One month old Ashley Freeman of Greenwich, Connecticut, has pouty little rosebud lips and skin "just like silk," sighs her proud mom, Kiyomi. Two week old Alejandro Lopez of Boynton Beach, Florida, "has skin like butter—no, make that cream cheese," says his mom, Patti. Meanwhile, in Seattle, Washington, Zelie May Wynne-Jones's skin at eight months is "so soft and delicate—as if it hadn't been anywhere or done anything yet," says her father, Michael.
That's right, agrees Amy S. Paller, M.D., professor of pediatrics and dermatology at Northwestern Memorial School of Medicine in Chicago. We have a million reasons for hugging and kissing our precious little ones, but all it takes is the gentlest caress of their adorably plump cheeks or their darling little Buddha tummies, and you can have no doubt that babies possess the world's softest, lushest, most huggable skin. The reason for that? "Baby skin is what fresh, new skin looks like—no DNA damage, no wrinkling or brown spots from the sun," Dr. Paller explains. Many pediatricians and dermatologists claim the layer of waxy vernix that coats their skin in the womb also contributes to that softness. They point, as well, to the rich stores of collagen in newborns' skin, and to the fact that babies (unlike the rest of us) don't yet have a history of taxing their facial muscles. Sure, they're famous for laughing, crying, squealing, frowning, and generally making the world's funniest faces. But they're just getting started; those facial muscles they're trying out are brand new.
Of course, baby skin is delicate too, and needs extra-loving attention and care. According to Jerome Litt, M.D., a Cleveland, Ohio-area dermatologist, infants and babies under one year of age have skin with fewer oil and sweat glands. It can get dry—especially on the arms and legs, which may need added moisturization, proposes Ellis Gottesfeld, M.D., clinical assistant professor of dermatology at New York University Medical Center. Their skin also contains less pigment—meaning it has less ability to ward off sun exposure. And it's more porous—meaning it's easily affected by irritants such as harsh detergents. So whatever you do, keep your baby out of the sun and wash his or her clothes in a hypo-allergenic detergent or laundry soap, proposes Dr. Litt. He also suggests dressing baby in soft, loose-fitting garments that don't chafe or irritate the skin.
As for how best to care for and nurture your munchkin's skin, no doubt you're aware of the numerous pre-toddler consumer options now available: super-absorbent diapers…the softestever muslin onesies…Jaguar-class strollers with state of the art sun canopies. But the latest trend, arriving in the wake of a whole new generation of independent cosmetic lines for grownups, is "boutique" quality skin care for babies.
Not surprisingly, some of these baby product lines fit into the ultra-gentle, pure and natural botanical category. The most recent of them, Epoch Baby® from Nu Skin, takes botanical products a giant step further. Epoch Baby's trio of skin and hair products is the first-ever ethnobotanical skin care collection for tiny ones. This means that its key plant based ingredients have been used and trusted for centuries by traditional, indigenous cultures around the world to protect their offspring's skin.
The three products from Epoch Baby® are scientifically qualified, too. Their botanicals are blended into ultra-gentle, high-performance formulations. So not only do you and your baby join a global tradition of mothers and babies from remote South Sea Islands, Indomalaysia, and rural South America, but you do so knowing these products have been prepared using the highest standards of modern skin care.
Overall, Epoch Baby® provides a new generation of skin care products to protect your baby's flawless skin—a most precious asset.