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La barrière cutanée de nos enfants

The skin barrier of our children

The skin barrier of our children

Do you know the particularity of children's skin?

We all know that the skin of babies is fragile and that they need special care designed for them. But did you know that children's skin has its own particularity too? Compared to babies, children do a lot of outdoor activities: the skin of children is full of external aggressions (UV, pollution, toxic and controversial substances, etc.). They therefore need specific care suitable for their more immature and fragile skin than that of adults. 

Children's skin, just like that of adults, is protected by The skin barrier. This barrier, to give a simple image, is like the wall of a house: it protects from external assaults and shelters in the shelter. It is when the skin barrier is disturbed that children's skin develops problems. 

On the surface of the skin: the stratum horny 

The corneal layer (Stratum Corneum, SC) is located on the surface of our epidermis, it is the most external layer of our skin. It is mainly composed of dead cells. The horny layers are like the bricks of a wall, the thicker the layer, the stronger and strong the barrier. 

From birth, children's skin already has all the physiological functions of the corneal layer (hydration, protection against external aggressions and toxic substances) to survive, but the thickness of the cornea layer is very low compared to that of an adult. 

Until the age of 13, the thickness of the cornea layer is 25 % finer and contains fewer layers compared to the skin of an adult (1). Thus, the number of these layers is different according to the parts of the body of a child.

The most fragile skin is located on the genitals and consists of 6 layers on average while the skin of the face and cheeks consists of about 9 layers. The most watertight skin among all and that of heels, made up of 86 layers on average. The palm of the hand is made up of 50 layers while the back of the hand has about 25 (2). 

The private parts and those of the face are therefore the most fragile of the body, this is the reason why, during the bath of a child, you have to choose only ultra -soft washing products.

The little skin coat: the hydrolipidic film 

The cornea layer is wrapped by a complex film formed from substances from skin secretion (sweat, sebum, etc.). This film has a mechanical barrier effect which opposes the penetration of foreign substances and more important, it regulates the hydration of the skin and maintains hygroscopic substances in the horny cells. 

In babies, the hydrolipidic film evolves with age. The sebaceous glands produce sebum and are sometimes even hyperactive, which is why there are acne problems or even milk crusts in baby. When you grow, the sebaceous glands then become inactive, that is why the young child has relatively dry skin. They start to operate at the prepubère age, especially under the action of steroid hormones.

A cleaning product containing aggressive TA (surfactants) can easily eliminate lipids from the hydrolipidic film, this dries up and makes the skin of children ultra-vulnerable. 

The super shield of the skin: the skin microbiome (flora) 

Did you know that half of our body cells come from microbes? It turns out that all the microorganisms of our body help us to absorb nutrients, boost our immune system, act on our mood and of course protect our skin! As Stewart Brand says: "If you don't like bacteria, you're on the wrong planet. »» 

The microbes that protect our skin form the skin microbiome. It is made up of many living microorganisms: bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites. It is present from birth, evolving gradually and varies from one individual to another. Children's skin microbiome contains a much larger variety of bacteria than that of adults (3). 

The skin microbiome is not only at the origin of our body smell, it also has real superpowers! 

- Defend and protect our skin. 

- Regulate our immune system. 

The balance of the microbiome is therefore extremely important for the health of the skin of our little ones. In case of imbalance, we see dermatological diseases appear such as psoriasis or atopic dermatitis. 

To keep the skin microbiome of your healthy children, we advise you to avoid washing children with alkaline products: their imbalance the microbiome and it takes hours so that it can return to normal.

If you have any questions regarding children's skin care, do not hesitate to place a message on our site or to contact us by email cowcou@lilikiwi.fr. We will be happy to answer you quickly! 

Sources: 

(1) Stefania et al. Thickness and Echogenicity of the Skin in Children as Assessed by 20 -MHz Ultrasound. Dermatology 2000; 201; 218-222. 

(2) Zhen Ya-Xian et al. Number of Cell Layers of the Stratum Corneum in Normal Skin - Relationship to the Anatomal Rental on the Body, Age, Sex and Physical Parameters. Arch Dermatol Res 1999; 291: 555–559. 

(3) Andrea M. Schneider BS et al. Skin Microbiota: Friend or Foe in Pediatric Skin Health and Skin Disease. Pediatric Dermatology. 2019; 00: 1-8.

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