Baby acne – causes, symptoms, treatment and prevention. Skin care for baby acne

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Acne is one of the skin problems that affects babies and newborns. There are two types of acne in the youngest patients – neonatal acne and infant acne. Neonatal acne is a fairly common ailment, diagnosed in almost 20% of children in the first weeks of their lives. Lesions most often appear on the cheeks, less often on the forehead and chin. What are the causes of baby acne? How to recognize baby acne? What treatment allows for effective elimination of baby acne? How to take care of a baby’s skin?

Baby skin

The skin of a newborn baby is different from that of an adult. The baby’s skin is much thinner, its structure still lacks a sufficient amount of collagen and elastyl fibers. The stratum corneum of the baby’s skin is also more permeable because it has loosely arranged cells, which reduces the protection of the deeper layers of the skin.

The sebaceous and sweat glands, despite being fully educated, are not yet fully efficient. Therefore, caring for a child’s skin is demanding and it is best to consult its rules with a pediatrician. The skin of a child suffering from baby acne also requires such care.

What is baby acne?

Baby acne is a dermatological disease in which there are skin lesions in the form of red spots or papules with white or yellow spots. Skin lesions are most often located on the cheeks, but they can also occur on the forehead, nose, chin or neck. There are cases where skin lesions also appear on the back.

Neonatal acne is quite common as it occurs in approximately 20% of children under 6 weeks of age. Much more often it is diagnosed in boys. Baby acne, on the other hand, appears a little later (at the age of 3–16 months), but is much less common, affecting less than 2% of children. Baby acne usually lasts 1-2 years.

What is acne and what should you know about it? Read: What you should know about acne

Baby acne – causes

The causes of baby acne are not fully known. However, there are several possible causes that may be responsible for the appearance of this ailment. Such factors include:

1. improper care of the child’s skin – the use of preparations containing mineral oils that clog the pores and irritate the delicate skin of the child;
2. overheating – rising temperature makes the glands start to secrete too much sebum;
3. detergents used for washing rompers and other garments;
4. influence of hormones – androgens penetrating the child’s body (first through the placenta and later with the mother’s milk) stimulate the work of the sebaceous glands and lead to the overproduction of sebum and the formation of efflorescence;
5. the production of the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) by the adrenal cortex of the newborn, which affects the production of sebum and the occurrence of acne.

Can antibiotics help with acne? Check: Antibiotic for acne – how acne arises, treatment, contraindications

Baby acne – symptoms

Baby acne can be confused with other dermatological diseases, e.g. with heat rash.

Symptoms of neonatal acne include:

1. blackheads;
2. pimples;
3. lumps.

Skin changes most often occur on the face, especially on the cheeks, chin and eyelids of babies. Some newborns also develop acne on the nape, neck, chest, and scalp. Changes may also appear on the back.

In baby acne, lesions may appear as small, white pimples on an erythematous surface, as well as nodules with purulent contents. Babies’ diseased skin is usually very sensitive to touch and is sometimes red.

What acne creams are helpful? Check: Cream for acne – composition, action. Which acne cream should you choose?

When does baby acne occur?

As already mentioned, acne occurs in the youngest patients in the period of newborns and infants.

Neonatal acne occurs in children up to 4 weeks of age. It happens that skin changes appear even right after birth and disappear spontaneously after a few weeks. This type of acne occurs in of newborns.

On the other hand, baby acne occurs in children after 4 weeks of age. If it is mild, it disappears on its own within a few weeks. If the course of acne is severe, the ailment may persist for many months. In such cases, intensive treatment is necessary, often with several drugs – antibiotics or topical retinoids.

What should you know about acne ointments? Read: Ointments for acne – calendula, with vitamin A. Ointments for acne with antibiotics

Baby acne – diagnosis and diagnosis

When diagnosed with baby acne, the doctor must eliminate other dermatological diseases that are common in the youngest patients. Such diseases are heat rash, milia, childhood seborrheic dermatitis or neonatal erythema.

The doctor diagnoses baby acne on the basis of the characteristic symptoms indicated above, as well as the analysis of the potential causes of skin lesions.

The diagnosis of infant acne in a child is often associated with the need to conduct more detailed tests, including endocrinological ones. This is needed to rule out hormonal imbalances associated with precocious puberty.

What is acne and what else is worth knowing about it? Read: FAQ acne. A practical guide for anyone struggling with acne

Baby acne – treatment

It is not uncommon for baby acne to go away on its own. However, if the pimples turn into purulent lesions, a visit to the doctor is necessary. Such symptoms may indicate a bacterial infection and it is then necessary to use, inter alia, antibiotic.

In addition to using an antibiotic recommended by a doctor, it is also worth using zinc ointments, gentle emollients to prevent drying of the skin, as well as washing the pimples with black tea extract or water with the addition of baby soap.

You can buy a Diather kit for your baby today, consisting of zinc ointment, powder, probiotic and urinary tract infection test.

As in the case of acne occurring in older children and adults – you must not squeeze the pimples or blackheads appearing on the face. This causes inflammation and the bacteria spread more quickly to other parts of the body. Squeezing pimples is also a simple way to create permanent scars and discoloration.

What is hormonal acne? How is it recognized and treated? Hormonal acne – types, causes, diagnosis, treatment

Baby acne – skin care rules

Baby acne is not a serious condition, but it causes a lot of discomfort to a child and, in the event of improper treatment, can leave permanent scars or discoloration. It is therefore worth taking care of the proper care of the baby’s skin in a proper way. Remember to use appropriately selected cosmetics for this purpose, eg gentle bath lotion and 2in1 shampoo with rice proteins and Anthyllis Baby hibiscus extract, which moisturizes the skin, soothes irritations and improves its condition. It can be used from the first days of a child’s life.

Some useful rules for caring for a baby’s skin:

1. the skin on the child’s face should be rinsed with water with a mild cleansing preparation. It is best to choose cosmetics with a neutral pH that do not irritate the skin;
2. preparations with a lot of fatty substances should be avoided because they clog the pores and aggravate the symptoms of acne;
3. after washing, the baby’s skin should be gently dried. Coarse towels should be avoided, as they will only irritate the baby’s skin;
4. the child should not be allowed to overheat, so it is worth keeping an appropriate air temperature at home and regularly ventilating the apartment and the room where the child sleeps. Babies should wear light and airy cotton clothes;
5. the child should not be covered with additional blankets during walks. The infant’s outfit should be adapted to the current weather and temperature;
6. baby’s things should be washed in liquids specially designed for children, which are gentler than those for adults;
7. moisture can aggravate acne, so make sure that the child’s mouth area is always clean and dry.

What is conducive to the development of acne? Read: Five factors that contribute to the development of acne