As a new parent, you worry about every little
ailment, scrape and bump that your newborn experiences. See your baby’s skin break out in red and white pimples can be a bit of a scare. Of course your little one should not have acne until he or she becomes a teenager, right? Not quite. What your child is experiencing is baby acne. Baby acne is a fairly common condition that affects young babies.
What causes baby acne?
Acne is often caused by a change of hormones, bad nutrition and excessively oily skin. So how did your sweet little baby acquire one of these causes? Of course your child has not selected any bad eating habits yet and newborns usually do not suffer from oily skin. Hormones are the culprit.
Just before birth the mother passes her hormones with the child through the placenta. This causes your baby’s skin to break out in acne when he or she is just a few weeks old. Baby acne usually appears when the child is 4 to 6 weeks old.
How to treat baby acne?
Baby acne is fortunately only a temporary skin condition. Wash the affected area several times a day with warm water and mild baby soap is the best way of getting rid of baby acne. If acne appears in the child’s face, gently wipe it after every meal or spit-up. You should never use anything other than mild baby soap on your baby’s delicate skin unless your pediatrician instructs you otherwise. Baby’s skin is very sensitive to any harsher cleaning solutions or acne remedies.
When the hormones that were passed from the mother work their way out of the baby’s system the baby acne will clear up on their own. Until then, keep the area clean to prevent further bacteria to grow and to keep your baby comfortable.
