When a baby is born, you can see that the body is covered with fine hair. Even during pregnancy, this delicate hair begins to develop on the baby's skin. This fine hair has numerous essential functions for newborns. Let’s figure it out.

Interesting Facts About Lanugo

Lanugo refers to the delicate hair that covers a newborn's body. The growth of these hairs begins during the second trimester of pregnancy and reaches its optimum stage around the 20th week of pregnancy.

While some babies may shed their lanugo before birth, others are born with it still covering some or all of their bodies. A baby's body will not remain covered with lanugo permanently. These tiny hairs will start to fall out in a few weeks.

Also read: Moles In Babies, Here's What You Need To Watch Out For

Exploring the Functions and Benefits of Lanugo for Your Baby

Despite its appearance as regular fine hair, lanugo provides several essential functions for newborns and their growth, which include:

Protection for the skin

Lanugo attaches to and covers the embryonic skin, just as the vernix caseosa. As a waxy covering, vernix caseosa protects the skin of the developing fetus from the potentially irritating amniotic fluid.

The combination of vernix caseosa and lanugo creates a highly effective skin barrier that shields the delicate and vulnerable skin from any potential harm from amniotic fluid. This is a protective system that protects the body of the developing baby during its development, particularly in the uterus.

Regulate body temperature

Lanugo helps maintain a constant body temperature for the baby during pregnancy. This is essential since babies lack the capacity to independently regulate their body temperature, unlike adults.

Hormonal regulation

According to a certain theory, lanugo also has a function in the secretion of hormones that decrease stress and promote growth in the uterus. Despite being incompletely acknowledged, studies indicate that gentle contact applied to a baby's skin could stimulate the secretion of stress-releasing chemicals, such as oxytocin and endorphins.

Also read: Why Do Newborns Sneeze So Much?

When Do Babies Lose Their Lanugo?

Most newborns shed lanugo shortly before delivery. Others still have lanugo at birth. Meanwhile, preterm babies have more lanugo and need several weeks to shed their hair.

During the later stages of pregnancy, the lanugo, which refers to the fine hair covering the baby's body, typically starts to shed and disappears from the skin along with the amniotic fluid. Due to the ingestion of amniotic fluid in the uterus, the newborn absorbs lanugo into its initial nourishment, helping in its natural preparation for life outside the mother's body.

A newborn will develop vellus hair, which is fine, feather-like hair that regulates body temperature until adult hair grows once the lanugo has fallen out.

Removing Lanugo: Is It Necessary?

Lanugo is not harmful to babies, so there is no need to remove it. Never use a hair shaver or wax on lanugo; instead, be patient and let it fall out naturally.

Applying gentle pressure to the infant's skin with baby oil will stimulate the shedding process of lanugo. It is important to use caution when selecting baby oil products to avoid any potential irritation to the baby's skin.

If you have concerns about the fine hair on your baby’s skin, our health consultation services offer the opportunity to consult with our doctors using the Ai Care application. This app can be downloaded from the App Store or Play Store.

Want to know information about pregnancy, breastfeeding, the health of women and children? Check here, yes!