Pattern of use of skin care products in children with and without eczematous skin lesions

Abstract

Objective: To compare the pattern of use of skin care products between children with eczematous skin lesions and those without. Design: Case control study. Setting: Two well baby clinics at the Kenyatta National Hospital and the Mbagathi District Hospital in Nairobi. Subjects: Eighty nine infants with eczematous skin lesions and 89 age and sex matched controls without skin lesions. Main outcome measures: Presence and severity of skin lesions related to the type of skin care products used by the child. Results: Exposure to various products was not significantly different between infants with skin lesions and those without. However, more mothers whose children had a skin rash had made a change in the type of soap and or skin cream used for their child (p<0.0001). The principal reason for changing products was skin rash in the baby and most mothers made changes away from scented baby soap products. Conclusion: The study found no significant difference between the cases and controls regarding the type of skin care products used.