Pattern of Dermatologic Disorders in Infants

Abstract

IntroductionSkin comprises about 15% of the total body weight 1 . Infants have a higher surface area-to-volume ratio in comparison to older children & adults. There are important structural and physiological differences between skin of adult and that of infant, the function of skin remaining essentially the same at all phases of life, including: barrier, photo-protection, thermoregulation, immune surveillance, vitamin synthesis, prevention of insensible fluid loss, and sensory perception. 2 Infant skin is found to have higher water content and is able to absorb more water and lose excess water faster than adult skin. Micro structural difference relates to thinner stratum corneum and papillary dermis in infant skin. 3 There is greatly increased mortality of premature infants due to microbial invasion with impaired barrier function. 4 The stratum corneum of infant is 10-15micron thick. Pattern of Dermatologic Disorders in Infants