Neonatal Skin Disorders and the Emergency Medicine Physician

Neonatal skin may play host to a variety of dermatological conditions, ranging in spectrum from benign, self-limited disorders to severe and/or life-threatening disease. Neonatal skin disorders may be of concern to parents and physicians alike, and may initially be evaluated in the urgent care clinic or emergency department, where specialty consultation may not always be readily available. In this paper, several neonatal skin conditions are briefly reviewed, including vesiculopustular disorders; those presenting with bullae, erosions and ulcerations; vascular and pigmented birthmarks; and disorders which present with skin erythema and scaling. This brief discussion is intended as a starting point for the emergency physician who may be the “front line” clinician faced with the evaluation of a neonate or infant with skin disease.