Photos: Heads Up, Parents: Get to the Bottom of Winter D...( Leading pediatric dermatologist expla...),Health

Leading pediatric dermatologist explains prevalence of winter diaper rash and predicts a moderate to severe 2008/2009 diaper rash season

COLLEGEVILLE, Pa., Dec. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- For the parents of the millions of diaper-clad babies, the winter months can mean cute little red outfits, cute little red button noses, and not-so-cute and oh-so-painful little red bottoms. Most don't think about their baby's skin health until sunscreen season comes around again.

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But they should. Anecdotal evidence indicates that when the temperature plunges, the prevalence and severity of diaper rash increases. Primary care pediatricians see a jump in the number of parents bringing in babies with sore bottoms, and sales of over-the-counter diaper rash treatments peak when it's coldest -- from October through March.

"Diaper rash is the most common skin condition affecting babies and young children, and if it's not treated quickly and effectively, both the baby ... and the parents ... suffer," said Lawrence Eichenfield, MD, a leading pediatric dermatologist and chief of Pediatric and Adolescent Dermatology at Rady Children's Hospital and Health Center in San Diego, and Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine (Dermatology) at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. "In the winter, diaper rash can be more problematic. Parents are simply not aware that the risk increases as the temperature decreases."

Caused by a combination of trapped moisture, irritants and the friction of a diaper against tender skin, diaper rash can be more problematic in the winter because parents tend to bundle up their babies to keep them warm - and unwittingly create the perfect warm, moist envi
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