A study finds that popular belief of applying sunflower or olive oil to rehydrate newborn baby's skin is posed with some significant risk of compromising the development of lipid lamellae, which act as a potential barrier of skin from foreign invasions. Despite the popular recommendation of applying olive or sunflower oil for dry skin, a new study reveals that this practice actually can be harmful to a baby's skin. Till date, there has been little research into the effects of these oils, outside of small studies in the lab.
There is a dramatic increase in eczema over the last few decades: from 5 percent of children aged 2-15 in the 1940s to around 30 percent today. To test the effects of the two oils on babies' skin, the midwives at Saint Mary's Hospital recruited 115 newborn infants to the pilot study, which was supported by the NIHR. The babies were divided into three groups --…
