Understanding children's skin
Our skin is our largest organ and has the critical function of providing us with a protective barrier against the external world, as well as an important role in regulating body temperature. So looking after our skin and keeping it in the best possible condition should be a priority for us all.
As a living organ our skin goes through many changes throughout our lifetime, so understanding these changes is important to choosing the right skincare product to help keep your skin in optimum condition.
Skin structure
Skin is made up of three main layers:
- The subcutaneous layer: the inner-most, fatty layer, which helps insulate the body and provides protective cushioning
- The dermis: a thick layer of fibrous, elastic tissue that gives skin flexibility and strength; contains nerve endings, sweat and sebaceous glands, hair follicles and blood vessels
- The epidermis: a relatively thin but tough layer, made up of cells called keratinocytes, which are gradually shed from the skin surface. The outermost surface of the skin, the visible part of our skin – the stratum corneum –provides the skin’s barrier function against the external world. The stratum corneum is also responsible for regulating the transport of water through the skin.
Structure of the stratum corneum
The stratum corneum is made up of several layers of skin cells that are continually renewing themselves. The skin cells are often referred to as the ‘bricks’, due to how they arrange themselves, which are then held together by ‘mortar’. The mortar is the lipid layer that fills in the gaps between the skin cells to form a protective layer to help aid hydration and plumpness of the skin.
Newborn
When born, babies have a neutral skin surface (pH 6.3 to 7.5), which falls to a more acidic pH of around pH 5-5.5 within the first two weeks of life. This ‘acid mantle’ helps to provide protection against pathogens such as viruses and bacteria, whilst also helping to prevent water loss. The acid mantle is also important in the development of skin’s natural microbiome. As a result, it is important to only use mild and gentle, pH balanced products on newborn babies’ skin.
Babies under the age of 6 months should be kept out of direct sunlight completely. This is because their skin has very little melanin, the pigment in skin which provides protection from the sun.
Newborn
When born, babies have a neutral skin surface (pH 6.3 to 7.5), which falls to a more acidic pH of around pH 5-5.5 within the first two weeks of life. This ‘acid mantle’ helps to provide protection against pathogens such as viruses and bacteria, whilst also helping to prevent water loss. The acid mantle is also important in the development of skin’s natural microbiome. As a result, it is important to only use mild and gentle, pH balanced products on newborn babies’ skin.
Babies under the age of 6 months should be kept out of direct sunlight completely. This is because their skin has very little melanin, the pigment in skin which provides protection from the sun.
Infants
The stratum corneum, is approximately 30% thinner in infants aged 3-24 months compared to adults. Although baby skin absorbs water more easily than adult skin, it also loses water more easily and has a lower concentration of natural moisturising factors. It is not until the ages of 3-5 that skin reaches the same water retention properties seen in adults. As a result, during this skin maturation period babies and young children’s skin can be more prone to skin dryness and atopic conditions such as eczema. Therefore, using hydrating products and regularly applying moisturiser is recommended to help keep skin in good condition.
Children
By the age of 5 skin has significantly matured. However, children’s skin is still thinner and has less pigmentation than adult’s skin. As a result children’s skin is still very sensitive to UV radiation. Additionally children’s skin has lower levels of sebum meaning children’s skin can still be very sensitive and prone to dryness, therefore it is important to use mild, gently, moisturising pH balanced products.
Skincare in babies & children
Starting with the right skincare routine as babies can help with long terms skin health benefits. In babies & children there are two key aspects for skincare:
- Skin Cleansing
- Moisturisation
Skin cleansing:
Cleansing is essential for skin hygiene and overall health. It keeps skin free of unwanted dirt, grime & irritants, however water alone has been shown to be to insufficient at cleansing away fat-soluble dirt. As a result it is essential use a mild & gentle cleansing product that effectively cleans without disrupting the skin barrier.
With babies & young infants in addition to general cleansing important to focus on keeping the face and bottom clean. Salvia, milk and food left on the skin can lead to irritation as can the impact from wearing a nappy.
As children get older and start exploring, they become like a magnet to dirt increasing the importance of effective cleansing.
At Childs Farm we have specifically developed products for babies and children meaning they are effective at cleansing whilst being mild and gentle.
All our cleansing products are pH balanced – this ensures the product does not disrupt the skin’s natural pH. Soap is not a suitable cleanser for babies & young infants because it’s pH 9.5-10 and it has been shown that it can raise the pH above 8. This raise can result in disrupting the skin’s barrier.
We only use mild & gentle naturally derived cleansing agents (surfactants). We carefully consider which surfactants we use in our cleansing products to ensure they do not strip skin. Surfactants (surface active ingredients) are molecules with both water loving and oil loving properties which mean they can trap dirt but also be easily washed away without the need for scrubbing the skin which can disrupt the skin barrier.
They contain moisturising ingredients – it has been shown that water alone can actually have a drying effect on the skin. Our cleansing products contain glycerin which aids skin moisturisation. Glycerin is a humectant which work by attracting and holding onto moisture leaving skin feeling hydrated and prevent skin from drying out.
Moisturisation
Dry skin is very common in babies & children, therefore regular use of a moisturiser is recommended to protect and enhance the skin natural barriers.
A healthy skin barrier is key to reducing the risk of irritation and skin dryness.
Moisturisers work to enhance the lipids found naturally in skin enhancing the skins natural barrier, whilst preventing trans-epidermal water loss which contributes to skin dryness.
As babies & children loss water via trans-epidermal water loss at a faster rate than adults, regular moisturisation helps to keep skin in good condition and prevent dryness.
We use a blend of moisturising ingredients, each of which work indifferent ways to give optimum moisturising benefits to the skin:
- Naturally derived emollients such as caprylic/capric triglycerides are similar to the natural lipids found in skin and work by filling the gaps between the skin cells to improve moisturisation.
- Naturally derived humectants such as Glycerin also aid moisturisation. Humectants attract and hold moisture leaving skin feeling hydrated and prevent skin from drying out.
- Natural occlusive such as shea and cocoa butter form a film on skin to prevent water loss.
Suncare
Enjoying the sun safely is important –sunshine has an important role to play in both our emotional and physical wellbeing. Our bodies need exposure to sunlight to be able to produce vitamin D, but it is very important to never let skin turn red or burn.
Babies under the age of 6 months should be kept out of direct sunlight completely. Children & infants should be kept out of direct sunlight as much as possible particularly between 11am – 3pm in the summer months. It is important to ensure sun cream is applied prior to exposure to sunlight: A minimum of SPF 30 should be applied to children and adults. We recommend always using the highest SPF possible, SPF 50+ on infants and young children.
Always remember the sun safe rules:
- Do not stay in the sun too long
- Avoiding the sun when it is at its most intensive (11 am – 3pm)
- Wear protective clothing such as hats, clothes and sunglasses
- Stay hydrated
- Babies under 6 months of age should be kept out of the sun
