TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Chapter 357. Neonatal Dermatology A1 - Galbraith, Sheila S. A2 - Rudolph, Colin D. A2 - Rudolph, Abraham M. A2 - Lister, George E. A2 - First, Lewis R. A2 - Gershon, Anne A. PY - 2011 T2 - Rudolph's Pediatrics, 22e AB - The skin of a newborn infant differs from adult skin in several ways that place infants at increased risk for thermal instability, skin damage, percutaneous infection, and percutaneous toxicity from topically applied agents. The neonatal body surface area-to-weight ratio is up to 5 times greater than that of an adult, and the thickness of infant skin is 40% to 60% less.1 Attenuated rete ridges, formed from comparatively fewer stem cells at the basal layer, provide a relatively limited area of surface attachment to an immature dermis, resulting in relative skin fragility. Sebaceous glands are hypertrophic for several weeks after birth, under the influence of fetal and maternal androgens, but eccrine function does not mature until after term, placing newborns at risk for hyperthermia with overbundling. The vernix caseosa is composed of sloughed keratinocyte and sebaceous gland lipids, with a higher proportion of glandular lipids in boys. SN - PB - The McGraw-Hill Companies CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/28 UR - accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=7032531 ER -