Vernix Caseosa Information
Vernix caseosa, also known as vernix, is the waxy or cheese-like white substance found coating the skin of human babies.
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Composition
Vernix has a highly variable makeup but is primarily composed of sebum, cells that have sloughed off the fetus's skin and shed lanugo hair.[1] 12% of the dry weight of vernix is branched-chain fatty acid-containing lipids,[2] cholesterol and ceramide. Vernix of term infants has more squalene and a higher wax ester to sterol ester ratio than preterm infants.[1]
Function
Vernix is theorized to serve several purposes, including moisturizing the infant's skin, and facilitating passage through the birth canal. It serves to conserve heat and protect the delicate newborn skin from environmental stress. Vernix is also thought to have an antibacterial effect;[3] though there is little to support a chemical role of vernix in protecting the infant from infection, it may form a physical barrier to the passage of bacteria.[1]
Newborn baby with vernix on parts of her skinSecretion
The sebum in vernix is produced in utero by the sebaceous glands around the 20th week of gestation. Vernix appears primarily in full term infants, while premature and postmature births generally lack any.[1]
Etymology
In Latin vernix means varnish and caseosa means cheesy.
References
- ^ a b c d Schachner, LA; Hansen RC (2003). Pediatric dermatology. Gulf Professional Publishing. pp. 206–7. ISBN 0323026117.
- ^ Ran-Ressler, RR; Devapatla S; Lawrence P; Brenna JT (2008). "Branched chain fatty acids are constituents of the normal healthy newborn gastrointestinal tract". Pediatric Research 64 (6): 605–9. doi:10.1203/PDR.0b013e318184d2e6. PMID 18614964.
- ^ Hoath, SB; Maibach HI (2003). Neonatal skin: structure and function. Informa Health Care. pp. 71–3. ISBN 0824708873.
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Categories: Immune system | Infancy | Pediatrics | Skin |
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