Baby acne usually heals on its own after several months, and usually does not need any medical treatment. Know in detail its causes.
Baby acne is acne that occurs on the skin of a newborn. It can occur anywhere on the face, but it usually appears on the cheeks, nose, and forehead. Furthermore, it is a frequent and temporary problem.
There are not many measures you can take to prevent it. In most cases, it usually resolves on its own. However, if it occurs between six months and two years, we must intervene to prevent its appearance in adolescence.
The diagnosis of this skin condition is often made with the naked eye; therefore, it is not usually necessary to resort to specific analyzes. Do you want to know more about this condition? Keep reading the information we give you below.
What can cause acne in the baby?
It is not an allergic reaction, nor is it the consequence of an effort that the little one has made during childbirth. It is also not due to a rash due to poor digestion. They are signs of acne that appear in 2-5% of newborns.
This alteration of the epidermis is favored by the production of sebum which, in the months after birth is very high, as in adolescence.
Today it cannot be shown that the mother’s diet influences the development of acne in the baby. Only in some occasions, after having eliminated and after reintroducing milk and its proteins in the mother’s diet, is it possible to demonstrate a true allergy to milk. What is known is that male sex hormones in boys, and to a lesser extent, in girls, play an important role in their appearance. If the baby produces a lot of these hormones, or if the mother transmits them in high amounts, they stimulate the secretion of the sebum responsible for the appearance of acne.
In addition, for this alteration in the newborn’s skin to manifest itself, it is necessary that the newborn is genetically predisposed to suffer from this disorder. Children who are born with sebaceous follicles that are narrower than normal, have a greater difficulty in the final part of them for the sebum to come out, especially if it is produced in large quantities.
Symptoms of acne in the baby
Baby acne is usually characterized by small red or white bumps on the cheeks, nose, or forehead. It usually appears in the first two to four weeks after birth. Some babies also have small white bumps on their nose, chin, or cheeks. This condition is known by the name of “milia“.
Treatment
Since baby acne usually heals on its own after several months, it usually does not need any medical treatment. However, if the problem persists longer, treatment is usually recommended.
Before starting any treatment, a good recommendation is to ventilate the child’s room often. An environment that is too hot and humid could favor the growth and spread of bacteria.
As we have said, if between 6 and 12 months it has not disappeared, treatment is administered. In addition, it is usually a sign of their reappearance in adolescence. Retinoid creams are often used and applied for several months. These creams owe their effectiveness to the ability to:
- Free acne from sebum.
- Decreases inflammation.
- Controls the growth of Propionibacterium acnes: it is a bacterium that feeds on sebum and is found on skin affected by acne.
As a last tip, if acne pimples have a yellow dot in the center, it is usually recommended to apply an ointment that contains erythromycin. The reason for this is that there may be a bacterial infection and erythromycin is an antibiotic that improves the situation.
