Infant Acne

You are new parents! Congratulations! Your baby is the most perfect baby in the whole wide world! With perfect tiny fingers and toes, peach-soft skin and fuzzy hair.

But, then all of a sudden there are pimples and bumps on its face that you were sure were still 15 years away! Relax! Your baby has a very commonly occurring case of infant acne.

Infant acne normally occurs between 3- 4 works, though some infants have it from birth. Infant acne is caused because of your hormones that get passed on from you to them just before birth, through the placenta.

These hormones help your baby’s lung to mature, but also stimulate oil glands on the baby’s face. Infant acne is one of the ways that the baby is purging the non essential or the extra hormones from their body.

Like all other cleansing processes, its important not to hinder this process in any way, otherwise it might cause complications later on.

Infant acne normally appears as either tiny white pearls or reddish pimples around the cheeks, forehead, nose and chin and can get irritated if the baby is hot or fussy or has saliva or milk on their face.

Infant acne also gets aggravated because of the harsh detergents used to wash clothes. This mild form of infant acne normally disappears within the first 5 – 6 months, without leaving any scars.

The best way to deal with infant acne is to let it be. Don’t try to pick or scrub a pimple, use plain water or a soft washcloth to gently wash the baby’s face.

Try not to use soap, even if it is mild baby soap. Strictly avoid using lotions, oils or ointments, these will only aggravate the acne.

As the infant acne worsens when the baby is hot , fussy or comes in contact with spit up milk, ensure that your baby is wearing clothes, best suited to the climate and is cool all the time,

also ensure that you use a gentle cloth to wipe away any spit or spit up milk and don’t use harsh detergents or fabric softeners for the baby.