Does your newborn baby have excessive body hair? Young parents are always extremely frightened by this symptom. However, many doctors warn in advance about the possibility of their development. These hairs are quite thin compared to those on the body of an adult, and they have been given a special name - lanugo... They can be located both on the back and on the ears and shoulders of the child. At the same time, the hairs can be quite tough, which is why mothers decide that they are the root of problems with sleep and poor appetite of the baby.
Causes
The development of lanugo hairs on the baby's body begins in the womb, at about the twelfth week. Gradually, as the fetus develops, some hairs die off and are replaced by others, thinner and almost invisible. In fact, lanugos pose no danger, quite the contrary. They are designed to protect the child. These hairs trap the substance that the baby's body secretes while in the womb, due to which the small body fully develops.
The reasons for the appearance of an excessive amount of hair include the following:
- If a newborn has hair on his body and there are a lot of them, then, most likely, it's all about heredity and the predominance of the hormone responsible for hair growth - testosterone.
- Anomalies in the development of the hairline, which are called stigmas. The reason for their occurrence, based on a full examination of the child, can only be identified by a doctor.
- Premature birth. Since the baby is premature, the lanugos have not yet had time to fall out completely.
- Pathology. We can talk about it in the event that the lanugos have not disappeared a few months after the birth of the baby. In this case, a mandatory visit to doctors and a course of treatment that will be prescribed are shown.
How to get rid of
Doctors recommend taking some measures that will be aimed at removing hair, if the newborn has them. They are quite simple, so it will not be difficult to follow them.
- You should definitely bathe your baby regularly;
- When bathing, it is important to use a soft sponge or washcloth, with which you can wash off the hairs with careful massage movements;
- Constantly turn the baby over, change the position of his body.
Do not cut, let alone shave lanugo. A razor can only cut the delicate skin of a child.
If, after using creams and baby powders to avoid skin irritation, the hairs roll into small bunches, they can cause additional discomfort and sometimes even pain. In this case, it is necessary to bathe the baby daily, perhaps even twice a day, if there really is a need for this.
Lanugo: are they dangerous?
Still, it can be difficult to reassure many mothers, even if they are argued by a qualified doctor. The fear for the child is much stronger than the desire to understand medical terms. It is important to understand the following points:
- Lanugo is just hair that did not have time to fall out when the baby was in the womb. Within a month or two of their lives, they will finally fall out or be erased.
- The hair on the baby's body can in no way cause any problems. Even if the level of hormones is increased, it is lanugos that are not at all dangerous.
- Various recipes from traditional medicine should not be applied to the child.supposedly allowing you to get rid of unwanted hair. It's best to wait a bit. (The only thing that will be useful for the baby from the recipes of traditional medicine is baths with the addition of various medicinal herbs.)
