Q: My 11 days old son's skin is wrinkled and saggy. The doctor says it is because the baby's weight is below normal and once the baby puts on weight the skin will gain the normal texture. He advised us to feed him as frequently as possible. He weighed 2.64 Kg at birth and has slightly high levels of bilirubin in the blood. The doctor advised that it would come down to normal on its own within 2 weeks time. What could be the cause of his wrinkled skin?

A:At 11 days of age slightly high level of jaundice is not a problem especially if the child's urine is normal coloured and stools are dark yellow. Lax skin may some time be seen in newborn babies who have lower birth weight and should improve as the baby grows. However, 2.64 kg at birth is not very low and if the lax skin persists you should see a skin specialist for a condition called Cutis Laxa where the skin is lax.