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Maintaining Skin Integrity in Neonates with Sunflower Seed Oil and Liquid Vaseline: A Prospective Randomized
Ilgın Bahar Karakoç1, Behice Ekici
1Ilgın Bahar Karakoç, RN, is Neonatal ICU Nurse, Kanuni Sultan Süleyman Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. Behice Ekici, PhD, RN, is Assistant Professor, Pediatric Nursing Department, Maltepe University School of Nursing, Istanbul.
Insights
Sunflower seed oil (SSO) and liquid Vaseline (LV) effectively maintain neonatal skin integrity in the NICU. Both moisturizers are safe for infant skin, showing significant improvement compared to no treatment.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal dermatology
- Pediatric skin care
- Intensive care nursing
Background:
- Neonatal skin is immature and prone to integrity disruption.
- Maintaining skin integrity is crucial for neonates, especially in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
- Topical emollients are commonly used to protect and moisturize infant skin.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of sunflower seed oil (SSO) and liquid Vaseline (LV) in preserving skin integrity in term and preterm neonates.
- To compare the effects of SSO and LV against a control group receiving no topical treatment.
- To assess the safety and effectiveness of these emollients in a neonatal intensive care setting.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving 90 neonates (term and preterm) in a NICU.
- Participants were divided equally into three groups: SSO, LV, and control (no moisturizer).
- Neonatal Skin Condition Score (NSCS) was used to assess skin condition nine times at 48-hour intervals over 16 applications.
Main Results:
- Both SSO and LV groups showed significantly lower median NSCS scores compared to the control group after the third evaluation (P < .001).
- The control group's NSCS scores remained unchanged throughout the study period.
- No adverse effects were reported, indicating the safety of both SSO and LV for neonatal skin.
Conclusions:
- Sunflower seed oil (SSO) and liquid Vaseline (LV) are safe and effective interventions for maintaining neonatal skin integrity.
- These emollients can be recommended for routine use in neonatal intensive care to prevent skin breakdown.
- Further research is warranted to explore the long-term effects and optimal application protocols for topical oils in neonates.
Objective:
To test the effectiveness of sunflower seed oil (SSO) and liquid Vaseline (LV) in maintaining skin integrity in term and preterm neonates in the neonatal ICU. Because the skin of the neonate is still immature, disruption of skin integrity is a commonly observed problem.
Methods:
In this randomized controlled study, 90 preterm and term neonates in the neonatal ICU of a state hospital were equally divided into three groups. The skin condition of the neonates in all three groups was assessed using the Neonatal Skin Condition Score (NSCS); assessments were made a total of nine times at 48-hour intervals. The skin of the neonates in the first group was moisturized with SSO, and the second group was moisturized with LV, once a day, a total of 16 times. Moisturizer was not applied to the skin of the third group of neonates (the control group).
Results:
The median gestational age was 37.0 weeks (range, 36.0-38.0 weeks). After the third evaluation, the median NSCS scores for the neonates in the SSO and LV groups were significantly lower than for those in the control group (P < .001). The control group's median NSCS scores did not change throughout the period of the study.
Conclusions:
Both SSO and LV are harmless to the skin of neonates and can be used to maintain their skin integrity. More advanced studies are needed to evaluate the effects of topical oils on maintaining skin integrity.
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