Dealing With 5 Common Causes Of Dry Baby Skin - July 2025

Dry skin is a common condition faced by many adults and children alike. Although common, the condition may cause varying degrees of discomfort and possibly affect one’s regular lifestyle and self-confidence, too. While adults and older children are able to express how the state of their skin is bothering them, allowing them to seek help and solution, not so much for newborn babies. The discomfort caused by dry skin could well be one of the reasons for newborns’ heartbreaking cries. But before we press the panic button about that fleck of rough skin on your baby’s cheek, let’s take a minute to understand babies’ skin. When babies are born, they are covered with a coating of white, cream cheese-like substance called vernix caseosa. This substance works as a protective barrier on the baby’s skin while he’s in the womb. How? You may ask. Now imagine if we take a 2 hour bath, our skin will wrinkle up real bad, right? Likewise, for a baby to be swimming in a sac of amniotic fluid for 9 months, he needs something to protect his skin from turning into a prune. And that’s where the layer of vernix comes into play. Soon after a baby is born, vernix is wiped or washed off the skin, exposing his skin to external elements, such as air conditioning in the labor room, humidity in the air, tap water from his first bath, etc, and so his skin will start to dry up and you will notice some shedding in the days to come. It is safe to say that dry skin or skin peeling in newborns shouldn’t cause for any great concern because it is normal. Their skin will learn to adapt to their new environment and return to a balanced state in due time. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s take a look at 5 common causes of dry baby skin and how we can combat them. It’s Hot, It’s Cold As we all would experience it ourselves too, extreme heat or cold can cause our skin to lose moisture. Babies’ skin is far more delicate and hence, any change in temperature in an extreme manner will cause their skin to dry out fast. When indoor, maintain a constant temperature between 24-26 degrees Celcius. Air conditioning can be drying to the skin, therefore it’s a good idea to massage your baby regularly with a baby skin-friendly lotion – not only does it promote bonding between child and parent, you are also giving your child’s skin a good chance to moisturize. Too Much Water We mommies tend to be quite a clean freak when it comes to our kids. So, baths and showers are a must. But you should know that water, especially hot water will strip our skin off of its natural oils. Without that barrier to protect and moisturize, baby’s skin will turn dry and become sensitive. Bath time is best to be limited to 10 minutes, remember to always test out the water temperature before putting the baby in the tub. Bathing using water at the right temperature will decrease the chances of drying out baby’s skin. What Soaps?! The standard soaps that we use are normally laden with unpronounceable names of chemicals and fragrances, baby’s skin is simply too fragile to be using them. As we all know, our skin has a natural, protective layer of oils, hence a simple wipe down with a soft, damp cloth is sufficient to keep babies clean. For baths, always opt for soaps that are specially formulated for babies. Scaly Scalp Ah yes, the infamous cradle cap or its medical name, seborrheic dermatitis, is the result of the overproduction of skin sebum. People with seborrheic dermatitis often will feel greasy on their scalp and be dotted with yellow or white crusty scales. Newborns who have cradle cap develop greasy or dry scalp, and crusty patches with some redness around the scales. Cradle cap is rather common in newborns, we know it is difficult not to “help” our babies peeling off those scaly dry patches (and it feels so good too when we scratch out those dead skins, right?!) but exercise self-control we must! What we can do instead is to gently massage baby oil or with a warm, damp cloth on the baby’s scalp to soften the dead skin, in time, these dry patches will come off without us irritating the baby’s scalp AND the baby! Using a hypoallergenic baby shampoo helps too! Alcohol? No Thank you! As we all know, alcohol is widely used in skincare and beauty products, it helps the product to set and dry fast and gives a light feeling to the user. However, when used on baby’s thin and soft skin, it can be very drying and may irritate. So be sure to read the labels and look out for words like “ethanol” or “ethyl alcohol” and avoid them at all costs. A mild and alcohol-free cleanser or wipes is good enough. Where To Begin? Now that we have identified these common dry skin conditions, how do we then choose baby products that are best suited our baby’s skin? For a start, look for products that are free from colourant, fragrance, alcohol, parabens, lanolin, mineral oil, SLES, and SLS – all these can be irritants for sensitive skin. We know, that’s a long list to digest! That is why, we are excited to share with you a new lineup of baby products by derma365. Made in Australia, derma365 understands what harsh environments can do to our skin; hence it targets to provide our skin protection all year round, and now its product range has extended to our precious babies! The derma365 Baby range is suitable for all skin types, including sensitive and dry skin. Clinically tested and pediatrician proven, it is hypoallergenic and pH-balanced. derma365 Baby’s multi-benefit complex helps to soothe and protect baby’s sensitive skin. Blended with Colloidal Oatmeal, it restores and moisturizes, giving 365 days of care for your baby’s precious skin. And best of all, the derma365 Baby’s formulation is colourant, fragrance, parabens, lanolin, animal derived ingredients, and mineral oil-free! So mommies can now rest well knowing that we are not exposing our precious bundle to harmful irritants. 3 Steps To A Happy Baby Babies do not need a lot of products; derma365 Baby range offers a simple cleanse and moisturize routine with its tear-free Baby Gentle Cleanser to mildly clean and soothes baby’s skin; also tear-free, the Baby Shampoo helps soothe the scalp and help to enhance the hair condition; and finish off with the Baby Body Lotion to help prevent dehydration, leaving baby with soft, smooth, and kissable skin! Exclusive from derma365 Baby Products Meanwhile, derma365 is inviting all pregnant mommies to join their antenatal class on 6th of October 2019. This class will be held at The Oak Hall, Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya. Register yourself at this link to reserve your *seat now! *Limited to 10 pax only. Even if you are not currently pregnant, Mommies can join their exclusive product launch that is going to take place on the same date, same place! WIN a chance to experience the derma365 Baby Products during the event, by answering a simple question here. Hurry up as the seats are limited to 30 pax only! derma365 and derma365 Baby are exclusively sold in all Guardian outlets. You may also purchase the products online here, or to learn more about the brand and its range of skincare products, head over to derma365 website and stay up to date via Instagram. MMT Code: QR/2019/MY0499r1 This article is published for derma365.

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