In our house, sensitive skin care
is a biggie.
Kids (and adults) with Down syndrome have sensitive skin care needs. You’ve probably noticed your child’s skin is really sensitive and dry, especially in the wintertime--or during the Santa Ana winds if you live where we do. Sometimes my daughter’s skin is so dry her face becomes red and almost rashy. Poor kid!
If we don’t get some kind of cream or ointment on her skin right away, she will have little eczema patches in certain spots. Her back and arms can look as if she has many short, small scratch marks on them. Her skin gets really, really dry.
Fair, sensitive skin needs care above and beyond the norm. When you get right down to it, though, it’s not that much trouble. The key is to have products on hand to deal with the problem. This is what we do to prevent problems:
Bath:
Don’t use soap. It’s too drying. I use a generic baby skin and hair wash as a bubble bath. You could also use Johnson and Johnson No More Tears shampoo. Madison splashes around in the bubbles while I wash and condition her hair. I then drain the tub and re-fill it with clear, warm water. She splashes around in that to rinse her body. It’s important to rinse a bubble bath off (especially for girls) to prevent a urinary tract infection.
After Care:
Use some type of lotion all over the body, (including the face and neck) each and every time after a bath! We have used many, many brands. Some we like are Gold Bond, Johnson and Johnson 24 hr, and Eucerin (although a bit greasy). Friends say they like Aquaphor, but I’ve never used that one.
In Between Baths and Daily:
On certain spots I rub on good old Vaseline. On especially dry days, she gets a coating 2-3 times a day. Madison’s trouble spots are her cheeks, nose, and the insides of her ankles.
Another product that works well for trouble spots is Chap-stick or Carmex. Just use it like Vaseline. You’ll want to be careful not to get the Carmex into the eyes because it will sting! We keep tubes of Vaseline around the house so I can just grab one when needed.
We’ve found sensitive skin care becomes second nature. It just naturally becomes part of the grooming ritual.
Want to see what vitamin e oil did for Madison?
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