To end this section, we have placed this organ at the end of the count and not because it is less important. The skin is the only organ that will be present in the whole body of the baby and that, like any other part, we must take care of it so that it grows beautiful and healthy.
Skin:
Once the baby is born, we can see it soaked in various fluids including amniotic fluid and often blood. The staff that will help you in the delivery, will take the baby and proceed to clean and dry it so that the baby does not suffer a sudden temperature shock. Newborns are also born covered in a fairly dense and sticky white substance called "vernix caseosa." This fluid is composed of sebaceous secretions and desquamated epithelial cells from the same fetus. This fluid is eliminated with the baby's first bath.
Newborn skin coloration can alarm parents. Sometimes the skin is usually mottled, a pattern of small pale reddish areas. This is very common in newborns due to the instability of blood circulation on the dermal surface. They may also have "acrocyanosis," a bluish hue to the skin on the hands, feet, and lips. Another very common thing is "patella", small red specks caused by intradermal or subcutaneous hemorrhages. All of them are caused by the trauma associated with having to pass through the narrow birth canal or by the pressure exerted by the forceps that sometimes have to be used during labor. All of them heal and disappear during the first week or two of life.
It is very likely that both the face, shoulders and back of the newborn are covered by fine and soft hair, called «lanugo». Most lanugo is lost within the womb before the mother gives birth, so lanugo is more likely to be seen in premature babies. Likewise, if you have lanugo, it will be lost after a few weeks of life.
The surface layer of the newborn's skin will shed between the first and second week of life. It is something totally normal and does not require any treatment.
Birthmarks, pink or red, also known as salmon patches or flat hemangioma, are common and usually disappear in the first year.
Sacral or Mongolian spots are flat areas of blue color and can be found on the back or buttocks. They are of no importance and almost always fade until they disappear during the first years of life.
Capillary or strawberry hemangiomas are red, prominent, rough-textured birthmarks caused by clusters of dilated capillaries. These marks may be light in color at birth but typically turn red and increase in size during the first few months of life. Then they usually decrease in size and disappear without treatment during the first six years.
Port wine-like stains, which are large, flat, and purple in color, do not go away on their own. As they grow, it is necessary to resort to a dermatological treatment, if it requires it for aesthetics.
Café-au-lait spots, so called because of their light brown color, are present on the skin of some babies. Their color may intensify (or may appear for the first time) as the child grows. They are usually of no importance unless they are large or the baby has six or more in the body, which could indicate the presence of certain medical conditions.
The frequent brown or black moles, called pigmented nevus, can also be present from birth or appear or intensify in color as the child grows. Large or odd-looking moles should be examined by a dermatologist because some need to be removed.
There are a number of harmless rashes and minor skin problems that may be present from birth or appear within the first few weeks. Miliary acne, also called “milio”, consists of small, flat, yellow or white bumps that dot the nose and chin. It is caused by the accumulation of secretions from the sebaceous glands of the skin and disappears during the first weeks of life.
Despite its imposing medical name, erythema toxicity is also a harmless rash that some newborns develop. It consists of red spots with light or yellowish vesicles in the center, similar to blisters. This rash usually appears during the first day or two of life and disappears within a week.
Neonatal jaundice, that is, yellowing of the skin and sclera (the whites of the eyes), is a common disorder that usually does not appear until the second or third day of life and disappears in 1 to 2 weeks. Jaundice is caused by the accumulation of bilirubin (a waste product produced by the normal breakdown of red blood cells) in the blood, skin, and other tissues, due to the temporary inability of the newborn's immature liver to effectively eliminate this substance. of the body. Although some degree of jaundice is normal and expected, if a newborn presents this problem earlier than expected or his bilirubin level is higher than normal, then the pediatrician should provide close monitoring.