Hypersensitive skin in children: Specific skin care products
- Peau sensible
Introduction:
Sensitive skin is becoming a prominent problem among adults. To our knowledge, it has never been studied in the pediatric population, and there are no specific skin care products for hypersensitive skin in children.
New face and body emollients have been conditioned under protective atmosphere, with no perfumes and no preservatives. They contain lipoaminoacid, which improves ocular and cutaneous tolerance, and patented avocado sugars which help to preserve the skin by enhancing the structural organization of the epidermis as well as the antimicrobial barrier.
Materials and methods:
Two European multicenter open-label tests involved 40 dermatologists and pediatricians in France, Spain, and Italy. During April and May 2007, they included children (maximum age, 7 yrs) with hypersensitive skin, assessed by the accompanying person (mother or father) and cutaneous problems related to their skin fragility. After clinical examination, face and body emollients had to be use under normal conditions for 21 days and a questionnaire was sent at the end of the 2 studies.
Results:
Study 1: Face emollient (preliminary results), 78 children (55% boys, 45% girls), mean age, 2.8 years, with sensitive skin, have been included. Seventy-nine percent had dry skin; 59% irritative dermatitis; 63% progressive dermatitis (including 28% atopic dermatitis); and 20% minor skin injuries.
Study 2: Body emollient (preliminary results), 73 children (53% boys, 47% girls), mean age, 3 years, with sensitive skin, have been included. Seventy-five percent had dry skin; 42% irritative dermatitis; 30% progressive dermatosis (including 18% AD); and 12% minor skin injuries.
Results were as follows (study 1/2): tolerance, 97%/93%; adapted to sensitive skin, 88%/75%; efficacy, 84%/69%; improvement of tolerance threshold, 73%/60%; and cosmetic qualities, 94%/91%. Global satisfaction rates were 91%/84%.
Conclusion:
The concept of sensitive skin is applicable to children and specific skin care products are needed. As for adults, they must protect the skin and be perfectly tolerated. For the first time, a European study has demonstrated the performances of two new emollients dedicated to hypersensitive skin of children.