In summer, when the temperature rises, a child’s diaper can become a real ‘heat bomb’ which can irritate the skin of the little ones, which is extremely delicate especially in the first months of life, causing redness and irritation. In fact, with the heat, the risk of dermatitis due to diaper rubbing doubles, causing redness with small papules, scaly or eroded areas, which affect the groin, genitals and buttocks. To warn in view of the arrival of the summer season, is Maria Giuliano, president of the Italian Society of Pediatricians (Simpe) Campania and author of a research on diaper dermatitis.
Presented at the Sidemast congress, the research shows the effectiveness of a compound, a combination of wheat extract and polyhexanide, a powerful antiseptic, in healing the skin and preventing over-infections. A “baby-saving” decalogue to prevent diaper dermatitis also arrives from paediatricians. It is “an inflammation due to certain substances contained in the urine and/or feces that irritate the skin – explains Giuliano -. The humidity and friction generated by the diaper lead to maceration of the skin, making it more vulnerable to the penetration of microorganisms and irritants.The diaper is partly made of plastic and when the outside temperature is very high, as happens during the summer, with exposure to the sea, sand and sweat, the risk of developing dermatitis doubles. In some cases, especially in the phase of dental eruption, which can lead to an increase in the acidity of the urine, or when the inflammation is neglected, the dermatitis can worsen and bacterial and fungal over-infections, such as those with Staphylococcus, can occur. aureus or Candida auris”.
The research involved 26 children, 13 boys and 13 girls under 4 years of age, affected by dermatitis due to diaper friction. “All the young patients were treated with the new compound based on wheat extract, both in spray and cream formulations, applied 2 times a day. At the end of the therapy – comments Giuliano – a complete resolution of the lesions was recorded in all 26 cases with an average healing period of 6 days. Only in one case was it necessary to add a topical antibiotic. In all the others, however, no bacterial or fungal superinfection was observed. The results of the research demonstrate that the wheat extract creates a protective barrier in the genital area, facilitating the conditions for a rapid and correct re-epithelializing action of the skin. In less than a week, all the patients involved in the research recovered, without reporting complications”.
In view of the increase in temperatures for the next few days – reads a note – the Simpe experts have created a “baby-saving” decalogue. These are the 10 recommendations: 1) ‘puppy’ the child if you realize that it’s the right time, ie when the child learns to understand when the bladder is full and to start the contraction of the bladder muscle. Usually the right time coincides with 2 years for girls and 3 years for boys; 2) increase the frequency of diaper changes to prevent the covered delicate skin from remaining moist for too long and in contact with urine and sweat; 3) do not abuse moisturizing wipes and prefer to use warm water and a delicate detergent to clean and/or refresh the genitals; 4) after washing, avoid rubbing the area to dry it, but pat it dry with a soft towel.
Therefore: 5) the drying phase is as important as the washing phase: before putting the diaper back on, it is advisable to make sure that the bottom and genitals are completely dry. Leaving the area moist promotes irritation and the proliferation of infectious microorganisms; 6) increase the frequency and dose of applications of soothing creams, the one based on wheat extract can also serve this purpose, so as to create a very light veil to protect the skin from the acidity of the pee; 7) provide short or long breaks without a diaper. Summer is the right season to do it: for very young children it is enough to leave the genital area free even for just 15 minutes, for the older ones you can be more daring.
And again: 8) if irritations and dermatitis are very frequent, it is advisable to try changing the type and/or brand of diaper to check whether or not the problem depends on the product used; 9) if the redness and irritation do not improve within two-three days, consult the paediatrician: infections may be in progress and the doctor will indicate the best treatments; 10) to avoid, however, the “do it yourself” and in particular the use of creams based on corticosteroids, because they can cause side effects.
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