Abstract
Water loss from the skin can be studied by measuring the vapour pressure gradient in the air layer close to the skin surface. In healthy full term newborn infants the evaporation rate (ER, g/m2h) from an interscapular skin area was 40 % lower when the ambient humidity was high (60 %) than when it was low (20 %). In preterm infants the difference was even more marked. Transepidermal water loss (TEWL, g/m2h) can be estimated from measurements made from a buttock, the chest and an interscapular skin area. Healthy full term newborn infants were found to have 36 % higher TEWL when active (crying) than when asleep. The TEWL showed an exponential relationship to gestational age, with very high values in the most preterm infants. During the first week of life the TEWL values fell gradually and approached those of full term infants during their first day. The influence of ambient relative humidity on the evaporation rate from the skin also decreased during the first week.
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