What Is Baby Acne?
Baby acne normally appears on the baby’s body or face for a short time period. It seems like very small pimples, red in color. Baby acne is also known as Neonatal Acne, and the amount 20 percent of the newborns have this. This acne happens in the first month of life while infantile acne rests till 2 years.
Symptoms of the Baby Acne
Like adult acne, baby acne has red bumps, blackheads, whiteheads, pustules, or pimples. Baby have acne anywhere on the face, but the most common site of acne is cheeks. It may also present on the back and neck. This acne usually presents at birth, but it may also occur after two to four weeks of birth. It doesn’t irritate or disturb your baby and resolves quickly without any treatment.
Causes of Baby Acne
There is no exact cause of baby acne. How it is developed, unknown yet. But some researches show that baby acne is actually caused by maternal or infant hormones. Sometimes hormones present in breast milk cause the baby acne, but don’t be worry and don’t skip the breastfeeding. It is not a serious disease, will subside in a few days. If you are taking any medication, it will also cause baby acne.
Home Tips for the Treatment of Baby Acne
There is no need for any medication to treat the baby’s acne. Just wait for your baby’s acne to reduce and clear. You have to do some measures to keep the skin clear, healthy, and acne-free. It is a treatable condition, so moms stay calm. The following things are necessary to treat baby acne. They include
1- Cleaning
A very important step for the acne is to daily wash the face of your baby with warm water. You don’t need to use any particular substance to wash the face, but the water. If you want to use, you can use a soap-free cleanser. Daily bathe can also help in this condition. Good hygiene is the most curative method in eliminating acne and acne-causing substance.
2- Skip the Moisturizer
Any lotion, creams or moisturizer can irritate the skin or make the condition worse.
3- Avoid the Products
4- Be Patient
Baby acne is a harmless condition. It is not itchy and painful at all. You just need to wait and stay calm. It will resolve on its own.
5- Don’t Pinch
Pinching, squeezing, popping the acne is the main cause of spreading the organism to other parts of the body. It will irritate the skin and worsens the condition.
What Are Underlying Conditions In Which Above Home Tips Are Failed To Respond?
There are some certain rare conditions in which the acne doesn’t respond to the above home tips. These certain underlying conditions are tumors, the adrenal disorder congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), and other endocrine systems related conditions.
If your baby girl starts to show some signs of hyperandrogenism such as facial hairs, oily skin, you should call your doctor to check the underlying pathology.
Differential Diagnosis
Some conditions resemble the acne but are not, so must be ruled out by proper history, physical examination, clinical findings, and their pattern. Following resemble conditions must be distinguished from the acne. They are
- Erythema toxicum
- Milia
- Eczema
HP Thoughts: Do you have back acne? How do you cope with it? Don’t fret! We have an article dedicated to this subject — How To Get Rid Of Back Acne At Home.
