Why do premature babies have dark skin?

Babies who are born before their full month are called premature babies. Because they are born before their full month, there will be certain problems with their developmental indicators in all aspects, and various systems of the body are not fully developed, which requires parents to strengthen their care. Some premature babies have darker skin, which is related to the relatively thin skin pigmentation layer. Don't worry at this time, as this phenomenon will gradually improve as the child develops well.

Why do premature babies have dark skin?

1. Thin skin pigmentation layer

Babies' skin produces very little melanin, so the pigment layer is thin and is easily burned by ultraviolet rays in the sun.

Care Tips: Avoid excessive exposure to sunlight, especially strong sunlight, from infancy. When going out, use a non-irritating, high-quality baby sunscreen that does not contain organic chemical sunscreens on exposed skin.

2. The ratio of skin area to body weight is much larger than that of adults.

The average surface area of ​​a baby's skin is 2,500 square centimeters, and the average weight is 5 kilograms, with a ratio of 1:500; the average surface area of ​​an adult's skin is 18,000 square centimeters, and the average weight is 65 kilograms, with a ratio of 1:270. Therefore, they absorb more than adults for the same amount of toiletries and their reactions to allergic or toxic substances are much stronger.

Care tips: When cleaning your baby's skin, you should choose safer cleaning products, which have been proven through rigorous medical tests: they are pure and gentle in quality, and the ingredients are completely in line with the characteristics of infant skin, which is very different from adult products. They are not irritating to the baby's skin and will not cause allergic reactions.

3. Thin skin is easily damaged by friction

A baby's skin is only one-tenth the thickness of an adult's skin. The epidermis is a single layer of cells, while an adult's is a multi-layer of cells. There are fewer collagen fibers in the dermis, so it lacks elasticity and is easily damaged by foreign objects and friction.

Care tips: Diapers and underwear should be made of cotton, soft and absorbent. They should be washed with weak alkaline baby soap after each use. After bathing, apply fine and impurity-free baby powder all over the body. This effectively absorbs moisture, especially in the folds, while reducing friction, thus preventing prickly heat and diaper rash.