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

Abstract

To compare the pattern of use of skin care products between children with eczematous skin lesions and those without. Case control study. Two well baby clinics at the Kenyatta National Hospital and the Mbagathi District Hospital in Nairobi. Eighty nine infants with eczematous skin lesions and 89 age and sex matched controls without skin lesions. Presence and severity of skin lesions related to the type of skin care products used by the child. 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. The study found no significant difference between the cases and controls regarding the type of skin care products used.