ABSTRACT
The skin provides the barrier between the body and the environment. The skin of the premature neonate comprises approximately 13% of the body weight, compared to only 3% of an adult (1). The surface area-to-body weight ratio of the neonate is four times that of an adult (2). Factors influencing cutaneous absorption include the physicochemical characteristics of drugs or chemicals, vehicles, and dosing conditions as well as the biological characteristic of skin (3). Biological factors such as skin thickness (4), anatomical site (5), age (6), blood flow rate (7), and skin conditioning (8) can influence permeation. The epidermal barrier of the newborn, particularly of the preterm infant is immature leading to problems of ineffective thermoregulation (9), percutaneous absorption of toxins (10), tissue injury (11), fluid imbalance (12), infection (13), and delayed healing (14).
