Have a baby?

Baby Basics

What Is Baby Acne?

3 min read

Pimples may have bothered you when you are in your teens. What if your infant develops tiny acne, just like teens? Surely it will worries you more than seeing your first pimple. But there is no need to bother at all. Baby acne is pretty common, and will resolve itself, unlike the pimples that troubled you throughout your teens. It is harmless and there will be no scarring.
As usual, even if there is no need of much worrying, lots of questions may arise in your mind. This article will help you to ease your tension.
Baby acne

What Is Baby Acne?

Baby acne closely resembles teenage acne that develops on the new born baby’s skin. Although it can occur anywhere in the baby’s face it is more often located against forehead, chin, and cheeks. Some babies are found to develop acne on their back.

What Does Baby Acne Look Like?

Baby acne looks like red bumps or pimples with the red skin surrounding them just similar to a pimple that appears when you are a teenager. It usually clears within three to four months. Sometimes baby acne appears and disappears two or three times before the baby is six months old.

Is Milia And Acne Same?

No. Milia is in no way related to acne. They are tiny white bumps develop on your child’s face when dead skin cells become trapped in small pockets in the skin. Milia appears during birth and vanishes within few weeks after birth and sometimes many mothers mistake milia for acne.

Are There Types Of Baby Acne?

There are two types of acne.

Neonatal acne: This type of baby ace will develop within first three months after the birth of the baby and will be gone within two to three months
Infantile acne: This type of baby acne appears when the baby is between three to six months age. This type of baby acne will disappear only within a year or two

When Does Baby Acne Appear?

Acne can be present at birth, but it usually appears within one month the baby is born. Sometimes the baby is found to born with acne. The prominence of the acne will be more when the baby gets fussy because of the increased blood flow to the skin.
Baby with acne rashes

How Does Baby Acne Occur?

An important cause of baby acne is hormones. Wait, are you talking about baby hormones? Surprised? But here the culprit is the mother’s hormones which are still circulating in the blood stream of the baby. During the final stage of pregnancy, mother’s hormones get into the baby’s blood stream through the placenta. These hormones which help in lung-maturing sometimes stimulates the oil glands on the skin of the baby, in due course giving rise to pimples. Sometimes the skin of the baby may devoid of fully formed skin pores. These partially formed pores can be clogged more easily developing pimple.
There are some factors that worsen the baby acne like:

Spit-up saliva which is very common at this age
Formula milk
Breast milk
Rough fabrics
Fabrics washed with strong detergents
Baby cream, lotions, powder, and soap will increase the irritation due to acne
Medications that the mother might be taking and passing on to the baby through breast milk
Medicines that the baby might be taking

How Can Baby Acne Be Treated?

No medication is usually required as it disappears its own within few months. If the acne is severe and irritates your child to the extent of bothering him, the pediatrician will prescribe topical treatment to sooth your child’s skin. When the neonatal acne doesn’t disappear even after four to six months the pediatrician will check for hormonal disorder.
Never apply any medicated or non-medicated cream as per your decision without your doctor’s permission as it will damage your baby’s delicate skin and can worse or cause additional skin irritation. If the acne is persistent, it might as well be an indication that your child may have to deal with acne in his adolescence as well.

How Can I Prevent Baby Acne From Spreading?

Some of the measures that can be taken to minimize the aggravation of baby acne are:

Don’t scrub or squeeze the acne of your baby
The area with acne should be cleaned with water
Only pat dry the skin
Never use any kind of oils or creams on your baby’s face

Sometimes symptoms of eczema or some allergic reaction are mistaken as baby acne. So consult your doctor just to make sure as he can diagnose baby acne on sight.
Be patient. Baby acne will vanish in a short period of time. Just avoid the things that aggravate baby acne and wait patiently.

Have a baby?

Baby Basics

Responses (0)

Read this next

Breastfeeding After a Breast Surgery

Breast milk is the best gift a mother can give to her newly born baby. Rich in various antibodies, breast milk fulfills all the nutritional requirements in babies up to 6 months. But due to various reasons, mothers are unable to give this gift to their babies. These reasons can be due to some disease or their own willingness. Other than that, many of the mothers who have undergone any surgery find it difficult to breastfeed her baby. There is a certain impact of the surgeries on the mother's body and the production of milk in the milk ducts gets reduced. So, let’s answer some of the common questions in the minds of such mothers in detail below. Along with that, we have also provided relevant tips for such mothers. Read further to know more: Can A Woman Breastfeed After Breast Surgery? Yes, a woman can definitely breastfeed her baby even after the surgery. Various body organs work together for the formation of breast milk. It is very important for the proper functioning of these organs, including milk ducts, nipples, and areola for the production of milk. If these organs are not harmed due to the surgery, the mother can surely breastfeed her baby. The breast milk production will....

Have a baby?

5 min read

Child Care : Old and New Ways!

The child is the most precious gift of God making him the center of attention for the entire family. The parents as well as the grand parents want the best of everything best the newest addition and it should be done in the best possible manner. Still, at times, there is a difference of opinion among the family members on various issues. With the fast changing pace of today’s life, many things have changed drastically. A huge gap is finding a place between the trends of the modern day society and the "old school" thoughts - though are still carried along with much conviction. Here are 6 important myths that continue to prevail in our society with no scientific reason: 1. Regular massage for the baby - As soon as the child is born, the grandmothers usually instruct to start giving him massage everyday and it is rigorously followed by the mothers. But the doctors these days believe that body massage does not help the child except in making him sleep. However, many people still advice massaging a baby since it is believed the baby's muscles get strengthened up. 2. Eating high-fat food after the baby is born - It is the most common belief of our society that the mothers....

Have a baby?

2 min read

Weight of a Baby in kgs – First 3 Months

The delivery of a child is the happiest moment in a woman’s life. One of the first questions a new mother is asked is about the weight of a baby. Some babies are lightweight and tiny while some are heavy. Each baby is unique. There is no ideal birth weight or height of a baby. It is only a range between which usually most babies are. Many mothers feel that the heavier the baby, the healthier it is. This may not be true. An underweight or overweight of a baby is prone to many illnesses. A baby needs to be healthy and active. This is important. Is the weight Of A Baby Important? First 3 months Weight Of A Baby Underweight babies Overweight baby Weight gain Is the weight Of A Baby Important? Weight of a baby is one of the many important measures, and your paediatric doctor can use to help you determine about your baby is developing as per in an expected way or if there may be any underlying in it. First 3 months Weight Of A Baby: Parents are concerned about the weight of a baby and read all data available so that they can check if their baby is growing normally or not. Once the birth weight of a baby is known, the doctor will map the growth pattern. The important thing is that....

Have a baby?

4 min read

Most Common Reasons Why Babies Wake Up At Night

It is a known fact that a newborn has irregular sleeping patterns. Most babies sleep during the day and are wide awake during the night. They may either sleep late or may wake up several times during the night. This may leave you wondering what could be the cause of this, but, fret not; here we list 10 common reasons why babies wake up in the night. 10 Most Common Reasons Why Babies Wake Up At Night Teething: Teething can be a difficult time for a baby. Most babies start teething at around 6 months. The pain of teething varies from baby to baby. Some babies might experience slight pain and irritation and for some it can be quite a painful period. Pain and irritation can occur any time of the day and night and hence it is one of the reasons a baby wakes up in the middle of the night Illness: Babies tend to fall sick often. They frequently get cold, cough and fever. Cough and cold especially can cause a lot of discomfort. A baby might find it difficult to sleep when sick and even wake up several times during the night. A baby suffering from a stuffy nose resorts to mouth breathing which can cause dryness in the mouth and wake the baby up in the middle of the night ....

Have a baby?

3 min read

Want personalized reading and shopping suggestions for your exact stage of pregnancy?

Come on, sell the idea of signing up with us in two lines so well that they HAVE to sign up.

Sign Up

Top 5 picks

1
Is It Safe to Take Alprazolam (Xanax) While Breastfeeding?
2
'Baby Talking' Or 'Parentese' - What's Your Pick?
3
10 Alarming Postnatal Symptoms That Need Medical Attention
4
10 Best Weaning Foods For Your Baby
5
10 Common Mistakes That New Parents Make

Want curated content sharply tailored for your exact stage of pregnancy?

Sign Up

Load More

165+ Services.

6+ Cities.

60K+ Parents Reviewed.

Explore Local Services.

Get regular updates, great recommendations and other right stuff at the right time.