Baby skin in particular is considered by many to be the image of perfect skin. Most people think of a smooth, rosy soft complexion. No wonder that advertising for adults also likes to promote their care products with the slogan "... baby-soft with Lotion X". However, in the first weeks or months of life, baby skin can also show dandruff, spots, rashes, redness and the like, which unsettles many parents.
In fact, many babies, especially newborns, are affected by skin irritations of various kinds in the first eight weeks. The vast majority of these are harmless and usually disappear by themselves over time. Here I would like to highlight some common changes to the baby's skin. First of all, however, there are three basic points that are very important:
▶︎ Please try under no circumstancespimples, pustules, etc. on your child's skin! Please do not scrape off dandruff, scabs etc. either! Otherwise there is a risk that the baby's sensitive skin will become inflamed. This often causes more problems than the actual skin change.
▶︎ Even with the best Baby care can lead to skin problems in the child. There is not necessarily a connection here. The causes of any abnormalities that occur are not usually due to intolerance to skincare products, as long as they do not contain preservatives, emulsifiers, perfume, alcohol or urea. Rather, they are triggered by physical processes such as hormonal changes.
▶︎ The following overview of "blemishes" on baby skin also contains some tips for treatment measures. However, they are only intended as a guide. Please do not take the following information as a guide to self-diagnosis. Especially as different skin changes have different causes, but can easily be confused due to their similar appearance (e.g. head gneiss and cradle cap). So always seek a professional assessment or diagnosis from your midwife or paediatrician if you are concerned about your child's skin.
Neonatal exanthema
In the first few days of life, around one in two newborns shows this harmless skin rash. It is typically characterised by red spots, which can also be joined by small pimples or pustules. The rash starts on the face and can spread all over the baby's body. The cause is not entirely clear, but is thought to be due to hormonal changes in the baby's body after birth. It should also not be underestimated that the child's immune system now has to work hard. This is because as soon as the baby is born, its skin is also exposed to various environmental influences that need to be dealt with. The sensitive skin can also react during this adaptation.
Typical for this rash is that the individual pimples disappear quickly, but pimples become visible in another place. Within a few days, the rash will disappear again on its own. Until then, your baby will not notice anything, as their skin neither burns nor itches. Treatment is not necessary. You will only need the advice of your midwife or doctor if the newborn exanthema does not subside.
Neonatal acne
During pregnancy, the baby was always surrounded by amniotic fluid. To prevent this from attacking the baby's sensitive skin, it is protected by the body's own sebum. Cheese smear protected. Once the baby is born, the excess sebum can cause many a pimple. Hormonal changes in the baby's body favour this process. This makes it easy for pimples to appear.
Interestingly, more boys than girls are affected. Many teenagers also experience a similar problem during puberty. Characteristically, "blackheads" appear on the face and upper body during this time, which can become inflamed and fester.
Therefore, I would like to issue another urgent warning to all parents: Please with the baby nothing express!
Neonatal acne typically occurs in the first few weeks of life and generally subsides on its own after a few days or weeks. It does not require any special treatment. If there is still no improvement after three months, talk to your midwife or paediatrician again.
Tip: If you wish, you can carefully dab the affected areas with a little breast milk.
Head gneiss
Because the sebaceous glands produce too much sebum, a yellowish/brownish, greasy and scaly rash appears on the baby's scalp. However, it is harmless and does not cause the baby any discomfort.
Scalp necrosis, also known as seborrhoeic eczema, can occur in the first few weeks of life and in the vast majority of cases disappears on its own after a few weeks or months. However, many parents still feel disturbed by the sight of this irritation on their child's skin. They therefore apply baby oil, almond oil or olive oil to the flaky areas, leave the oil to soak in overnight and then try to brush or gently wash off the areas the next day with a soft baby brush or flannel.
There is nothing to be said against the use of moisturising oils. However, I advise you not to manipulate the affected areas just because YOU don't like the look of it. The baby is not bothered by head gneiss!
Under no circumstances However, you must not rub, scrape, rub off or remove the spots in any other violent way! This can injure baby's scalp and also lead to infections and scars.
Incidentally, the harmless head gneiss is often confused by laypeople with cradle cap, which usually requires treatment.
Cradle cap in babies
The term "cradle cap" has nothing to do with the breast milk or bottle feed that the baby receives, but merely with the appearance of the affected areas of skin: They resemble dried, burnt milk in a pot.
The cause of cradle cap is not known. It usually first appears from the third month of life with white, dry scales on the reddened and itchy scalp. Weeping blisters may also develop. These symptoms can also spread to the face and arms.
Cradle cap is what is known as atopic eczema - a genuine skin disease. In over 50% of cases, it is the precursor to neurodermatitis.
The same applies here: The dandruff on the scalp can be treated with oil or a moisturising cream. Otherwise: Keep your hands away from the affected areas!
Cradle cap is often unpleasant for the child because it can be agonisingly itchy. Therefore, anything that prevents or minimises additional skin irritation will help the baby. This starts with short fingernails and/or small cotton mittens that prevent the child from scratching its skin. Detergent residues in children's clothing, fragrances in baby care products or frequent bathing of the child also irritate their sensitive skin and should be avoided. You should also make sure that your baby does not sweat - as this would usually make the itching even worse. It is therefore important to avoid overheating your child. This also includes not dressing them too warmly. Soft clothing made of cotton and/or silk (without virgin wool) is best. If the skin is too dry and itches more quickly, parents can soothe it with a moisturising cream or oil.
An affected child should be presented to the midwife and/or paediatrician - precisely because it is so difficult for parents to distinguish between cradle cap and head gneiss. If large areas of skin are affected or the child keeps scratching the skin, paediatricians will usually prescribe a special cortisone-based ointment.
Neurodermatitis
It is estimated that 23 per cent of all babies and toddlers in Germany are affected by atopic dermatitis. This makes it the most common skin condition diagnosed in children under the age of two.
Neurodermatitis is a so-called atopic disease. This means that those affected have severe allergic reactions to substances that are actually harmless.
The typical symptoms include dry, inflamed areas of skin, on which very itchy, scaly, possibly also weeping skin eczema develops. In babies, this is particularly noticeable on the face and head. In small children, the skin is often also affected on the joints (elbows, knees or hands), and sometimes the thighs, hands and feet are also affected.
The symptoms of atopic dermatitis occur in phases: "high phases" and phases with few or no symptoms alternate. In principle, this skin disease cannot be cured. However, the symptoms in babies often disappear by their second birthday or at least become less severe by the time they reach school age or puberty.
The reason why a child develops atopic dermatitis has not yet been clarified. It is assumed that a genetic predisposition also plays a role, for example if one parent is already affected.
However, some triggers are known that can lead to the next flare-up of atopic dermatitis. These include irritation of the skin caused by certain factors such as sweat, special textile fibres, ingredients in care products or detergents, as well as allergens such as animal hair or pollen. Allergens in food or cigarette smoke in the vicinity of the child can also trigger flare-ups. The same applies if the child is under stress.
Tip: Parents can do a lot to reduce the risk of an atopic disease such as neurodermatitis in their baby. This applies in particular to "at-risk children", i.e. those with a possible genetic predisposition:
- Quit smoking during pregnancy,
- a smoke-free environment for the baby after birth (which also applies to all children in general),
- breastfeed the child fully for at least four months,
- Continue breastfeeding during the introduction of complementary foods
- a varied diet (including sea fish) for the mother (already during pregnancy) and the baby as soon as it is no longer fed exclusively on milk;
- Do not bring a cat into the household
- Keep stress away from the child
If you would like to learn more about allergy prevention in connection with the introduction of complementary foods, the Complementary feeding course perfect for you.
Birthmarks on the baby's skin
Dark, slightly raised moles: Some babies are already born with it. Keep your hands off it at all costs! Please do not manipulate or somehow "treat" or "edit" such a birthmark in any way. However, it is important to observe these marks throughout childhood and adolescence and to have them assessed by a doctor at regular intervals.
"Mongolian spots": This is a completely inappropriate, racist term that should have disappeared long ago. Unfortunately, however, it is still used. The medically correct name for the so-called "Mongolian spot" is congenital dermal melanocytosis. This type of birthmark usually appears on the baby's lower back or bottom in bluish-dark patches, which can also shade into brown. They are easily confused with "classic" bruises, but are actually strong pigment accumulations in deeper layers of the skin, which have already developed in the child's womb during embryonic skin pigmentation. Children with very light-coloured skin are less frequently affected than children with stronger pigmentation. "Mongolian spots are harmless, fade over time and usually disappear by the child's fifth birthday. In exceptional cases, they remain until puberty.
"Stork bite": Newborn babies sometimes have a red spot in the centre of the neck. This is also known as a "stork bite". This type of port-wine stain can also appear on the forehead. But don't worry: this is merely a benign malformation of the capillary blood vessels in the skin.
The "stork bite" is harmless and does not cause the baby any discomfort. Treatment is not necessary. The spot fades over time and usually disappears completely by the baby's first birthday.
Breast milk nutrition is important in connection with the baby's skin. Its composition nourishes and protects the baby from the inside via the immune system and from the outside as a moisturising lotion. This Breastfeeding course helps you with preparation, during breastfeeding and also with breastfeeding problems.
