What is the situation of newborn baby shedding

In daily life, many new mothers will find that when they bathe their children, their children will experience skin shedding, especially on their fingers and toes. What happens when a newborn baby sheds his skin? Is the child sick? New mothers don’t panic. The doctor has answered this question for us using the following content. Let’s take a look together.

The baby's shedding usually occurs within 2 to 3 months after birth. Almost all infants and young children will experience peeling, whether it is just slight dandruff or whole-layer peeling like snakes. As long as the baby's diet, sleep, and mental state are all fine, it is a normal physiological phenomenon.

The reason for shedding is that the stratum corneum on the top layer of the newborn's skin is not fully developed and is easy to fall off. In addition, the basement membrane connecting the epidermis and dermis of the newborn is not yet developed, so the connection between the epidermis and dermis is not tight enough, increasing the chance of epidermal shedding. This phenomenon of peeling of newborn skin may occur on any part of the body, but it is often more obvious on the limbs and behind the ears. Just let it fall off naturally during bathing. Mothers do not need to take special protective measures, and should not forcibly tear off the peeling skin.

After the baby is born, the living environment suddenly changes from a moist environment immersed in amniotic fluid to a dry environment. The keratinized layer of the epidermis of newborns with active metabolism will also become dandruff and fall off. Because the tissue between the epidermis and dermis of newborns is not tight enough, peeling may occur in the wrinkles of the wrists, ankles and trunk. These phenomena are more obvious in post-term infants with placental insufficiency. If scaly skin peeling occurs at birth, it is not a physiological phenomenon.

The outermost layer of a newborn's skin is called the keratinized layer of the epidermis. Because it is not fully developed, it is very thin and easily falls off. The inner layer of the skin is called the dermis, and the epidermis and dermis are connected by the basement membrane. However, the basement membrane of newborns is not well developed, delicate and soft, so the connection between the epidermis and dermis is not tight enough, and the chance of epidermis shedding is greater. Another point is that newborns are in warm amniotic fluid before birth. After birth, they are suddenly stimulated by cold and dry air, which causes their skin to shrink and become more prone to peeling.

Regarding the phenomenon of newborn skin shedding, parents only need to pay attention to the cleaning and care of the newborn's skin. They need to be gentle and soft when cleaning to avoid external infection and damage. Mothers do not need to panic about this.

Mothers can also apply some lubricating oil on the baby's skin to keep the skin moisturized and reduce peeling. If the baby's skin is too dry, small cracks will appear on the skin after shedding, which may lead to infection. If shedding is accompanied by other abnormal symptoms such as redness, swelling or blisters, it may be a symptom of a disease and the baby needs to see a doctor promptly.

Through the above content, we know what is the shedding of a newborn baby. This is a very normal phenomenon. Almost every child will experience this situation. Parents don’t need to worry about the baby. Just take good care of the baby as usual. When the baby is older, this shedding phenomenon will naturally disappear.