An Overview of Baby Acne

Newborn babies often develop acne because of the lingering maternal hormones after delivery, which may cause stimulation to the baby’s sebaceous glands. Your baby receives these hormones from the placenta, after the delivery.  There are various aspects related to baby acne that are different from acne that affects other age groups.

Infantile acne is gender-biased. Male babies are more affected than their female counterparts. Normally babies begin showing signs of acne attacks around the age of three (3) weeks old. Some babies have it from the time of delivery. Generally the types of acne you find in infants are papules and pustules. Papules are red bumps and pustules are whiteheads. Often there is a collection of pus when baby acne is present.

Some babies also have acne on the scalp. The lesions will take care of themselves within a period of few months. Take care of the baby’s acne areas as you would take care of its other body parts.

Treating Baby Acne

First things first, the treatment for baby acne is not the same as acne treatment for any other age group. Acne in babies usually does not require extensive treatment. Use mild baby soap and gently clean the face once a day with water. Do not try harsher methods, like using oils and other lotions, which you think are good for adults. They may at times, worsen the condition. Know for certain that infantile acne will typically disappear when it ready to.

If your family pediatrician feels that your baby has severe acne, consider treating it with benzoyl peroxide, keratolytic agents or topical creams like retinoids. Make sure you don’t start these treatments on your own, only start these after being instructed to by a qualified medical practitioner.

Baby Acne Anxiety

In your anxiety to photograph your baby, don’t plaster his or her cheeks with cosmetics. Consider the Photoshop method of correcting baby acne before trying to fix it with chemicals. Or even work with your baby to strike an imaginative pose to hide those little blemishes.

The ways of baby acne are indeed mysterious. If you have a history of acne in your family, that doesn’t mean that your baby will have acne. And just because your baby has acne, it doesn’t mean they will suffer from acne attacks, as they grow older. Acne has its own way of working itself out.

New moms, and dads, need to remember they weren’t the cause of junior’s baby acne. Just sit back and enjoy the arrival of your little precious and get as much sleep as you can.