Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Feb 19:6:2333794X19829186.
doi: 10.1177/2333794X19829186. eCollection 2019.

Benefits of Using an Appropriately Formulated Wipe to Clean Diapered Skin of Preterm Infants

Rebecca Vongsa  1 , Karien Rodriguez  1 , David Koenig  1 , Corey Cunningham  1
Affiliations

Benefits of Using an Appropriately Formulated Wipe to Clean Diapered Skin of Preterm Infants

Rebecca Vongsa et al. Glob Pediatr Health. .

Abstract

The skin of premature infants is underdeveloped rendering it more prone to break down and irritation. Therefore, special care is needed to protect premature skin and ensure it is not adversely affected. Many health care professionals advise using just water and cloth to clean diapered skin after a bowel movement despite evidence that shows improved infant skin health with the use of modern appropriately formulated baby wipes. This article describes the unique physiology of premature infant skin, reviews clinical evidence comparing use of baby wipes to water and cloth, and describes attributes of appropriately formulated baby wipes.

Keywords: baby wipes; diaper dermatitis; diapered skin; infant skin; premature infant skin; skin irritation; skin pH.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: All authors are employees of Kimberly-Clark Corporation.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Attributes of a properly formulated baby wipe.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Visscher M, Narendran V. The ontogeny of skin. Adv Wound Care (New Rochelle). 2014;3:291-303. doi: 10.1089/wound.2013.0467 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kalia YN, Nonato LB, Lund CH, Guy RH. Development of skin barrier function in premature infants. J Invest Dermatol. 1998;111:320-326. doi: 10.1046/j.1523-1747.1998.00289.x - DOI - PubMed
    1. Eichenfield LF, Hardaway CA. Neonatal dermatology. Curr Opin Pediatr. 1999;11:471-474. - PubMed
    1. Visscher MO, Chatterjee R, Munson KA, Pickens WL, Hoath SB. Changes in diapered and nondiapered infant skin over the first month of life. Pediatr Dermatol. 2000;17:45-51. - PubMed
    1. Evans NJ, Rutter N. Development of the epidermis in the newborn. Biol Neonate. 1986;49:74-80. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources