Research project
A review of evidence on skin care for healthy babies at term and to inform the development of practice guidelines
- Partners and collaborators: MRC/Wellcome/DFID Development Grant
- Primary investigator: Linda McGowan
Description
Aims
1) To highlight what is important for the protection of baby skin in healthy, term babies from birth to six months, with a focus on common aspects of baby care to include:
• Bathing and cleansing
• Nappy care
• Management of dry skin
• Care of hair and the scalp
• Oils used for baby massage
2) To produce evidence-based practice guidance to inform health professionals and parents about what is important for the protection of baby skin in healthy, term babies from birth up to six months of age focusing on common aspects of normal baby skincare.
Special care of baby skin is important due to the differences in biological composition between babies and adults; the stratum corneum is 30% thinner and the epidermis is 20% thinner in babies (Stamatas et al 2010). It is known that 45% of diagnoses of atopic eczema occur in the first six months of life, and 60% in the first year (Bieber 2008). This is the period of time when maternity service health professionals have the most influence over parental practices. Parents want to use skin products (Furber et al 2012; Lavender et al 2009), but there is insufficient guidance for midwives, health visitors and other maternity service health professionals to give evidence based advice on baby skincare. It is possible that current advice is doing more harm than good.
Method
Systematic review and meta-analysis
Background
Special care of baby skin is important due to the differences in biological composition between babies and adults; the stratum corneum is 30% thinner and the epidermis is 20% thinner in babies (Stamatas et al 2010). It is known that 45% of diagnoses of atopic eczema occur in the first six months of life, and 60% in the first year (Bieber 2008). This is the period of time when maternity service health professionals have the most influence over parental practices. Parents want to use skin products (Furber et al 2012; Lavender et al 2009), but there is insufficient guidance for midwives, health visitors and other maternity service health professionals to give evidence based advice on baby skincare. It is possible that current advice is doing more harm than good.
People
Dr Alison Cooke (PI), Dr Carol Bedwell, Professor Linda McGowan, Professor Steven Ersser, Dr Malcolm Campbell, Professor Dame Tina Lavender