Diaper Dermatitis in Early Life: Global Challenges and Management Trends

Diaper dermatitis (DD) is a prevalent condition affecting neonates, infants, and young children, causing pain, disturbed sleep, and discomfort. Treatment involves wound healing, managing moisture, irritants, and friction, and strategies supporting a balanced water vapor gradient aid in skin barrier recovery.

A review published in the Journal of Tissue Viability examined the global incidence and severity of Diarrhea Disruption (DD) and identified effective treatment strategies. The analysis included data from over 7,500 infants and young children aged 36 months or younger across 12 countries, including extremely premature infants.

The study showed that the three studies suggested that dark-skinned infants experienced lower rates and/or milder forms of DD compared to light-skinned infants. Most treatments demonstrated some level of effectiveness, although the rate and extent of improvement varied. Differences in DD assessment methods, study designs, and baseline severity levels limited the ability to make direct comparisons across studies.

The key findings included:

Incidence of diaper dermatitis (DD) ranged widely from 36% to 75% across different settings.
Severe cases of DD were reported in 1% to 24% of subjects.
Some studies indicated that dark-skinned infants had lower incidence and/or severity of DD compared to light-skinned infants.
Most treatments were generally effective, but the degree and speed of improvement varied depending on: assessment methods, study design, and initial severity of DD.

The review concluded that treatments containing "drying" ingredients appeared to support better outcomes and emphasized the importance of appropriate skincare practices in managing DD effectively. It underscored skincare practices that appeared effective in reducing diaper dermatitis and highlighted the need for further research to better understand and optimize skin health in the diaper environment.

(Source: Journal of Tissue Viability. 2025;34(3):100905; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965206X25000531)

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