Diaper rashes decrease to the extent that diapered skin can have an environment closer to that of undiapered skin. The less time that infants wear diapers, the less the chance that they develop a diaper rash. However, the need to wear diapers must also be considered. Disposable diapers are associated with fewer cases of yeast diaper rash than are cloth diapers. Disposable diapers have absorbent gelling materials. Infants who wear breathable disposable diapers developed significantly fewer diaper rashes of any type than infants who wore standard, nonbreathable disposable diapers in a series of clinical trials.

An evaluation of past clinical studies conducted before and after the introduction of absorbent gelling materials confirms that use of these materials has been associated with a definite reduction in the severity of diaper rash. The results demonstrated the clinical benefits associated with continuous topical administration of zinc oxide/petrolatum –based formulation diapers. Survival of Candida colonies was reduced by almost two thirds in the breathable diaper –covered sites compared to the control sites.

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