Author: Bill Regehr
Source: ezinearticles.com
Bringing home the cute little bundle of joy is a miracle in itself. When newborns are ready to come home, they have the appearance of sweet unblemished skin with a glow of happiness on their faces. This peaceful happiness comes from being bundled in soft blankets and loving attention from parents and family. Everyone around the baby is cooing, being playful and otherwise entertaining their new family member. Then one day, a couple of weeks after the arrival, the purest of skin somehow becomes blemished with red pimples and redness appearing as acne or rosacea.
While these outbreaks can have a variety of appearances, most often they show up as pimples or red bumps on the baby’s forehead, top of the head or more often the cheeks. This is not the same as infantile acne or teenage acne. It generally appears three to four weeks after birth, but can at times be present almost immediately following birth.
This has nothing to do with hygiene or the mother’s milk if the baby is nursing. It is believed that baby acne is a carryover from the mother’s hormones released during the pregnancy. These hormones are transferred through the placenta and play a key role in the development of the fetus. Just as the hormonal activity causes acne in pregnant women, those same hormones finally impact the baby’s oil glands after birth and are thought to be the primary cause of baby acne.
Then the baby’s skin reacts sometimes to it’s new environment that contains irritants such as detergents in clothing and bedding. Also high levels of activity and getting the baby too warm in the blankets and clothing can produce the symptoms of baby acne.
There is no need to panic. Exercising a little care about not getting the baby too warm and making sure you use a detergent that is baby-skin friendly can minimize the incidence of these outbreaks. The symptoms will disappear on their own within a few weeks and you can take extra precautions that mange the effect during this sensitive time. Application of creams or lotions may actually make the matter worse. Gently washing the skin regularly will likely help in addition to the cautions mentioned above.
Above all else, do not try to squeeze the pimples or red blotches. This could leave permanent scars. Baby acne treatment is best handled with clean warm water and a clean washcloth. This washing is especially important after nursing when the baby’s face has been in direct contact with the mother’s skin. This may leave oils and other chemicals on the baby’s skin.
Again remember that this is not a dietary issue, but one that is a carryover from life inside the womb. Within a few weeks it will disappear. Special medication or topical treatment should only be used after getting your doctor’s advice to take this more drastic measure.
To learn more about baby acne treatment and other acne treatment read about acne treatments that work for the whole family.
Bill Regehr is a researcher on the topic of acne as it pertains to a number of different audience. His work is work on acne treatments have been published at http://www.acnecures4all.com where there are categories for women, teens, adults, babies and other groups are covered.
Tags: acne treatments that work, baby acne, baby acne treatment