!Why Does Baby Skin Feel So Different From Adult Skin? - SUSHENAH scientific illustration Baby skin feels different from adult skin because of two structural changes in the dermis—collagen bundles get thicker while fibroblasts become scarce. According to research in Andrews' Diseases of the Skin, "Infant dermis is composed of small collagen bundles, whereas the adult dermis contains thicker bundles of collagen. Many fibroblasts are present in the infant dermis, but few persist in adulthood." Here's what matters for skincare. The fibroblasts are what actually produce collagen. Babies have many. Adults have few. This isn't damage or disease. It's normal development. But it explains something important: adult skin doesn't just have "old" collagen. It has fewer cells actively making new collagen. Supporting collagen in adult skin means supporting the fibroblasts that remain—not trying to recreate infant skin biology.
