Deodorants and Babies: My baby stinks

Deodorants and Babies: My baby stinks
Fonte: shutterstock

The hips gradually become rounded, the breasts begin to appear, and a light hair appears on the pubis and armpits. Signs that your daughter is growing up. On your child, however, the first hairs also appear on the face, a hint of the future beard and mustache. Her voice changes, becomes lower and the volume of the testicles increases.



It is the typical physical changes that punctuate it pubertal development: phase of growth that marks the transition from childhood to adulthood.

Children: when body odor changes

Body odor changes, becomes acrid and pungent. Welcome puberty. Many parents ask whether the use of deodorant is appropriate. Answers Gabriella Pozzobon, endocrinologist pediatrician president of the Del Paesena Society of Adolescent Medicine (Sima), and Andrea Diociaiuti, head of the Complex Dermatosis and Genodermatosis Unit of the Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital in the city.



In this article

  • Change your body odor
  • Deodorant for children yes or no?
  • Why we sweat
  • Which deodorant to choose
  • Meaning of hyperhidrosis
  • Does the deodorant cause allergy?

 



The baby suddenly stinks

And whether it's male or female, suddenly body odor also changes. Because puberty is marked by a new hormonal activity: in particular the androgens stimulate the sweat glands which begin to produce a sweat with a more acrid smell.



Le sweat glands they are distributed all over the skin, in the deep layer: the dermis.

"In other words, physiologically around the age of 9-10, boys and girls start to smell and it is normal: the bad smell of sweat is a consequence of physiological hormonal changes", he says. Gabriella Pozzobon, endocrinologist pediatrician of the San Raffaele Hospital in our city and president of the Del Paesena Society of Adolescent Medicine (Sima), "but this pushes many parents to consult, worried, the endocrinologist".

"If the changes described above, in particular an increase in the breasts and testicles, including sweating, erupt before the age of 8 in girls and 9 years for boys, it may be indicative of precocious puberty, then an endocrinological examination may be advisable" explains Pozzobon.

"Otherwise, in the absence of signs that can suggest growth alterations, I recommend a check-up visit to the endocrinologist around 11-12 years of age for an appropriate assessment of the staging and progression of pubertal development, that is, the degree of maturation ".

Children, preteens and deodorants: yes or no

The fundamental advice of the endocrinologist pediatrician at San Raffaele is to encourage (if it is not already a normal daily practice) to take care of your body: in other words, a thorough daily hygiene. But if the smell of sweat is acrid and pungent, and makes the teenager at home uncomfortable, "alcohol-free or natural deodorants can be used in moderation."

Why do we sweat?

La sweating is a function regulated by the sympathetic nervous system. A sweat control center is located in thehypothalamus, a structure located in the central area of ​​the brain and contains nerve cells (neurons) that are sensitive to changes in internal temperature and also to emotional events and which, through sympathetic nerve fibers, innervate and communicate with the sweat glands.

L'sweat gland activity is not constant but it varies during the 24 hours, reaching minimum levels during the night and peaks during physical exercise, psychological or psycho-physical stress, exposure to heat, etc. In relation to the amount of sweat produced, we speak of insensible perspiration to indicate perspiration that occurs continuously, even when the skin appears dry, and di sensible perspiration (excess of sweat) when the sweat gives rise to the formation of a damp veil, or even drops on the skin surface.

Sweating is considered, under normal conditions, one of the fundamental mechanisms of thermoregulation. Sweat evaporates and absorbs a considerable amount of heat (580 kcal per liter) e induces a noticeable cooling of the body surface
(source Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital of the city)

Which deodorant to choose?

Sweat does not give off a bad smell

However, let's clarify that sweat does not give off a bad smell. The acrid odor comes from the bacterial flora present on the skin and hair (armpits and groin in particular) which, in contact with sweat, emits the substances responsible for the unpleasant odor.

In short, "during pubertal development, due to hormones, the production of sweat changes", points out the dermatologist Andrea Diociaiuti, from the Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital in the city. «And the increase in sweat creates a warm and humid environment that favors the proliferation of germs from which the bad smell derives. To combat bad odor you can use it the deodorant or an antiperspirant».

In practice, different cosmetics that act in different ways.

How cosmetics affect odor

"The deodorant - explains Diociaiuti - it can act against the germs that cause bad odor or by virtue of the fragrances it contains it can cover the unpleasant odor ".

If your child has suffered from atopic dermatitis in the past, it is best to avoid products with perfumes (for possible sensitization) and alcohol (can be irritating). On the other hand, deodorants with antibacterial action should be preferred: «which contain substances that reduce the quantity of germs. And with fewer germs the bad smell is reduced ».

With regard to the different formulations, Diociaiuti recommends deodotating sprays to atopic subjects. «The roll-on formulation (with which a layer of product is spread on the skin) could occlude the sweat glands creating irritation».

Atopic dermatitis? No alcohol, no perfumes, better spray deodorant

Antiperspirants

Another product to counteract bad odor is theantiperspirant: «Contains aluminum salts which reduce the perspiration of the sweat glands and reducing the secretion of sweat it creates an environment less suitable for the proliferation of germs ».

According to the Child Jesus expert, this type of product is particularly suitable for sweating: because less sweat = less bacteria.

Excessive sweating is stimulated by hormonal stimulation

Hyperhidrosis

Excessive sweating has a name: hyperhidrosis.

Hyperhidrosis can be extensive or localized: palmar, axillary, plantar, facial - cranial or trunk (chest, abdomen, back).

Primary hyperhidrosis is often localized, does not occur during sleep, and is aggravated by heat and emotional stress. It usually appears in childhood or adolescence. The cause is poorly understood, often related to excessive sympathetic nervous system activity.

Primary hyperhidrosis is usually mild and easily resolved even spontaneously. In some cases, the daily cleansing, the antiperspirant preparations (creams, sprays ...) which can reduce sweating by even 40-50% and deodorants whose bactericidal effect reduces bad odor.
(source Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital of the city)

What if the deodorant causes allergy?

"In case of allergic manifestations after the use of a cosmetic, it is necessary to suspend the product, use the cortisone cream to relieve the skin and perform allergy tests (patch tests) to diagnose allergic contact dermatitis. But - concludes the dermatologist Diociaiuti - it is really difficult for this to happen with a fragrance-free and alcohol-free deodorant ».

TAG:
  • teens
  • deodorant
  • 6-14 children years
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