Does your infant take more pimples than an 8th-grader? Just when she seems ready for her close-up — head rounding out nicely, eyes less puffy and squinty — baby acne might be adjacent. This pimply preview of puberty is incredibly mutual, commonly beginning at ii to 3 weeks of age and affecting about 20 to 40 percent of all newborns. Fortunately it'due south temporary, and it doesn't bother your baby a scrap. Here's what to do in the meantime.

Baby Skin Intendance

What causes baby acne?

Believe it or not, every bit with adolescent acne, hormones are believed to be mainly to blame. In the case of newborns, even so, it's not their own hormones that are probably prompting the pimple bug, only Mom's — which are nevertheless circulating in baby'due south bloodstream as a holdover from pregnancy. These maternal hormones stimulate baby'southward sluggish oil-producing glands, causing pimples to popular upwardly on the chin, forehead, eyelids and cheeks, and, sometimes, the head, neck, dorsum and upper chest.

What'due south more, the pores in a infant's skin are non yet fully developed, making them easy targets for infiltration past dirt and the blossoming of blemishes. And babies typically have very sensitive skin — some more than others — which can too be a gene.

How to get rid of baby acne

Unfortunately, there's not much y'all can practise nearly baby acne, besides beingness patient. A few baby acne treatment tips:

  • Don't clasp, pick or scrub acne.
  • Cleanse the area with warm water two times a 24-hour interval. Pat pare dry gently.
  • Don't use soap or lotion on affected areas.
  • Avert acne or other skin care products meant for adults.
  • Attempt natural infant acne home remedies to treat it: Some moms propose that dabbing the afflicted surface area with breast milk tin help speed the healing procedure.
  • Ask your doctor nearly prescription or over-the-counter medication that might assist and be safety for your babe.

Is information technology baby acne or a rash?

While information technology'due south possible to confuse infant acne with that other common newborn skin status, milia, the ii aren't the same. Baby acne looks like scarlet pimples, while milia are tiny white bumps or whiteheads. Merely you need to treat both weather condition the same: with washing, watching and waiting.

In that location 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 footling one and tend to spread beyond the face. A few of the most common:

  • Babe heat rash: These clusters of tiny, moist, red bumps look like to acne and often appear on infant's arms, legs, upper chest and diaper area in addition to her face when it'southward hot outside.
  • Diaper rash: This rash — caused by wet, irritants and too little air — appears every bit red, irritated peel in (you guessed it!) baby'due south diaper area.
  • Cradle cap: Also called seborrheic dermatitis, these tiny blood-red bumps are smaller than acne and may exist accompanied by yellow, flaky skin that looks like scales. While information technology usually appears on the head, it may spread to the eyebrows and upper torso too.
  • Infant eczema: Peel appears dry, flaky and ruby-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.

How long does babe acne last?

Baby acne usually clears anywhere from a few weeks after she's born to the time she's about 3 to 4 months old — which happens to be a terrific time to schedule those professional person pics — leaving that beautiful baby pare you lot've been waiting for in its place.

And just in instance y'all're already worrying about your little i beingness teased in middle schoolhouse, know that infant acne doesn't exit permanent scars like the grown-upward version can, and information technology doesn't predict future teen acne problems.

When to call the doc

Baby acne almost always goes away on its own with no intervention. But bring it to your pediatrician'south attention if the bumps look similar they might be infected; for example, her skin appears extra scarlet, you observe swelling or discharge, your child spikes a fever or has other symptoms or if you lot suspect an allergic reaction or eczema, which may crave a cream to keep the rash from spreading.