title: New insights about infant and toddler skin: implications for sun protection.
abstract: The skin is increasingly recognized as a component of the innate immune response, in addition to its role as a physical barrier. Although the deleterious effects of solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR), including immunosuppression and cutaneous tumorigenesis, are widely acknowledged, most studies to date have concentrated on adult skin. Despite the more sensitive nature of infant and toddler skin, little is known about its responses to UVR exposure, whether acute or long-term. Accumulating evidence suggests not only that the skin's barrier protection remains immature throughout at least the first 2 years of life but also that accumulation of UVR-induced changes in the skin may begin as early as the first summer of life. Such evidence not only affirms the importance of sun protection during the infant and toddler years but underscores the need for more research to establish evidence-based standards of care in this area. In this article we review recent studies in which differences between the skin properties of infants and young children and those of adults were compared, and we discuss the implications of these differences for sun-protection practices.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 676 N St Clair St, Suite 1600, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. apaller@northwestern.edu
authors.forename: Amy S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Paller
authors.forename: John L M
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Hawk
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Honig
authors.forename: Yoke Chin
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Giam
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hoath
authors.forename: M Catherine
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Mack
authors.forename: Georgios N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Stamatas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena / Q000528:radiation effects*; D013473:Sunscreening Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: D013473:Sunscreening Agents