Winter skin-survival guide for your children

CHENNAI: With the temperature cooling down the city, children are prone to have dry and scaly skin. Dry skin is also known as Xerosis and is usually accompanied by itching.

This skin condition can result from various environmental factors that include low humidity in the atmosphere, removal of moisture from the air due to air conditioners, soaps with alkali pH, dergents, extreme sun exposure and ageing due to the reduction in sebaceous and sweat glands.

Apart from environmental factors, various systemic conditions result in dry skin. These include patients with diabetes mellitus, renal diseases, thyroid problems and skin disease such as ichthyosis and psoriasis.

Dry skin is thinner than the usual healthy skin and it is more sensitive to pain, pressure and friction. Dry skin affects the thermoregulation and the protective barrier functions of the skin in the long term.

Preventing/treating dry skin

• Brief shower with lukewarm water/cold water
• Avoid using shower gels; opt for fragrance-free bath oils
• Use fragrance – free detergents
• Aways wear loose cotton clothes that prevents sweating and thereby the occurrence of dry skin
• Avoid using powders in the skin, since it takes the moisture out of the skin and makes the skin dry
• Apply moisturisers/emollients for children immediately after a shower

Use of moisturisers

Use of moisturisers must be done liberally and more frequently especially when the child has dry skin. Moisturisers are agents which contain humectant in addition to emollients. These emollients are substances that include mineral oils (liquid paraffin & Petrolatum), waxes, fatty acids and triglycerides; the humectants include lactic acid, glycolic acids, and ceramides etc.

Moisturisers, apart from its hydrating effect, are also antiinflammatory, antipruritic, antimitotic and have wound-healing effects. Moisturisers and emollients are very safe and do not have any major side effects even when used for a prolonged duration.

Moisturisers can be used in children suffering from various skin problems such as atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis etc. The main problem with the moisturisers is the cost as children with dry skinrelated problems tend to use larger quantities for a prolonged duration. One can use natural moisturisers such as coconut oil or aloe vera gel from the plant.