the edges of the umbilical wound must be moved apart during this procedure. If there are crusts on the bottom of the wound, they must be removed. In conclusion, the wound is treated with a 1-2% solution of brilliant green or a 5% solution of potassium permanganate. (The patronage nurse teaches the parents how to treat the umbilical wound.)
    • Air and sun baths parents perceive primarily as tempering procedures, but they are also essential element skin hygiene, as they contribute to the prevention of prickly heat and diaper rash.

In no case should a child taking such a bath be exposed to direct sunlight; he can lie in the garden in the shade of trees, under a trellised awning or on a veranda (of course, with adequate air temperature). This mode will allow the child to “ventilate” well and receive the minimum dose of ultraviolet radiation necessary for the production of vitamin D.

In winter, of course, you have to do without sunbathing, but air can be arranged in the apartment. When swaddling or changing clothes, leave the baby naked for a while (it will be enough for a newborn to lie on his stomach for 2-3 minutes before each feeding, three month old baby can take in total air baths 15-20 minutes a day, by six months their time should be increased to 30, and by a year - up to 40 minutes a day 3 ).

However, even the strictest implementation of all these procedures may be ineffective if elementary hygiene standards. So do not forget: all child care items should only be individual - designed exclusively for him, they should be kept in a strictly defined place and always covered with a clean napkin, other family members and especially older children should not have access to them.

Changes in the skin

However, even with perfect skin care for a child, almost any mother sooner or later faces certain problems. There are quite a lot of them, and they are varied.

Consider first the cases when changes in the skin due to the characteristics of the skin of the newborn and do not require treatment.

Almost all newborns have transient (transient) changes in the skin, which are physiologically normal and do not require correction.

simple erythema. This is reddening of the skin (in the first hours of life - with a bluish tint), which occurs after the removal of the original lubricant or after the first bath. Usually on the second day after birth, the redness becomes brighter, and fades away by the end of the first week. The severity of simple erythema, its duration depends on the degree of maturity of the child (in premature babies, simple erythema lasts 2-3 weeks, in full-term babies - less).

Physiological peeling . Occurs on the 3rd-5th day of life in children with a particularly bright simple erythema after it fades. Exfoliating skin flakes look like plates or crushed bran. Especially a lot of them on the tummy and chest.

Toxic erythema . This skin reaction is similar to an allergic one (in children who have experienced severe toxic erythema, a predisposition to allergic diathesis is often observed subsequently). Many newborns have small white dense nodules that rise above the surface of the skin (papules) on the 1-3 day of life. There may be redness at the base of the papule. Sometimes bubbles with white contents are formed. Most often the elements toxic erythema are found on the chest and abdomen, less often on the face and limbs. Erythema never occurs on the palms, feet, mucous membranes. Within 1-3 days, new rashes may appear, but usually the rash disappears after 2-3 days. The child feels well, the temperature is normal. As a rule, treatment is not required, only with a profuse rash, additional drinking (5% glucose solution) and antihistamine (antiallergic) drugs are prescribed.

Milia - whitish-yellowish nodules 1-2 mm in size, rising above the level of the skin and localized more often on the wings of the nose, bridge of the nose, in the forehead, very rarely throughout the body. it sebaceous glands with abundant secretion and clogged excretory ducts, are observed in approximately 40% of newborns. With signs mild inflammation(redness) nodules must be treated with a 0.5% solution of potassium permanganate.

Enlarged sweat glands , appearing at the birth of a child, look like thin-walled bubbles with curdled or transparent contents. They are found in the neck crease, on the scalp, less often on the shoulders, chest. Bubbles are easily removed with a cotton swab with alcohol, while the skin remains intact. There are no recurrences.

Yellowness of the skin often observed in perfectly healthy children on the second or third day of life, it is due to the fact that the functionally immature liver at birth is not able to cope with the processing of bilirubin. None special treatment this is not required, it is only necessary to give the baby more water to speed up the release of bilirubin from the body, and monitor the regularity of the stool. Physiological (transient) jaundice usually begins to subside on the seventh to tenth day.

Telangiectasia - local expansion of subcutaneous capillaries, often called " spider veins". Usually they are located on the forehead, back of the head, bridge of the nose. Telangiectasia does not require treatment and usually resolves on its own by one to one and a half years.

Changes in the skin can also be signs of any disease. And then - it needs treatment.

allergic rash - this is what parents probably face most often. Usually it is bright pink in color, consists of red spots and nodules that rise above the surface of the skin, resembling a mosquito bite (papules).

When a rash occurs, you must first find the cause of the allergy. A nursing mother should first of all think about her diet during last week. If she ate vegetables and fruits with red and yellow color, chocolate, fatty fish, caviar, rich broths, a large number of eggs (more than two per week), then the cause of the allergy most likely lies in the woman's diet. If the allergic rash is clearly delimited by the place of application of any means of children's cosmetics, it is necessary to refuse to use it.

diaper rash (they are also called diaper dermatitis) is a non-infectious skin lesion that occurs at the points of contact with an irritating agent (urine, feces, sometimes rough diapers). Most often they are localized on the buttocks, in the genital area, on inner surface hips.

When diaper rash appears, it is necessary to strengthen hygienic control over the child (make sure that he does not lie in wet diapers; wash after bowel movements and when changing diapers; in the absence of allergic reactions, do daily baths with the addition of medicinal herbs: chamomile, string, oak bark - the latter is preferable for weeping diaper rash). Astringent creams are shown, for example those containing tannin. When erosions (superficial skin defects) occur, so-called epithelizing creams are indicated, for example, with sea buckthorn oil.

Prickly heat also refers to non-infectious inflammatory processes and is the result of improper care. If the child is dressed too warmly, “wrapped up”, there is a compensatory expansion of the ducts sweat glands and surrounding capillaries. Prickly heat appears as a pink nodular (papular) rash, mainly in the chest and abdomen, less often in the limbs.

If a child develops prickly heat, you should not dress him so warmly; clothing should be adequate to the ambient temperature.

Useful baths using the same herbs as for diaper rash. Very effective air baths lasting 10-15 minutes.

However, if at good care, adequate maternal diet and correct mode the child has a tendency to diaper rash or prickly heat, the pediatrician may suspect more serious pathology- ECD (exudative catarrhal diathesis).

Hemangioma This is the proliferation of subcutaneous vessels. It is noticeable in the form of vascular tangles, translucent through the skin, and with deep localization in the form of a cyanotic spot, which acquires a more intense color when the child screams and strains. Already in the maternity hospital, the doctor will draw the attention of the mother to the presence of a hemangioma and recommend measuring its size in dynamics. It is more convenient to do this with the help of tracing paper, circling the hemangioma over it at regular intervals. If the hemangioma tends to shrink, then most likely it will not require treatment and will disappear on its own. However, if the hemangioma is growing rapidly, medical correction will be required. The question of treatment tactics in such cases is decided jointly by the pediatrician and the surgeon.

Dark spots can have any localization; they require monitoring over time and monthly measurement. If area age spots increases, you should definitely contact your pediatrician.

Gneiss (milk crust) - This is an allergic manifestation, localized on the scalp in the form of whitish crusts. As with an allergic rash, a nursing mother should first of all analyze her diet and be sure to show the baby to a dermatologist. In addition, before bathing, you should lubricate hairy part child's head with sterile sunflower or olive oil, put on a cotton cap for a while, and then carefully remove the softened crusts with a cotton swab or a rare comb.

skin candidiasis often combined in newborns with candidiasis of the mucous membranes and usually occurs when a child passes through the birth canal of a woman suffering from vulvovaginal candidiasis.

Candidal skin lesions look like weeping diaper rash in the anus, buttocks, inner thighs. As a rule, diaper rash is accompanied by the appearance of erosion. The edges of the erosions are uneven, scalloped, covered with a thin white coating (sometimes the coating covers the entire surface of the erosion). Since the skin process is usually accompanied by damage to the mucous membranes, you can see a curdled white coating on the lining of the mouth, genitals.

To make a correct diagnosis, a smear is needed - sowing on mushrooms. If the diagnosis is confirmed, then the child will be prescribed specific therapy (usually local - in the form of ointments, such as Clotrimazole, Travogen, Pimafucin, etc.). In addition, special attention is paid to hygiene measures: frequent baths are required, as well as lubrication of diaper rash with a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate to dry the skin.

In any case, finding any unusual changes skin of a child, immediately show it to a pediatric dermatologist or pediatrician and in no case try to treat it yourself, as children's skin lesions are diverse and often various diseases have similar symptoms, so only an experienced doctor can correctly diagnose, find out the need for correction and prescribe an effective course of treatment.

1 The concentrated solution must be prepared in separate dishes, and then add it to bathing water to make it a faint pink color. This is done to avoid getting crystals of potassium permanganate, which is a strong oxidizing agent, on the baby's skin and causing a chemical burn.

From the article you will learn what procedures should be carried out so that the baby's skin remains clean and healthy? And what needs to be done to avoid diaper rash and sweating?

The dermatological integument of a child, like the skin of an adult, needs constant and proper care. healthy skin protects against strong mechanical impact internal organs a small person, regulates his body temperature and helps the body to be saturated with oxygen.

And since skin the baby's skin is very thin and delicate, then without proper care they begin to lose all their physiological properties and this immediately affects the child's well-being. To avoid similar problems it is necessary to be responsible for everyday hygiene procedures. Only they will be able to maintain dermatological integument in normal condition and will prevent the appearance of diaper rash, redness and peeling.

Features of the skin of a newborn

  • The skin of a newly born baby is very soft, delicate and velvety to the touch, but in order for it to remain so for a long time, a lot of effort must be applied. And you need to start doing this literally from the first minutes after birth.
  • The skin of a newborn baby is covered with a protective substance - a cheese-like lubricant. And if earlier it was believed that it should be washed off immediately, then modern obstetricians and pediatricians recommend leaving the lubricant on the skin until it is completely absorbed.
  • Another feature of dermatological integuments is their color. Many caring mothers are afraid of the excessive redness of the baby's skin. They begin to think that the baby is sick and needs to be treated. But do not worry, redness of the skin is quite common in newborns.
  • This is due to the fact that young children do not yet have a fatty layer and blood vessels are located close enough to the skin. Also, its color is influenced by the number of erythrocytes in the baby's blood.


Approximately on the third day after birth, the lanugo fluff, which covers the back, shoulders and legs, begins to lose its protective properties and the skin dries up. In some cases, it begins to peel off and may even turn redder. This is due to the fact that the sebaceous glands, which are responsible for creating a lipid film, cannot yet function properly. It is this film, imperceptible to the human eye, that helps to retain moisture in the skin and makes it soft and elastic.

Baby skin care tips

As is already clear from the above, very often young mothers mistakenly accept normal physiological processes per skin problems. But over time, when the baby grows up a little, you need to be attentive enough to all sorts of rashes and redness. After all, what is the norm for a newborn baby may turn out to be an unpleasant problem for a two-month-old baby.

Over time, the skin of a small person begins to function in the same way as in an adult. Therefore, it is very important to carry out daily hygiene procedures for the child. If this is not done, then irritation may appear on the epidermis, which will prevent the child from sleeping, eating and walking normally.

Basic care rules:
If you do not want the baby to injure himself, then periodically trim his nails. In the first months of life, special scratches can be put on the baby's arms.
Buy only the highest quality products in the course of the skin. Before you pay for the cream or soap you like, be sure to carefully read the label. It will be better if as part of children's cosmetics there will be maximum amount natural substances
For bathing and washing, use soaps without dyes and fragrances. Such a cosmetic product will have a minimal effect on the dermatological integument.
If mom has inflamed wounds on her hands or fungal infection, then it would be better if he was engaged in hygiene procedures healthy man e.g. dad or grandma

How to wash your baby?


The body of a small person is quite easily influenced by the environment. Therefore, if you do not want to infect your child with some kind of infection, then before you start the washing process, put your hands in order. Wash them thoroughly with clean soapy water and pat dry with a towel. When your hands are completely dry, you can proceed to the hygiene procedures of the baby.

In order for the washing process to be comfortable for both you and your child, make sure that everything you need is at hand. First, boil water and pour it into a small bowl. When the water has cooled down a bit, bring it closer to the changing table. Place cotton pads here and baby oil. When everything is ready, put the baby on the changing table and start washing him.

We wash our eyes. moisten cotton pad in warm water and with smooth movements, wipe the eyes of the child. Start on the outside and end on the inside. After cleaning one eye, repeat the procedure with the second
We clean our nose. At the next stage, we begin to put the spout in order. We make a thin flagellum from a cotton pad, moisten it in water and begin to gently scroll it in the nostril. Just do not put it too far, if something prevents the child from breathing, then you can get it without any problems
Let's fix the ears. Ear wax gets all the same cotton flagellum. We take the device and begin to scroll it around the external auditory ear. You don’t need to push the tourniquet further, with such actions you will only push the sulfur inward and over time it can turn into a cork that will prevent the baby from hearing normally
We cleanse the skin of the face, neck and behind the ears. Wet a cotton pad with water and wipe the skin with smooth, light movements. We wait until they dry a little and treat them with baby oil.

How to bathe a baby?

Usually newborn babies love to swim. After all, they were in a similar environment all the time until they were born. If the child is not worried about anything, and he is not sick, then such a procedure will help him calm down and even fall asleep. If you have any doubts that you will cope with this task, ask your mother or older sister. They will tell and show you everything, and over time you will be able to bathe your beloved child on your own.

Conduct this procedure possible immediately after discharge from the hospital. Bathing will have to be postponed only if on the same day the child was vaccinated against tuberculosis. But the very next day you can safely bathe your son or daughter.

So:
Set up a baby bath and pour into warm water. If you want, you can add a decoction of chamomile, string or lavender to it.
Undress the child and gently place him in the water while holding his head with your left hand
To begin with, simply pour water on the body of a small person. If he likes it, you can proceed to cleansing the skin with cosmetics.
First, we begin to wash the neck, shoulders, arms and legs. Special attention we give folds. We finish the bath with washing of the head
In the process of washing your hair, you can give your daughter or son a light massage. This will help your baby relax before bed.
When the baby is completely clean, rinse it with warm water. It should be literally a couple of degrees cooler than the water in the bath.
Then we take the child out of the bath, wrap it in soft towel or just in a cotton sheet, and wait until the skin is a little dry
On the last step we process the dermatological integuments of the baby with baby cream or oil and dress him in clean, pre-ironed clothes

Sweating and diaper rash in a newborn

Diaper rash and prickly heat are inflammatory processes on the baby's skin, which are the result of prolonged exposure to moisture and friction on the epidermis. The most important sign that a child has problems is red, different size spots that do not have clear boundaries. And if a small person almost does not notice a sweat, then diaper rash gives him a lot of inconvenience. They can flake, itch, and even hurt.

Tips to help prevent diaper rash and prickly heat:
Make sure your baby doesn't overheat.
Air baths periodically
Bathe your baby regularly
Wash your son or daughter after every diaper change
Maintain temperature regime fine
If you notice irritation, apply powder on it.
Do not buy clothes made from synthetic materials for your baby

Peeling skin in a newborn

Parents, grandparents with great joy are waiting for the birth of a new person. But when, it would seem, all fears are behind, new problems begin to appear. And, although sometimes they do not harm the baby himself, their appearance is very upsetting for mom and dad. Such an irritant can be a banal peeling of the skin of a newborn.

Seeing him, the parents run to the pharmacy, buy a nourishing cream and start smearing it on a small body. And when they notice that the problem is not going anywhere, they get even more upset. But if they were not worried, but simply consulted a pediatrician, they would find out that peeling is quite normal. This is how the skin adapts to environment. And if you just follow all the rules of hygiene, then over time this problem will disappear on its own.

Causes of peeling skin of a newborn:
Too dry indoor air
Improper holding hygiene procedures
Active fat production
natural factors
Allergic reaction

How to nourish and moisturize the skin of a newborn?


  • Due to the fact that in newborns the sebaceous glands work quite poorly, their skin needs extra food and hydration. Therefore, each house loving mommy should be nourishing and moisturizing cream
  • Means with a moisturizing effect should be applied to the dermatological integument immediately after hygiene procedures. They help keep skin soft and smooth. Baby nourishing creams usually perform two functions at once. They simultaneously saturate the epidermis beneficial substances and protect it from irritation
  • And remember, apply cosmetics It is possible only on pre-cleansed skin. If you notice irritation, diaper rash or sweating and without washing the affected areas, smeared them with cream, then by doing this you caused even more harm to the child. The skin already received little oxygen, and fat cream, in general, clogged all the pores
  • Therefore, it is very important to adhere to all hygiene rules, and even if you are far from home and you do not have the opportunity to wash or wash your baby, then before applying nutrient wipe the skin with a damp cloth

Video: How to bathe a child? — Doctor Komarovsky

It wrinkles and softens, and then becomes unnecessarily dry. Now, if you think about the fact that your newborn was in a "bath" of amniotic fluid nine months, you will better understand why his skin looks like this - most likely dry, cracked and flaky. If you think about it, it's truly amazing that a newborn's skin doesn't look any worse than it did after birth. While we have found that almost all new parents come to us looking for remedies for dry skin, there really isn't much you can do other than be patient. Skin moisturizers only serve to temporarily remove dead, flaky skin, which will fall off anyway. Many babies have very sensitive skin, so we recommend avoiding lotions in the first month of life unless prescribed by a doctor.

The skin of a newborn is usually soft and smooth. Sometimes it is prone to peeling or looks dry, wrinkled and saggy. Don't worry, it's time will pass. It also happens that the baby's skin is covered various stains: brown, reddish or vascular. Most of them pass with the growth of the child or they will become smaller. Typically, these spots do not require treatment. Sometimes a newborn has a sudden change in skin color, which is associated with immaturity. circulatory system. It is possible in the first weeks of life on the face of a child to see small whiteheads (or a red oily rash), which make the cheeks rough. This will pass in 1-1.5 months and is associated with the formation endocrine system newborn. In such cases, the task of parents is to touch the child's face as little as possible in order to exclude infection, prevent him from scratching his face and regularly wipe it with warm boiled water and soap to remove excess sebum. But if acne has spread to the scalp, this indicates an incipient allergy to milk or formula. In this case, it is necessary to find the source of the allergy and eliminate it.
In addition, excess moisture lingers on sensitive skin with constant friction and lack of access fresh air(which is inevitable with the constant use of diapers and diapers), is the cause of diaper rash. The use of "breathable" diapers can facilitate their manifestation. Be sure to harden the child and arrange air baths. Let it breathe! To do this, open the child from time to time and substitute for 10 minutes sunbeams at the closed window.

Instead of powder, you can use potato starch as it is hypoallergenic.

It is necessary to wash the child after each emptying.

If you are not going to bathe the baby at night, then you need to wash it, even if the diapers are clean.

When caring for your genitals, keep in mind:

  • girls must be washed in such a way that the water flows from front to back. This is in order to intestinal infection from the anus did not enter the genital tract. During water procedures put the baby back on the forearm of your hand, and wash with the other hand;
  • the boys are washed away, putting their hands on their stomachs on their forearms. The narrowing of the foreskin (phimosis) in infants does not go beyond the norm, so touch foreskin until it's worth it.

Rash

In newborns, a rash often develops on the skin, for the most part it is very common and harmless. In order to tell you about what you can see (since many newborns have a rash on the face), we have created following list. Whether it's due to maternal hormones or tiny pores that clog easily, this common baby rash rarely requires anything more than patience and a "hands off" approach on your part, short of occasional wiping with a damp cloth.

  • Baby acne. Although baby acne usually doesn't show up until about one month old or so, we call it the first condition on the list because it's the parent's biggest concern. Just like during puberty, these acne occur due to the influence of hormones on the sebaceous glands, only in infancy The mother's hormones produced during pregnancy are to blame for childhood acne. Baby acne tends to last for several months before disappearing, and may even get worse before disappearing altogether.
  • White pimples (milia). These small pimples usually on babies' noses and usually disappear after a few weeks without any intervention from you.
  • Toxic erythema. This red, blotchy, lumpy rash with small, blister-like areas in the center makes the newborn look like it has been attacked by fleas. This erythema often appears shortly after birth - within hours or days - and can be expected to resolve within a week. Individual spots may actually come and go in a few hours (like hives) and should not be squeezed, poked, or otherwise treated. Since any blistering rash requires medical attention, be sure to get confirmation from your doctor that you are dealing with toxic erythema.
  • Prickly heat. Warm clothes or sweat can cause small pink pimples on your child's skin - most often on the face and in skin folds. Try to keep the child cool and dry to avoid prickly heat or get rid of it if it occurs.

Colored birthmarks

  • Pink or red. Flat red or pink spots on the eyelids, forehead, back of the neck, and on the head are called "angel's kiss", salmon spots, or stork key marks (the medical term is nevus simplex). These spots often fade and disappear during the first years of life and may become brighter when the baby cries or cries. Darker red patches on the skin are called flaming nevus (remember Gorbachev's forehead). Hemangiomas are lumpy, strawberry-like collections of blood vessels that can be seen on any part of the body and can be of any size. They often increase slightly in size during the first year of a child's life, before gradually decreasing over the next few years. Some disappear on their own, while others may require laser treatment or even surgery (if they are in areas* such as the eyes or near the neck or throat).
  • Blue. Mongolian spots are bluish-green flat birthmarks that occur in children with darker skin. They are often located in the lower back or buttocks, but can also occur elsewhere on the body. They may fade over time, but until they do, it's worth making sure they're recorded on your baby's medical record to reduce the chance they'll be mistaken for an unexplained impact mark.
  • Brown. Flat, light brown birthmarks are called café-au-lait spots. They usually do not require any intervention, but sometimes (usually if someone has more than six of them) they can be associated with other symptoms, or rarely they are associated with neurological conditions. The spots, called moles or nevi, can also be brown, but they are usually darker and raised in some cases.

Blue or marble

Since babies don't have very good blood circulation, you can often observe that the baby's skin becomes "marbled" or even bluish, especially on the hands and feet. If you notice this, just make sure your baby is warm, cover cool arms and legs, and shift your baby into a different position to improve blood flow. If the child's lips or the skin around the mouth appear bluish, on the contrary, contact the pediatrician immediately, as this more concentrated blueness may mean that the child is not getting enough oxygen.