Exhale, and Q&A: baby acne

Well. That was a significantly less traumatic process than it could have been. And the concession and acceptance speech were both amazing, and made me proud of my country.

So on to baby-related stuff. Anon wrote to ask if I knew how to get rid of baby acne.

As far as I know, baby acne is caused by all the hormones cycling out of the baby's system. Which means that there are going to be certain times when the hormones are surging more than others, and there's no real way to stop the acne except waiting it out.

There are definitely folk remedies that you can try. If nothing else, they'll give you something to do while you wait for the acne to go away on its own.

If you're breastfeeding, try squirting some on the affected area. (I just said "affected area" like I'm a medical person. Heh.) Breastmilk has antibiotic properties, and cures a number of random things, from rashes to pinkeye. Plus, it's free. So it's worth a shot.

If you're not nursing, or breastmilk doesn't do anything, you can try unfiltered, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar. Make sure you get the kind with the "mother" still in it (like Mrs. Braggs brand). Cut the vinegar with a little water, and dab it on.

Does anyone else have any harmless folk remedies for baby acne? If your child had it, when did it peak?

Comments

[zimbabweanjen]

congrats america and all the best for the years to come!
i am not sure if this would work for baby acne, but it is an old home remedy for diaper rash and other skin problems in south africa/zimbabwe. I am not sure if you can get rooibos (redbush) tea in the states, although i'd say you probably can at this point, it's quite popular. anyway, brew some up (keep it weak) and let it cool, soak cotton wool in it and dab it on the 'affected area'. else you can float a tea bag in their baby bath. as far as i remember with my son, his skin was quite greasy and pimply looking right up until about 2 or three months and then it just righted itself. good luck.

[hedra]

We always did the breastmilk routine. It is also anti-inflammatory (one of the reasons it helps for cradle cap and ear infections is the anti-inflammatory process - that works nearly immediately on symptoms, the antibiotic effect takes a bit longer).

My kids always had them, and they were about a 3 month run, I think, but peaked around 1.5-2 months out - just in time for Christmas and New Year's (since they're all born at the same time of year, it was kind of an obvious pattern).

[Shalini]

I agree with the election speeches, both were good. Glad that everyone seemed gracious and were ready to move on...

My lil one had baby acne, but it will go in a few months... We just would wash her face with a damp cloth, and keep her as clean and cool as possible, I noticed worse flareups if she was overheated etc (she was born in August)...

But about 3 months or so, it all went...

[MorahLaura]

My 9 week old just got over his bout of baby acne; he had it way worse than I remember with either of my daughters. It seemed to peak around 6-7 weeks. He also got cradle cap and a nasty case of prickly heat right around that time too, so the poor guy looked just awful and felt like sandpaper from his head to his chest. Yuk. Everything's gone now except the cradle cap, for which I've done the oil-and-stiff-comb treatment 3 times and it's still hanging on!

[Jen L.]

Breastmilk worked for us, too. The other option the midwife who taught our "Newborn Care" class suggested was dabbing a little olive oil on it. She said breastmilk or olive oil would cure anything!

[stacy]

Last night rocked. I can't believe it! It feels like a dream.

Anyway, be careful about baby acne. A friend of mine heard "baby acne" from her pediatrician for MONTHS. The kid was 11 months old and the ped. was still saying, "baby acne." She, fortunately, didn't take it lying down. A dermatologist diagnosed eczema.

That's an extreme case (her ped. was a real idiot), but if the baby acne is particularly long-lasting, you don't necessarily have to just live with it.

My son's run-of-the-mill baby acne was gone by 8 weeks.

[Moxie]

NorahLaura, cradle cap is actually a fungus, and is the same fungus that causes dandruff. Sometimes it can hang on if the humidity's too low or high. If you felt comfortable with it, you could let a little Head and Shoulders shampoo sit on it for a minute and then rinse off gently. Otherwise the oil and comb routine should eventually work, unless you have a kid who's really prone to cradle cap.

If you have an older child with cradle cap, what finally solved it for us was the Lush soap bar that smells like black licorice. We tried a dozen shampoos before that (including prescription ones) that made no dent in it, but after 4 or 5 uses of the Lush shampoo bar it was gone,

[Brooke]

Photoshop it out of pictures.

[wealhtheow]

Ugh, a fungus? The toddler (holy crap I have a toddler now!) has had a mild case for a while, and I've just been ignoring it, but I did the oil and comb treatment the other day and it seemed to help somewhat. Should I be repeating this until it clears up? The cradle cap isn't bad enough to bother either of us, but will it affect his health if I let it go untreated?*

*Alarmist Mommy comes out when I've had less than 6 hours of sleep. But it was worth it to watch the acceptance speech.

[the milliner]

Our little guy, who is 4.5 months, still has what I think is baby acne that comes and goes. DH & I are both fair skinned and our DS has inherited the same pink skin.

Our doula made a good point that it may be allergies, not acne, as it comes and goes and red spots (with an acne like bump) can appear quickly and then disappear just as quickly.

So, I'm now in the process of trying to track when the red spots appear, what I'm eating etc. Not always easy, as I seem to notice most when I'm breastfeeding...not sure if it's just because I have a moment to step back then that I notice it or if it is onset at BF.

For now, I've taken the position to ride it out (with ensuring his face gets a thorough wash with a warm face cloth morning and night..no soap) and keeping a watchful eye on the timing of when it appears & disappears.

Taking a 'wait & see' approach is difficult for me as I've been plagued with acne almost my entire life (from 11 - eleven! - to 38 + counting), and have gone through all the treatments up to and including Accutane.

I know there is supposed to be no correlation between infant acne and puberty / adult acne, but it's hard not to think there could be a link when you have that history.

Anyhow, the washing night and day seems to help minimize the acne. And now that the weather is getting colder and drier, it's helping as well.

So, perhaps, don't rule out other causes, such as allergies or as @stacy said, possibly eczema.

[Clare]

Our ped told us that baby acne is also caused by a fungus, and suggested we put miconozole (anti-fungal cream) on it. I tried everything else before I did that, because seemed really ooky to put that on his face, but it cleared it up really quickly, within a few days. His lasted for weeks and weeks, but honestly I can't remember how old he was when it cleared up.

[Christie]

I rubbed Vaseline into baby's skin, from head to toe, twice a day for about a week, and the baby acne went away... after the acne was gone I stopped this treatment, and he has had nice skin ever since. I usually don't use any kind of lotions on my children, since sensitive skin runs in my family (I can't use anything containing Lanolin, for example).

[snickollet]

It's not a folk remedy, but Mustela's PhysiObebe worked wonders on my daughter's baby acne. You can get it in a pump bottle or in these nice, thick, soft wipes. It's not cheap, but I found that it really did the trick for any kind of baby skin problems. And personally, I think it smells divine.

[Bethany]

Just to add another data point, DD was about 4 months old when she outgrew it. I agree with pp about just photoshopping it out of photos...Good luck!

[hush]

Hydrocortisone ointment or cream (0.5% or 1%), cheap & available OTC, will work to clear up baby acne within about a day.

For teen & adult acne, prescription Differin gel or cream works wonders, and has amazing anti-aging properties.

These are clearly not the type of "folk" remedies the question called for, but boy have they worked for most people I happen to know who have tried them.

In other news, we got our first black president, y'all & he's amazing!!! HOORAY!!!!!!

[meggiemoo]

Feeling so giddy today with what our country accomplished last night...

I had very stubborn cradle cap as a baby (and have bouts of dandruff now), and my DS did as well. I used a soft baby brush and would gently brush/massage his scalp with baby shampoo in the bath for about 10 minutes. This seemed to help a lot.

The baby acne just went away on its own. It was unsightly, but I'd always heard it was a function of fluctuating hormones and would go away naturally.

[pnuts mama]

still flying high from last night- holy crap, we did it!! in a landslide!! whoo!!

interesting thing about olive oil- you can put it (warmed) in the ear for an earache- it worked! last night the pnut wouldn't stop screaming over her poor ear hurting- called the dr, he suggested the warm olive oil (w/motrin) and i'll be damned if it didn't work! made our election night watching (and her comfort) much better!!!

[Jenny]

I was always afraid to rub it too much when I gave mine a bath when he had baby acne. But a pediatric nurse told me to use just plain water and scrub it well every night to get the oil off his skin around the affected area. It worked like a charm.

With his teething rash, I have been using A&D ointment, and it's working so well! Maybe you could also try it for baby acne?

[MemeGRL]

Point of reference: Both my boys had baby acne. Son 1 had a mild case, a few big things I was desperate to pop but didn't, mostly in the first three months.
Son 2 had a moderate case. His lasted until he was almost 1. All the baby photos have pizza cheeks. Nothing I did helped (though I didn't try olive oil or the tea).
Not to be a downer but we just lived with it. It didn't bother him. If it ever does, I'll photoshop the pictures for him. And one last warning...after months of holding back from popping any of them, I squeezed the last one. Once. And it scarred. Not badly but I know I did that. No biggie but it's not just something they tell you as it turns out it's true.

[Liz]

Ooo - my baby had it BAD around 5 wks. It looked painful and terrible. My pedia recommended putting a thin layer of hydrocortisone cream on it. I kind of didnt believe him bc it seemed like that would clog the pores more. But it totally worked. The breastmilk trick didnt help us.

[Lee]

The best remedy I can offer is just to sit tight and wait for it to go away.

I'll also confess that I occasionally picked the most obvious ones, though I know that is the absolutely worst thing I could have done.

[Charisse]

Mouse had baby acne from about 3-5 weeks. Her whole face was covered, but we were told it was a normal hormonal thing and it didn't seem to cause her any discomfort. Cleared up on it's own.

[r+k+mama]

I have to say that this morning for the first time in a long time I woke up proud and hopeful for my country. It was an honor to listen to both speeches and I feel a huge weight has been lifted. Exhale indeed.
Just for a data point my daughter didn't have it but my son did moderately, peaking around 3-5 weeks and totally gone between 3 and 4 months.

[Foster]

My friends baby had acne really bad. She rubbed Badgers Baby Balm on his face. Dunno if it made it go away faster, but it was moisturizing & he smelled great!

Im so glad to get a much needed break from hating our president :)

[caramama]

I'm just in a great mood today! I'm so happy and proud!

As for the baby acne, my little girl's peaked between 4 to 8 weeks. We didn't treat it, and amazingly I left it alone. She still gets occassional spots here and there, and not always on her face, and she's almost 20 months.

She also had cradle cap and still has a little. We tried the olive oil for that, but it was so greasy. We used cradle cap shampoo (the one with winnie the pooh on the bottle) that seemed to help, although it didn't clear it up. It's mostly gone now, and you can't see it through her hair anyway.

She also has spots of ezcema, which we treat using the basic aquaphor, which is like vaseline.

Doctor says she just is prone to skin issues. Oh boy!

@wealhtheow - Cradle cap does not cause any health issues. It doesn't even bother the babies at all (like baby acne doesn't). But the doctor told us that if it bothered us, we could use something to treat it like the olive oil or shampoo. My girl's was so bad that it would look really scaly and flake off, so that's why we used something. But you don't have to.

@Jenny - Thanks for the idea of using diaper rash cream on the teething rash! I'm going to try that.

[Cloud]

Just this morning I was wondering if I should try her diaper rash cream on the little rash she's had on her chin for the last week or so... thanks @Jenny for letting me know that it might work. Nothing else seems to be helping.

Our girl (19 months old now) has always been prone to mild eczema, particularly on her back. Our pediatrician suggested we put a little bit of cortisone on it, and that works well. You don't want to use this too much, though. It is a topical steroid, and I think heavy use can cause some side effects.

I can't remember when the baby acne fully cleared up. Maybe at about 4 weeks? She had the little white spots that look like whiteheads for longer.

[paola]

We used Mustella's stelekar (sorry the spelling might be wrong), which I highly recommend, on DD and it worked wonders on her cradel cap. DS's cradel cap developed into seborrhoeic eczema as we couldn't get the treatment right, and needed to be treated with something stronger, but buggered if I can remember what it was called (sorry).

Oh, and we were thrilled with the election results over here in Itlay. Can you beleive it's the only thing I heard people talking about on the train and at the office this morning, and those are the Italians. DH even shed a tear!

[Betsy]

I think we need to be clear that baby acne is not always just a minor cosmetic issue to simply be ignored, even though most pp have said it clears up on its own by about 4 months and can be photoshopped out of baby pictures.

If your baby has pustules and a lot of red bumps all over the face, it's wise to accept pediatrician's counsel and treat it. Acne can develop into a painful condition for babies if it becomes overly inflamed, and the pustules get infected. Scarring can also occur.

There's nothing wrong with wanting baby to look cute. I support all of you who might (secretly) feel better about the parenting gig if baby didn't have the acne. Nothing to be ashamed of at all.

By the teenage years, I think treating acne and visiting the orthodontist as needed are very important for the development of self-esteem. But unfortunately these are often regarded as luxury items.

[Laura]

My guy was born with a chinful of milia and progressed to full-face pizza in a month. I just left it alone, though GOD I was dying to pick at it 'cause I'm icky like that, and it went away in its own good time. I'd give your baby's acne a good long stretch of time to resolve on its own; I do think it takes time for the pregnancy hormones to seep out of the baby's system. Only after that would I try any topical applications.

[Andrea]

Mr Wiggles got acne and male pattern baldness at 4 weeks. He looked hilarious. It's gone now, his hair has grown back, and he's 10 weeks old.

[hydrogeek]

My pedi recommends the anti-fungal cream for lots of stuff, and I've become a believer. I just use the w@lmart brand that's 1% clotrimazole (sp?). I didn't know about that stuff when my daughter was a baby, so we just waited it out and it cleared up around 2 months, I think. I may try some of these things on baby #2, though, if he gets it very badly. IF HE EVER COMES OUT.

[Emme Bea]

My almost 2 year old had baby acne that peaked around 4-7 weeks. I was using Johnson and Johnson baby wash (the purple one that's supposed to be "calming") and a friend recommended I switch to Aveeno baby wash. I did and within 2 days, literally, it was about 36 hours after his first bath with it, the acne was gone gone gone.

I'm sure it would have gone away on its own eventually, but I truly believe the Aveeno really helped.

Yay for our country! Boo for Florida (my home) for passing a super crappy anti-gay marriage amendment. Sometimes I look around and just think "Really? You REALLY don't want people to marry?" I still don't understand what the big hoopla is and am both surprised and disappointed. But yay! Obama! So, glass half full and empty here.

[wealhtheow]

@caramama: thanks. Now with a cup of strong coffee it seems really obvious that cradle cap doesn't pose a health risk, but it's good to have the reassurance!

[CG]

Chiming in about cradle cap, the olive oil worked great for us. I would rub some in at the beginning of the bath, play around a bit and wash the rest of the baby so it had a chance to soak in, then take a hairbrush and just brush those loosened chunks out. Then I would wash with baby shampoo. My son had a ton of hair from birth so we really did need that shampoo at the end. It took probably three or four times doing this to get rid of it completely.

Just out of curiosity on the baby acne, is it a case of too much oil or not enough (or something else like hormones or irritation)? Some remedies seem to suggest that more moisture helps, some less. Any experts out there?

[Lisa]

We had some good luck with the California Baby calendula cream - a nice alternative for mild eczema, diaper rash, scratches and scrapes, etc.

[M]

Nothing to add on the baby acne. My boys did not have that (one did have pretty good round of craddle cap though).

Just wanted to add to the political discussion... I'm out here in CA and I agree with Emma Bea. It looks like CA's Prop 8 (the ban on gay marriage) is going to pass. I can't believe we are finally to a point where we can vote in a black president but still let a Prop like that one go through. I am really just stunned that it passed and it makes me so sad and really disappointed in society. Sadly that completely offsets my joy that we've progressed enough that we could vote a black president into office.

I'm also a complete cynic in that I don't think anything will change with a new person. I just beleive it shows that we have come far enough as a society to look past skin color but that will do nothing to change the political system that exists.

Lastly, even though there were females present in the election, I don't feel that group made much progress in terms of getting any closer to the White House. Maybe everyone is just waiting for the right person that it becomes more about the person than their sex (such as it seemed to be the case with Obama - not so much about his skin color but about him).

[Heather]

I use Niapads for my teenager's acne and would recommend them highly - but not sure about using it on newborns/infants. Details are available on their website.

[Tsubaki]

I can vouch for the breast milk method. I put some on one side of baby's face when he was sleeping to test, and that side cleared up!

[Elle]

Yay for Obama...and the rest of the world. I haven't stopped smiling.

Cradle cap - I made a paste out of BiCarb Soda and water and left it on for 20mins, it fizzed a little when it went on but bub didn't mind and it did the trick!

[effective nancy]

No answers on treating baby acne, but I was pleased that it erased the milia DD had on her nose from birth. Each little pore zittified and then healed, taking those weird whiteheads away. Lovely. All done by about 10 weeks.

Election? I'm just pleased as all get out to have voted three times already for such an astounding winner. Glad to have a smart person sent to the White House--seems like it's been forever!--and feeling very positive about finally having someone speak truth, e.g. this is going to be hard, we will all sacrifice, we must work together. Much better to face reality than be told to go on a shopping spree... Of course, I've got to see how the rest of this shakes out: who takes his senator's seat? What's the ripple effect on our more local representation? Mine is one of the congresspeople in contention for the senate, so it's pretty personal.

[Barren Mare]

Botany had a bad case of baby acne between about 6-9 weeks. I remember it particularly because the GP commented on it at her 8 week check- as if it were somehow my fault. Anyway, she recommended this herbal cream called Infant Starflower. It worked a treat-really helped clear it up- and is meant to help with other skin irritations for kids under the age of 4. The only thing is I don't know if it is available Stateside- here in the UK it was readily available from my local herbalist.

[White]

Yipee for Obama!

I can't be any help with the baby acne but do believe it is to do with left over hormones after pregnancy.

Both of my girls had cradle cap quite badly - although only up until around 6 months old. Olive oil was recommended by the midwives in England for Big Bubba and it helped a little but took several goes (and left her looking pretty greasy)! Little Bubba was born in Australia and the midwives there suggested the same BiCarb Soda and water paste that Elle mentioned - it was a miracle cure - I saw a huge improvement after the first try and when I did it again a few days later that was the end of her cradle cap.

[Danielle]

My little one had baby acne and eczema TERRIBLY when he was 6 weeks. So badly that the skin behind his ears was cracking open and oozing. I took him into the ped and she told me 1) that it was normal and would go away and 2) to use a tiny bit of Cortizone .1% mixed with Cetaphil on it once or twice a day.
He did outgrow it and the cortizone really helped to heal those cracked parts of his skin.
Also Aquaphor is your friend. It's awesome for dry skin, drool dry patches, crawling calluses, everything!

[alby]

just a quick warning about the hydrocortisone (and I hope I am remembering this correctly but probably better to be overcautious so I am going to throw it out there) - it should be fine for a few days but be careful with this, especially with somewhat darker skin, especially on the face - I saw a baby once whose mom had been putting hydrocortisone on her face for baby acne, and it caused sort of bleached, lighter spots - and the pediatrician said it would be somewhat permanent - although it would fade, would probably stay noticable. Someone please correct me if I am wrong!

[Kirsten]

A couple of evening applications of hydrocortisone cream and the baby acne was gone - my son had it worse than my daughter. He had one patch of scale on his head so that got a bit of cream too and it was gone. I tried BM but didn't have fantastic results.

My daughter had cradle cap and I took care of it by washing her head, brushing every direction with a nail brush (stiff bristles but light strokes), rinsing, and then washing again to get rid of the gunk. After the first time of doing this I noticed a big improvement. I had tried the oil but the sensation made her cry.

[Amy]

My second baby had terrible acne all over his face. We got a tip from a friend to use Aquaphor lotion on his face and it totally cleared up within a matter of days.

[BrooklynGirl]

Mustela makes something called PhysioBebe--it's a cleanser for babies that doesn't require water. It's almost like a toner. For whatever reason, that cleared up my daughter's baby acne when nothing else worked. Ditto their cradle cap shampoo for, um, cradle cap.

[andrea2]

My son had it from about 6-8 weeks. His ped said to use plain Dove unscented bar soap on it. Dont know if it was a coincidence or not, but it was gone within 2 days of washing his face with that.

[Kerry W]

Nothing on the baby acne, but my son's had terrible eczema, and the only thing that's really worked on it (and we even used a prescription for a while) is Shi Kai's Borage dry Skin Therapy Children's Lotion. (Apparently Borage is recommended for cradle cap, too) We also use their unscented body wash on him, and it's *worlds* better than Cetaphil. Now we get occasional flare-ups, and use either some calendula cream (smells pretty) or some OTC hydrocortisone on them.

[midlife mommy]

I think my daughter got it around four weeks. It didn't last very long, and we didn't do anything about it.