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Common skin complaints in children include various unpleasant sensations, such as tightness, tingling, burning, or itching, which can sometimes be accompanied by redness. However, in some cases, these manifestations are not associated with any dermatological pathology. In this regard, the term "sensitive" skin, which combines the above symptoms, has become widespread. Any area of the skin can become "sensitive", but the face is most often involved. According to some estimates, the prevalence of sensitive skin in children under 6 years of age is 53.9%.
Causes of Dry and Sensitive Skin in Children
In most cases, this condition is associated with xerosis (dry skin) and occurs due to exposure to many different factors: mainly physical (ultraviolet radiation, high or low air temperature, windy weather) and chemical (use of low-quality cosmetics, alkaline soap or other aggressive detergents, exposure to hard water and pollutants, prolonged swimming in sea or chlorinated water), less often psychological (stress) or hormonal. Sensitive and dry skin is based on a violation of the epidermal barrier, which provides a protective function, and is also responsible for regulating metabolic processes and maintaining the necessary level of hydration of the skin. It is most convenient to imagine the epidermal barrier as a brick wall, where the bricks are the cells of the stratum corneum (the topmost layer of the skin) - corneocytes - linked together, and the cement is lipids (ceramides, cholesterol and free fatty acids), which together form a dense, highly organized structure through which foreign substances cannot penetrate the skin..png)
The impact of the previously mentioned factors damages our protective "brick wall", destroying the "bricks" (skin cells) and affecting the "cement" (lipid layer). The uneven shape and size of cells leave large gaps in the stratum corneum, which not only facilitate the penetration of irritants and foreign agents into the deeper layers of the skin but also mediate an increase in transepidermal water loss (water loss and evaporation from the skin's surface). Such changes are accompanied by decreased hydration, dryness and flaking of the skin, and the development of inflammatory processes with redness, burning, or itching characteristic of sensitive skin. Impaired epidermal barrier permeability can be associated not only with aggressive environmental influences but also with the structural and functional age-related characteristics of children's skin. For example, in newborns and infants, epidermal barrier maturation continues from birth until the first year of life. Therefore, the skin during this "critical" period has a reduced protective function and is therefore more susceptible to the adverse effects of various external factors. Children aged 2 to 6 years often experience dry skin due to a physiological decrease in sebum production by the sebaceous glands as a result of minimal activity of sex hormones, which also leads to decreased skin hydration.
Basic principles of care for dry and sensitive skin
In this regard, great importance is attached to comprehensive care for dry and sensitive skin, which includes 2 stages: gentle cleansing and moisturizing care using special dermatocosmetics. Gentle cleansing will help remove dirt and other substances that can act as potential irritants, while moisturizing will restore the necessary hydration level, reduce dryness, and maintain the normal condition of the epidermal barrier. Equally interesting is the evidence regarding the influence of skin microbiome diversity on the development of sensitive skin. For example, it has been found that people with sensitive skin have a more pronounced predominance of fungal communities (over bacteria), while a decrease in fungal abundance was associated with an increase in microbial diversity, improved skin condition, and decreased sensitivity. Furthermore, various adverse changes in the microbiome are also associated with a compromised epidermal barrier. These observations lay the foundation for the use of dermatocosmetics that help normalize the skin microbiome.
Daily care for baby's skin
Daily use of CERAFAVIT line products from the pharmaceutical brand Librederm, which can be used from the first days of a child's life, will provide such a comprehensive effect, providing gentle care, hydration and effective restoration of the epidermal barrier and microbiome of the skin, will allow for the daily use of products from the CERAFAVIT line from the pharmaceutical brand Librederm, which can be used from the first days of a child's life. At the cleansing stage, a shower gel is used, which can be used for the face (including makeup removal), intimate hygiene, both for adults and for babies and children. During the treatment phase, a triple-action lipid-restoring balm with ceramides and a prebiotic is applied for dry and very dry skin. This two-product system softens and soothes sensitive skin, prevents tightness after a shower, and reduces dryness, erythema, and itching by three times. The high effectiveness of CERAFAVIT products is achieved through the combined action of their active ingredients. These ingredients include structural components of the skin barrier, aimed at restoring skin lipids, and moisturizing substances with a prebiotic based on gluco-oligopolysaccharides and inulin, which selectively stimulates the growth and metabolic activity of beneficial microflora. Furthermore, these products are safe for both adult and non-adult skin. children from the first days of life, since they do not contain irritating and allergenic components in the form of dyes, fragrances and preservatives.Misery L, Taïeb C, Brenaut E, Huet F, Abasq-Thomas C, Sayag M, Bodemer C. Sensitive Skin in Children. Acta Derm Venereol. 2020 Jan 23;100(1):adv00039. doi: 10.2340/00015555-3376.
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