You have just come home from the hospital. Everyone is crooning over your baby and calls her a beautiful angel. After everyone has left you alone, you look at your sleeping baby and see slight reddish scars on her cheeks. You figure it could be because everyone has been kissing the baby's cheeks. Well, if the reddish pigmentation refuses to go away the next day then you are looking at something known in medical circles as "Newborn Baby Acne".
It may sound strange and is slightly unbelievable that someone as tiny as your baby having skin that is untouched by external elements should have acne like teenagers. As strange as it is, this is truly acne.
How Can I Spot It?
Newborn baby acne or Infant acne usually appears as small whiteheads or pimples on the baby's cheeks, chin or forehead. Infant acne could be attributed to hormones that get passed on from the mother to the baby when the baby is in the womb itself. That by itself is not the cause; some acne could be related to the milk that the baby brings up or the constant dribbling of the baby. As a parent, it is important for you to keep dabbing off the dribble or milk from the baby's face regularly.
Acne could also be a result of the soap you use for your baby's bath or the detergent that is used to wash the baby clothing. If the soap or the detergent is too strong, the baby might get rashes that might lead to acne. Make sure that you don't confuse eczema for baby acne. Eczema is a skin condition much severe and more dangerous than acne and needs proper treatment.
Baby Acne usually lasts for anywhere between 2 weeks to 2 months. In the worst cases it could go up to 6 weeks, but anything more than that would mean that it is worse than acne. You should visit the doctor immediately to get the condition treated.
What Should I Do?
When you spot baby acne you have to refrain from pricking it like we do when we spot acne on our face. Wash the baby's face gently with slightly warm water and try avoiding using harsh soap. Use mild soap to wash the baby and gently pat the baby dry. Never rub the baby dry as this might result in the acne bursting and probably spreading.
Since baby's skin is sensitive, avoid applying oil or any kind of cream or lotion on the baby's face as you would do for adult acne. Their sensitive skin might react adversely to the chemicals in the creams.
Wash the baby's clothing with a mild detergent and dry them in proper sunlight. Refrain from giving your baby a bath too often. They might smell good after a good wash but you are simply rubbing away the good skin on your baby's body.
The best way to avoid newborn baby acne would be to take good care of your own diet in the period during pregnancy and after birth. The baby is dependent on your milk for nutrition, so make sure that you follow a proper diet. Remember, this form of acne will go away and you should not worry too much over it.
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