An Overview of Newborn Skin Peeling

The appearance of a new born baby undergoes a lot of changes during the first few weeks and the major changes are there in the skin. Within the first few days of your child’s birth, the baby’s skin would begin peeling in flakes and this is completely normal. It can take place on body parts like hands, feet, ankles and sometimes even the face.

an overview of newborn skin peeling

Why Does it Happen?

Peeling of skin in newborns takes place because newborns are covered in different fluids in the form of a thick coating. Once the baby is born, the fluids are wiped off and once the fluids are gone, the baby starts shedding the outer layer of skin. The peeling of skin depends on the amount of fluids present on your child’s skin. More the fluids, lesser would be the peeling.

Below given are some tips which you can follow to take care of the peeling skin so that it does not cause dryness or irritation to your baby.

  • Reduce the bath time: If you give long baths to your new born, its skin may lose its natural oils. Cut down the bath time to 5 or 10 minutes and use lukewarm water. Use fragrance free and soap free cleansers as soaps and bubble baths are too harsh for your baby’s sensitive skin.
  • Apply a moisturizer regularly: Purchase a baby moisturizer of a renowned brand for your newborn and apply it twice a day, especially after giving them a bath as this helps the skin to seal moisture within itself and control the dryness. Give a gentle massage to your baby while applying the moisturizer so that the cream gets totally absorbed in the dry parts.
  • Oil Massage: Baby oil massages are ideal for reducing dryness due to peeling. Get a baby oil of a good brand and gently massage it on your baby’s skin before bath time. Make sure you do not get too hard while the massage is going on as new born babies are very sensitive.
  • Protection from cold air: Cold air causes dryness easily. Hence, whenever you are outdoors, make sure you put on socks and mittens on your baby’s hand and feet. Also, cover them with blanket so that their face is protected from the cold air.

In some cases, newborn skin peels beyond limits and these might be the signs of Eczema or Ichthyosis. In this case, proper treatment should be taken from your child’s doctor.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

six + 16 =

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.