When To Consult Your Pediatrician
If you are worried about the acne or if your child appears to be in pain, contact your pediatrician. If the pimples appear in conjunction with a fever or if they grow larger and appear to be sores rather than pimples, contact your physician because she may have an illness, such as chicken pox, or she may be suffering from an insect or spider bite. If this is the case, your baby needs medical attention to make sure that the condition doesn’t become worse.
How Is Baby Acne Treated
Baby acne usually disappears without treatment.
Some babies have acne that lingers for months instead of weeks. To treat this stubborn form of baby acne, your babys pediatrician may prescribe a medicated cream or ointment that helps clear up the acne.
Dont use OTC acne treatments, face washes, or lotions. Your babys skin is very sensitive at this young age. You might make the acne worse or cause additional skin irritation by using something thats too strong.
Baby Acne Vs Infantile Acne
If symptoms start at 3 to 6 months of age, this is known as infantile acne.
Like neonatal acne, infantile acne also generally affects the face and occurs more commonly in boys. This type of acne usually goes away on its own within three months to a year, but sometimes it can be more severe and carry a risk of scarring. As a result, long-term treatment with topical retinoids and antibacterials may be required. Testing for elevated levels of hormones is also done sometimes.
Most cases of infantile acne resolve by age 4 or 5, but some remain active into puberty. Babies with a history of infantile acne have an increased incidence of teenage acne. If your baby is developing acne, notify your pediatrician.
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Raised Itchy Spots Or Patches
Hives causes a raised, itchy rash. It can look red, but this may be less noticeable on brown and black skin.
The rash can be a sign of an allergic reaction to things like a sting, medicine or food.
It usually gets better within a few days.
Speak to a GP if your child keeps getting this type of rash. They may be allergic to something.
How Do You Get Rid Of Baby Acne
Thereâs no treatment for baby acne, but donât worry â it usually clears up by itself within a few weeks or months, leaving no scars.Donât be tempted to use acne treatments or remedies intended for older children or adults.The best way to care for your babyâs skin and help the baby acne to clear up is to wash the affected areas of your babyâs face with water and a mild soap.You could do this while giving your baby a bath. If you donât feel confident about bathing your newborn yet â or on days when your infant doesnât have a âproperâ bath â itâs fine to just clean your babyâs face and nappy area. This is sometimes known as âtopping and tailingâ.
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What Helps Baby Acne
Baby acne typically resolves itself without any specific home-care or professional medical care. However, you can gently cleanse and pat-dry the area two or three times a day. Do not use acne medicine, soap, lotion or any other chemicals. Also, just as is the case with adult acne, no squeezing or picking!
Can I be sure its baby acne? Or is it something else?
Of course, not all raised or pimply-looking skin conditions are baby acne. Infants may develop similar signs of irritation as a result of milia, heat rash, diaper rash, infant eczema or cradle cap. If youre concerned that skin irritation could be something more than baby acne, talk to your Nashville pediatrician at St. Thomas Medical Group.
Whats the difference between milia and baby acne?
Milia are similar to baby acne, but completely unrelated. These bumps are typically present at birth, while baby acne typically develops several weeks later. These white bumps occur when small flakes of skin become trapped in pockets just beneath the surface of the skin. Nearly half of all babies have milia on the upper cheeks, chin or nose. These little bumps are neither painful nor contagious and will resolve on their own in just a couple of weeks. No special washing, scrubbing or treatment is necessary.
Baby acne is usually more upsetting to new parents than to the baby. Both of these conditions just require a little time and patience! In a few weeks your baby will develop a smooth, clear complexion!
A Final Bit Of Good News For Neonatal Acne
For parents dealing with neonatal acne, they can rest assured that this common skin condition isnt painful. The child is not inconvenienced, says Diambomba. Actually, it bothers the parents more because thats when people often take a lot of pictures.
Green was worried about her sons comfort at first. You feel bad, she says. It looks angry because its so red, but it doesnt affect them at all.
Three weeks after onset, Green found that Charlies skin had mostly cleared up. I ended up doing the path of least resistance, she says. Every morning, I would clean his face with a warm compress and dry it really well. I didnt put anything on it. I thought it would figure itself out.
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Topping And Tailing Your Baby Who Has Neonatal Acne
Hereâs a quick guide to cleaning your babyâs face and nappy area:
1)Undress your baby except for a vest and nappy and wrap him or her in a towel.2)Hold your baby facing you in your lap or place him or her on a changing mat. 3)Start with the eyelids: Wipe the eyelids with cotton wool thatâs been dipped into a bowl of lukewarm water. Use a fresh piece of cotton wool for each eye, and wipe from the nose outwards â donât use soap for the eye area. Also avoid using soap on any areas of dry skin or eczema.4)Do the same with the other parts of the face, neck, hands and around the ears, using a new piece of cotton wool for each area. You can use a mild soap as well as the water to gently cleanse the parts of the face affected by baby acne.5)Remove the nappy and wash the nappy area with some fresh cotton wool and lukewarm water.6)Dry your baby carefully and put on a clean nappy.
What Causes Baby Acne
Believe it or not, as with adolescent acne, hormones are believed to be mainly to blame. In the case of newborns, however, its not their own hormones that are probably prompting the pimple problems, but Mom’s which are still circulating in baby’s bloodstream as a holdover from pregnancy. These maternal hormones stimulate baby’s sluggish oil-producing glands, causing pimples to pop up on the chin, forehead, eyelids and cheeks, and, sometimes, the head, neck, back and upper chest.
What’s more, the pores in a baby’s skin are not yet fully developed, making them easy targets for infiltration by dirt and the blossoming of blemishes. And babies typically have very sensitive skin some more than others which can also be a factor.
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Do Not Pick At The Bumps
You may be tempted to pop or pick at the bumps on your babys face. Do your best to resist this urge. Breaking open the acne does little good in the long run and can lead to infection and scarring.
You might even cause your babys sebaceous glands to kick into high gear and produce even more oil. That extra oil on your babys skin can cause yet another acne breakout.
Tips To Reduce And Prevent Acne In Toddlers
Taking the following precautions can help reduce and prevent further the occurrence of acne in toddlers.
- Avoid scrubbing the area of the pimples with a towel.
- Keep the babys face clean with warm water.
- Do not squeeze the pimples since it might exacerbate the spread of acne lesions.
- Teach your toddler not to scratch or pop the pimples.
- Do not use lotions.
- Do not use over-the-counter acne products since they might be harsh for your toddlers skin.
- Use a bar of mild soap without fragrance to bathe the toddler.
- Use mild and gentle laundry detergents for the toddlers clothes.
- Document the episodes of acne flare-out in the toddler and correlate it with the food you consumed. Your toddlermight show a reaction to substances from the food items that passed through the breastmilk.
- Avoid chemical-based oily lotions and creams for the baby. Use prescription-based mild products that are specifically designed for toddlers.
- You should consume a healthy and well-balanced diet to prevent acne in toddlers.
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When To Seek Medical Advice
If your baby has a case of neonatal acne happening before six weeks, there shouldnt be a need to worry. You can follow some of the treatments above and it will no doubt run its course. But of course, always consult your pediatrician if youre in doubt.
Specialists recommend you seek medical advice if your baby develops acne after six weeks of age. This is generally to implement the right treatment to prevent scarring. Doctors will usually treat it with topical creams and oral medicines .
However, sometimes, infantile acne could be an indicator of a health issue in your baby. Your doctor might carry out blood tests or an X-ray to eliminate other conditions.
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Fight & Prevent Baby Acne With A Gentle Cleansing Product
Keeping baby acne under control and even getting rid of it completely can be as simple as cleaning your baby with a gentle cleansing product regularly. But you dont want to clean their delicate, sensitive skin with just any cleanser.
Its best to use one thats specially formulated for newborns. We recommend using a product that contains micellar water, like Mustelas Gentle No Rinse Cleansing Water, so it does not dry out their sensitive skin.
Best of all, Mustelas Gentle No Rinse Cleansing Water doesnt require rinsing and is great for when youre on the go!
Micellar water is composed of tiny cleansing oil molecules suspended in super-soft water. It dissolves dirt and impurities to cleanse your babys skin without stripping off its natural oils. And because Mustelas Gentle No Rinse Cleansing Water contains no parabens, phthalates, or phenoxyethanol, its safe to use on children of any age.
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What Is Baby Acne
There are two different types of acne, depending on babys age. Newborn acne, otherwise known as neonatal acne, can appear when baby is a newborn up to 3 months oldand its totally normal. Neonatal acne is a benign skin condition that roughly 20 percent of newborns have, explains Katie Pyle, DO, a pediatrician at UCHealth Pediatric Care Clinic in Firestone, Colorado. We dont really know the cause, but its likely either due to the stimulation of babys oil glands from moms hormones or an inflammatory reaction to a type of yeast that colonizes on a babys skin. The good news: While baby may have a few pimples in their pics, newborn acne doesnt point to future skin problems.
If baby is older than 3 months, they may be experiencing whats called infantile acne, especially if you notice larger red, raised blemishes or pustules, says Meagan ONeill, MD, a pediatrician with Riley Childrens Health in Indianapolis. Like newborn acne, infant acne occurs in about one-fifth of babies. While neonatal acne tends to go away on its own with age, infantile acne may stick around longer and, since it can be more severe than neonatal acne, may require treatment to avoid scarring.
Newborn Acne Is Common
Your sweet little newborn’s soft skin suddenly becomes covered in small, red pimples. It’s hard not to freak outwhat’s happening to your baby’s face?
Don’t worry, Mommy and Dad. Despite how alarming it looks to new parents, newborn baby acne is super common. And there’s no need to worry newborn baby acne is a harmless condition.
Newborn baby acne typically appears within the first month or so after birth, although it can occur earlier or later. Some babies are even born with a mild case of baby acne. You may see a spike in breakouts between weeks two and four.
The good news is newborn baby acne is fleeting and nearly always goes away quickly and without treatment. Most cases of newborn baby acne completely clear by the time the little one reaches 6 months old.
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Is It Baby Acne Or A Rash
While its possible to confuse infant acne with that other common newborn skin condition, milia, the two arent the same. Baby acne looks like red pimples, while milia are tiny white bumps or whiteheads. But you need to treat both conditions the same: with washing, watching and waiting.
There are also a number of skin rashes and other skin conditions in newborn babies which, unlike newborn acne, are often itchy and uncomfortable for your little one and tend to spread beyond the face. A few of the most common:
- Baby heat rash: These clusters of tiny, moist, red bumps look similar to acne and often appear on babys arms, legs, upper chest and diaper area in addition to her face when its hot outside.
- Diaper rash: This rash caused by moisture, irritants and too little air appears as red, irritated skin in babys diaper area.
- Cradle cap: Also called seborrheic dermatitis, these tiny red bumps are smaller than acne and may be accompanied by yellow, flaky skin that looks like scales. While it usually appears on the head, it may spread to the eyebrows and upper body too.
- Infant eczema: Skin appears dry, flaky and red, usually in patches around the cheeks and on the scalp. The rash then spreads, often to elbow creases and behind the knees, and progresses to fluid-filled pimples that pop. If eczema is not treated, it can lead to scabbing and oozing.
Other Types Of Rash You Might Mistake For Baby Acne
Baby acne isnât the only possible cause of red spots or blotches on your newbornâs skin. Here are a couple of other common baby rashes it might be easy to mistake for baby acne:
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Erythema toxicum neonatorum. If the rash appears in the first week and looks red and blotchy, it may be erythema toxicum neonatorum. This kind of rash may appear on the body, chest, upper arms and thighs as well as the face. Like baby acne, it also clears up by itself in a few weeks without treatment. Youâll be glad to know it wonât make your infant feel unwell.
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Milia. Raised, pearly white spots on your babyâs face could be milia. These bumps are caused by flakes of skin blocking your infantâs pores. Milia doesnât need treatment and the spots are often gone within a few weeks or so.
Your midwife, health visitor or doctor will be able to tell you whatâs behind those little red spots, if youâre wondering what may be the underlying cause.
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