You nurtured and protected your baby inside your womb, and now your baby is here it is their skin that provides a protective covering against the outside world. It’s also a source of interaction, awakening and emotion connected with each of your baby’s senses. Since skin provides protection and aids sensory development, it needs specific care. To give your baby’s skin the care it needs each day, you need to be able to recognise your baby’s skin type, fully understand its needs and use the right products for their skin type. The Experts at Mustela share their insight here.
Recognising sensitive baby skin
Baby skin is more vulnerable and fragile than adult skin. If your baby’s skin has a tendency to redden easily in response to environmental factors (temperature changes, sweating, wind), chemical stresses (dyes, detergents, hard water) or even rubbing from their nappies or clothing your baby may have very sensitive skin. Very sensitive skin affects 1 in 3 children.
Understanding your baby's skin type
Babies are like adults; they have different skin types. Your baby’s skin is like all infant skin, which is beautiful, perfect, and extremely delicate. At birth, babies have an immature skin barrier. Your baby’s skin is highly delicate and vulnerable to daily outside attacks and does not reach the first stage of maturity until the age of two. Between birth and age two, a baby’s skin cannot retain the proper level of moisture it needs for its cells to function properly. A baby’s skin has a surprising source of strength at birth: a reserve of stem cells, unique for an entire lifetime, enabling the skin to regenerate, but extremely vulnerable and fragile until the age of two.
Looking after your baby’s sensitive skin
To fully address your baby's skin care needs, Mustela researchers have developed a fragrance-free skincare range that guarantees high tolerance and integrates special active ingredients: Avocado Perseose and Schizandra. Avocado Perseose functions like a shield to protect baby skin from outside attacks. It actively aids the development of the cutaneous barrier and helps maintain skin hydration level while protecting the skin’s cell reserves against everyday stresses. Schizandra is a red berry that helps to soothe sensations of tightness and tingling while working to decrease redness and discomfort caused by external factors such as heat and pollution. Mustela's very sensitive skin products are hypoallergenic and fragrance-free with natural, gentle and ultra-light textures that form a protective second skin. We have used Mustela products on our own babies for the past nine years and are always reassured to know they are tested under dermatological and paediatric supervision. Look out for the soothing cleansing gel for bathtime, soothing moisturisers which are perfect for an after-bath massage and soothing cleansing wipes for those in-between clean-ups. Everything you need to care for your baby's skin! If you are keen to try this amazing range of skincare products perfect for your baby's skin type, book into one of our parenting education Masterclasses to claim your free sample pack of Mustela's signature skin and bath time products.
