Pediatric Skin Care: Skin Barrier Management and Topical Treatment in Pediatric Dermatology

Children’s skin differs both physically and physiologically from adolescent and adult skin. Newborn skin is the most fragile and permeable, is affected by transepidermal water loss, and is susceptible to penetration by toxic environmental substances or drugs intentionally used to improve pathologic skin conditions. Children’s skin is more likely to develop blisters or erosion in response to heat, chemical irritation, and mechanical trauma, including simple friction. Consequently, conditions that may not negatively affect adult skin need to be considered as potentially harmful to children’s skin.

One of the most important functions of the human skin is its barrier function. In this respect, an appropriately functioning epidermis is one of the crucial elements. Normally, keratinization of the human epidermis begins at about the 24th week of gestation and is completed shortly before term, so that transepidermal water loss and transepidermal absorption of topically applied substances at...