Baby Acne Treatment – What is it, Really?

Bringing home the cute little bundle of joy is a miracle in itself. When newborns are ready to come home, they have the looks of sweet unblemished skin with a glow of joy upon their faces. This peaceful happiness originates from being bundled in soft blankets and loving attention from mother and father as well as family. Everyone around the baby is cooing, being playful and otherwise entertaining their brand new family member. Then one day, a few days after the arrival, the purest of skin somehow will become blemished with red pimples and redness appearing as acne or rosacea.

While these outbreaks may have a variety of appearances, most often they appear as pimples or red bumps about the child’s forehead, top of the head or more frequently the cheeks. This really is not the same as infantile acne or teenage acne. It usually appears three to four weeks after birth, but can at times show up almost immediately following delivery.

This has nothing to do with cleanliness or the mother’s milk if the infant is nursing. It is believed that baby acne is actually 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 actual fetus. Just as the hormonal activity causes acne in women that are pregnant, these same hormones finally effect the newborn’s oil glands after birth and are thought to be the principal cause of baby acne.

Then your child’s skin reacts sometimes to it’s new environment that contains irritants like detergents in clothes and bed linen. Also higher levels of activity as well as getting the baby too warm in the blankets and clothes may produce the signs and symptoms of baby acne.

Baby Acne Treatment

You don’t have to panic. Exercising a little care regarding not getting the infant too warm as well as ensuring you use a soap that’s baby-skin friendly can reduce the incidence of those outbreaks. The signs and symptoms will disappear by themselves within a couple weeks and you can take extra precautions that manage the effect in this sensitive time. Application of creams or lotions may possibly make the matter worse. Gently washing the skin frequently 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 taken care of with clean warm water and a clean washcloth. This washing is especially important right after nursing when the newborn’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 nutritional problem, but one that is a carryover from life within the womb. Within a couple 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.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Regehr

I hope this baby acne article helped answer your question about baby acne treatment.