Finding pimples on your baby’s face is always worrying when you’re a parent. However, the vast majority of them are not serious. This is particularly the case with infant acne, which affects nearly one in two toddlers.

A flare-up of pimples focusing on the forehead, cheeks, and chin, infant acne has little to do with adolescent acne. Moreover, these lesions do not require the same treatment at all.

Infant acne is characterized by small red, pink or white pimples on the forehead, cheeks and chin, more rarely on the chest and back. These lesions are not painful, they do not itch. They usually appear from the first days of life.

In infants, acne is directly linked to the strong hormonal surge that his mother experiences at the end of the pregnancy. Also impregnated with hormones, the newborn’s body reacts: his sebaceous glands suddenly produce too much sebum, hence his oily skin and pimples. These same upheavals can also explain a swelling of the mammary glands or even, in little girls, slight losses.

Most often, infant acne disappears after a few weeks without requiring any special treatment. While waiting for baby to regain very soft skin, wash it with gentle hygiene products suitable for toddlers such as syndet or dermatological bar. Do not apply cleansing milk or fatty moisturizer. Conversely, do not use detergents reserved for problem skin in adolescents or adults.

Local and oral medical treatments with antibiotics or retinoids are reserved for the most severe cases. Seek the advice of your doctor if the lesions are very numerous, very extensive, if they become superinfected or last beyond 6 months.

The majority of neonatal acne does not leave a trace and does not foreshadow acne in adolescence.

• Les grains of millet. These small white and hard dots related to the immaturity of the sweat glands are especially visible on the face. They are absolutely benign and do not require any care. The only imperative: do not try to pierce them. They disappear after a few weeks. If they persist beyond the third month, they will require medical advice.
• Toxic erythema of a newborn. A scary name for a rash of patches and red spots that is certainly impressive but not at all serious. More than one in two infants have these lesions, which are concentrated mainly on the face and trunk and disappear without any treatment during the first month. If they persist, they will require medical advice.
• Cradle cap. These whitish-yellowish patches stuck to the skin of the scalp are unsightly but benign. Appropriate care at the time of shampooing accelerates their disappearance.