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Healthy, full-term infants |
Study | Cohort | Treatment | Study duration | Endpoints/ measurements | Primary outcome(s) |
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Garcia Bartels et al. [19] | 64 healthy, full-term neonates (gestation ≥37 weeks aged ≤48 hours) | Body wash; body wash with emollient use after bathing; water alone, followed by emollient after bathing | 8 weeks | TEWL, SC hydration, skin surface pH, sebum, NSCS, and bacterial colonization | Wash with emollient improved skin condition; in some cases, lower TEWL and higher SC hydration were observed; no adverse events |
Garcia Bartels et al. [146] | 44 healthy, full-term infants (≥37 weeks gestation) aged 3–6 months old | Lotion was applied after a swimming lesson once weekly or no treatment | 5 weeks | TEWL, SC hydration, skin surface pH, and sebum | Reduced TEWL in both groups; site-specific differences in the treatment group were observed |
Lowe et al. [147] | 10 healthy, full-term neonates (0–4 weeks old; gestation ≥36 weeks) with a family history of allergic disease | Emollient consisting of ceramides, cholesterol, and free fatty acids at a 3 : 1 : 1 ratio and 2% petrolatum (applied once daily) | 6 weeks | TEWL, SC hydration, skin surface pH, and sebum | Emollient use reduced TEWL |
Simpson et al. [20] | 22 full-term infants (≥37 weeks gestation) considered to be at high risk for developing atopic dermatitis | Oil-in-water, petrolatum-based emollient cream | Up to 2 years | TEWL and skin capacitance | Skin barrier measurements remained within normal range; only three participants developed atopic dermatitis |
Premature Infants |
Beeram et al. [18] | 54 infants (≤27 weeks gestation) | Petrolatum-based emollient applied every 6 hours or no treatment | 2 weeks | Fluids, electrolytes, bilirubin, and sepsis | The petrolatum-based emollient led to a significant reduction in the need for fluids; it also led to better urine output, more stable electrolytes, and lower bilirubin values |
Brandon et al. [141] | 69 infants (<33 weeks gestation) | Polymer, liquid-based film (applied twice) or petrolatum-based emollient (twice-daily application) | 2 weeks | Total fluid intake, TEWL, and neonatal skin condition | Both treatments were well tolerated; both led to a decrease in TEWL |
Darmstadt et al. [28, 100, 148] | 497 premature infants (≤72 hours old; gestation ≤33 weeks) | Sunflower seed oil or petrolatum-based emollient (3 times daily for 14 days, then twice daily until hospital discharge) or no treatment | ≥14 days | Survival rate and rate of nosocomial infection | Sunflower seed oil and petrolatum-based emollient reduced mortality by 25–30%; sunflower seed oil reduced nosocomial infection rates by a statistically significant margin |
Lane and Drost [16] | 34 neonates (29–36 weeks gestation) | Twice-daily application of a water-in-oil emollient; no treatment | 16 days | TEWL, NSCS, and quantitative microbiology | Emollient decreased dermatitis of the hands (days 2–11), feet (days 2–16), and abdomen (days 7–11); no changes in microbial flora |
Nopper et al. [17] | 60 neonates (<33 weeks gestation) | Petrolatum-based emollient (applied twice daily); no treatment | 2 weeks | Temperature, TEWL, fluid intake, weight analysis, skin condition, microbiology, and blood/urine analysis for cerebrospinal fluid cultures | Emollient use led to statistically significant decrease in TEWL; significant improvement in infant skin condition on days 7 and 14; less colonization of the axilla on days 2, 3, 4, and 14; statistically significant reduction of positive findings in blood and cerebrospinal fluid |
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