Baby Acne

The Babble Staff

We tend to think of acne as something that affects hormone-addled teenagers or stressed-out adults, not cute pristine babies just out of the womb. But newborn acne, and its more persistent sibling, infantile acne, are common. Acne can happen any time hormones are surging through a body and many experts believe it is the mother's pregnancy hormones that are passed on to the baby through the placenta that cause the acne. If you or your baby are taking certain medications, that might also be a factor. In most cases pimples and whiteheads on a newborn will go away of their own accord within a month or two, so there is no need to break out the Clerasil at first provocation. When newborn acne doesn't go away, it is called infantile acne and can last for 2 or 3 years, sometimes even longer. Experts say that gentle rinsing with water can be enough to keep the condition under control, but that pediatric dermatologists can provide topical medicated treatments if necessary.

"New parents often learn about an early round of acne — newborn acne or neonatal acne — that comes and goes during the first weeks or months of life. Newborn acne is usually quite mild. Because newborn acne is very common, when people see pimples on a baby they usually reassure the parents that they will disappear soon on their own. But for a few kids, this is not true. There is another variety called infantile acne that often lasts 2 or 3 years unless properly treated."
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"Babies may be born with or develop a number of "normal" rashes. Unfortunately, some of these rashes may seem unsightly especially when they get worse over the first couple of weeks of life. Baby acne is one of these rashes. The last trimester of pregnancy is full of activity with respect to what mom passes on to baby. A large amount of calcium is transferred during this time. The same is true for iron. However, something else is given through the placenta — hormones. The pregnancy is supported by a large sustained amount of hormones. And labor is triggered and sustained through hormones as well. With mom's bloodstream packed with these hormones, they can't help but be passed on through the placenta to the infant." ...read the full article

"Baby acne is thought to occur in part because of exposure to the mother's hormones during pregnancy. Unfortunately, the condition commonly lasts for several months and there's nothing you can do to treat it. Simply use water to clean your niece's skin, and don't apply lotion or baby oil, which can make the acne worse. So can picking at the lesions." ...read the full article

"Baby acne [...] may look painful, it usually doesn't bother the baby at all. And like many other difficult stages of infancy, this one, too, shall pass. Baby acne is most often caused by your hormones, and may appear anytime from birth to when the baby is a few weeks old. The condition usually clears up on its own by the time the infant it about six months old. But if you want to try to speed up the process, there are a few things you should know." ...read the full article

"Baby acne is very common. It can be present at birth, but more often it shows up after a couple of weeks, usually on the cheeks and sometimes on the forehead, chin, and even the back. These small whiteheads might be surrounded by reddish skin. They can become more pronounced when your baby is hot or fussy or if his skin is irritated by saliva, spit-up milk, or fabric that's a little rough or that's been washed in strong detergent. By the way, if your baby had tiny bumps on his face at birth that disappeared within a few weeks, these are called milia and they're unrelated to acne. If the irritation looks more rashy or scaly than pimply or it appears elsewhere on his body, your baby may have another condition, such as cradle cap or eczema." ...read the full article