Diaper Rash Health Video

Diaper rash is a common ailment for young children whose skin is kept damp and covered from wearing diapers. Learn about diaper rash from a doctor in this video on skin care.

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Use a barrier ointment for diaper rash
Use a zinc oxide based ointment
Change the baby's diaper frequently
Eliminate reusable diaper cleaning cloths

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Dr. Loretta Ciraldo, the author of the book Six Weeks to Sensational Skin, is a board certified dermatologist who has made numerous appearances on television shows such as Good Morning America. She holds a degree from Hunter College in New York, an M.D. from Downstate University at SUNY, and did her residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Ciraldo has been a board-certified dermatologist since 1982, and is currently a voluntary professor at the University of Miami, where she runs a clinic in cosmetic dermatology.

LORETA CIRALDO, MD, FAAD: Hi. I'm Dr. Loreta Ciraldo, voluntary professor of Dermatology at the University of Miami, author of "Six Weeks to Sensational Skin", and most importantly, a mother of four children. So, I'm going to give you a few great tips about diaper rash. First of all, don't be disheartened if your baby has diaper rash because it's probably pretty much a universal problem that mothers will encounter from time to time. The most important advice I'd like to give you about diaper rash is that it can most often be remedied if you use, what we call, a barrier ointment. I think the best of these is a product called Desitin. Desitin is just a very thick zinc paste. If you'll put this on your baby's diaper rash, the first thing you'll notice is that there'll be a lessening of the redness within usually the first day, and that's because the zinc is also a very, very good vitamin that helps to lessen skin redness, but secondly because you have that zinc barrier, what's going to happen is the things that could be causing the rash, like irritation or inflammation from a diaper, from chafing, or whatever are really those factors are going to be minimized by having that protective coating of the zinc oxide ointment. So whether you get Desitin or generic zinc oxide ointment, this is one of the best things I can tell you to help you with the diaper rash. The next thing is change the baby's diaper as frequently as you see fit. Don't leave your baby in a soaking diaper. The last thing is that, many times the cloth wipes that we like to use in the diaper area can have some chemicals that can irritate the baby. So if you're not getting rid of the diaper rash just with the first two tips, eliminate the baby cloths and you may find that that alone really tremendously helps, and best of luck to you.

Diaper Rash Health Video

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