Cutaneous Lesions in Newborn Babies: A Hospital-based Study

Background: Newborns can present with a vast variety of skin lesions. Most of these lesions are physiological, transient, or self-limited and require no therapy. Although a few studies have been done, the results of these studies show differences according to racial and environmental factors. Objective: To study the hospital-based incidence of neonatal dermatoses during the early neonatal period and to know the clinical pattern of various cutaneous lesions. Materials and Methods: A total of 250 consecutive neonates delivered at VIMS were examined in a hospital-based study satisfying inclusion and exclusion criteria, cross-sectional study between the period of January 2014 and December 2014. Results: 96.1% of newborns had one or other skin lesions out of 250 newborns examined. Male: Female ratio was 1.27:1. Skin lesions were commonly seen in full-term neonates. Mongolian spot was seen in 61.8%, milia in 32.4%, jaundice in 10.4%, vernix caseosa in 7.2%, and physiological scaling in 6.4%. Among transient non-infective lesions, erythema toxicum neonatorum (ETN) was the most commonly seen in 36.4%, followed by miliaria in 6.4% and transient pustular melanosis in 6.8%. Cafe-au-lait macule was most commonly birthmark seen in 2% followed by congenital melanocytic nevi in 0.15% and hemangioma in 0.4% of cases. Conclusion: The hospital-based incidence of neonatal dermatoses was 96.1% without sexual predilection. The physiological and transient skin lesions commonly seen were Mongolian spot, milia, ETN, and physiological scaling. It is important to differentiate them from other more serious skin conditions to avoid anxiety among parents and unnecessary therapeutic interventions. Patterns of neonatal dermatoses may be infl uenced by racial and geographic factors.