Babies may develop acne because of the lingering maternal hormones after delivery, which may cause stimulation to the baby’s sebaceous glands. Your baby receives these hormones from the placenta, after the delivery. Don’t worry if your baby has pimples. About 20% of newborn babies are affected by baby acne, also known as acne-neonatorum. First things first, the treatment for infantile acne is not the same as that of acne treatment for any other age group.
Infantile acne is gender-biased. Male babies are more affected than their female counterparts. Normally babies have the acne attack at the age of 3 weeks. Some babies have it from the time of delivery. Generally, the types of acne you find in infants are papules and pustules. Papules are red bumps and pustules are whiteheads. They have a collection of pus. Some babies also have acne on the scalp. Acne in babies does not require treatment as such. The lesions will take care of themselves within four months. But do take the normal care of the baby as you would take care of its other body parts. Use mild baby soap and gently clean the face once in a day with water. Do not try harsher methods by using oil and other lotions which you think are good. They may at times, worsen the condition. Know for certain that infantile acne will disappear when it has to.
If you or your family doctor feels that the baby has severe acne, treat it with benzoyl peroxide, keratolytic agents or topical creams like retinoids. The ways of acne are indeed mysterious. If you have a family history of acne, that doesn’t mean that your baby will have acne. And just because the baby has acne, it doesn’t mean that he/she will suffer from the attack of acne, when he/she grows up. Acne has its own working style and attacking strategy. Infantile acne normally appears after the age of three months in a baby, quietly disappears after the age of 12 months. No special treatment is required. In some babies, the condition may last up to three years. It is due to the genetic makeup of your baby.
