The baby is born, but contrary to the popular belief that his skin should be soft and clean, on his tiny face, to the horror of moms and dads with little parenting experience, whitish or yellowish pimples appear - acne. They can be single or multiple, covering a fairly large area of the forehead or cheeks. With the question of who is to blame and what to do with these rashes now, parents often turn to the famous pediatrician of the highest category Yevgeny Komarovsky.
What it is?
Newborn acne (neonatal cephalic pustulosis) is not uncommon. It occurs in about 30% of all newborn toddlers. White or yellow pimples appear on the crumbs in the forehead area, around the nose, on the cheeks, on the chin, in the scalp. These are the most common acne sites.
Much less often, a rash can be observed in the area of the ears and neck. Evgeny Komarovsky calms down - this acne rash is most often of a physiological nature, and does not require any special treatment.
The fact is that the child is influenced by the residual hormonal background of the mother, which was natural for him during the nine months of being in the tummy. The "instigator" of pimples in this case is the estrogen hormone, which is produced in huge quantities in the maternal body in the last trimester of pregnancy and during childbirth. It allows the baby to gain subcutaneous fat, and also contributes to the appearance of acne.
In addition, after birth, the sex glands of a new person are activated, this also causes acne in newborns. Especially if you remember that the child's sebaceous glands are not yet able to function in the correct "debugged" mode.
Most often, such a rash is either present at birth or appears in the first six months of a child's independent life after birth. There is a fairly widespread opinion among pediatricians that infant acne is a way for baby's skin to adapt as much as possible to a rather aggressive environment, in which there are many bacteria, fungi and other pathogens.
How to distinguish from other diseases?
Attentive parents, according to Komarovsky, are quite capable of figuring out on their own what exactly popped up on the baby's skin - neonatal pimples or rashes with allergies. With a food or other allergic reaction, the rash will be all over the body, with acne of newborns - only on the face.
And now Dr. Komarovsky himself will tell us what children's acne is, how this disease is explained and about the rules of proper skin care.
An allergic rash, as a rule, gives the child a lot of unpleasant sensations, itches, itches, the baby begins to behave restlessly, be capricious, cry for no apparent reason. Acne of newborns does not cause any obsessive and unpleasant effects, the child does not feel it.
Acne in babies can be in the form of papules (reddish seals), comedones (whitish, as if "closed" rash) or pustules (reddish seals with a light top, pus). In case of an allergic rash, the rashes and the places around them have a pronounced red tint, without purulent "heads", whitish tops.
Doctor Komarovsky recommends, when a rash is detected, to carefully look at that part of the child's butt, which is always hidden under the diaper. She does not come into contact with any allergens, and therefore if the rash is not there, then it is not worth talking about food allergies. If it is, then we are most likely talking not about harmless pimples, but a real allergic reaction.
We present to your attention another interesting thematic issue of Dr. Komarovsky's program.
Sometimes acne is confused with prickly heat. If the baby is wrapped up, daily bathing is neglected, then the rash on the face will actually initially resemble acne (this ailment is also called facial bloom). It can be distinguished by its prevalence - prickly heat spreads through the body faster than acne, and, as a rule, does not have purulent heads.
Even more often, acne can be confused with dermatitis. The difference can only be determined by the doctor, and therefore Komarovsky recommends in any case to show the baby to the pediatrician.
Doctor Komarovsky's advice
As we already said, no special treatment for acne in a newborn is required, but there are some nuances that Evgeny Olegovich recommends to learn and learn for all young mothers.
- It is strictly forbidden to squeeze out pimples for a baby! Firstly, it hurts, and, secondly, pathogenic bacteria can get into the wounds and cause an inflammatory process. Then, in place of such "complicated" wounds, ugly scars will remain, which is no longer possible to get rid of.
- If parents use cosmetics for children, they must be labeled "From the first days of life." It is not necessary to cauterize acne with brilliant green, iodine, alcohol and alcohol-containing solutions. Ointments with antibiotics, and even an ordinary baby cream, are also prohibited, because it is quite oily. You shouldn't try to fix the problem with powder, it's useless. If there are a lot of rashes, you can use zinc ointment or "Sudokrem", they effectively "dry" pimples.
- If acne does not go away for a long time, the rash becomes larger and more and more areas of the baby's face are covered by it, be sure to consult a doctor. Such pimples may not have a hormonal root cause, but an infectious one.
- A mother who is breastfeeding should worry less so that the stress hormone cortisol does not enter the milk. It also contributes to the appearance of skin problems in a child. In addition, a nursing mother should review her diet.
- A child with newborn acne needs sun and air baths, hardening. In the warm season, a baby with problem skin should be exposed to air more often. Herbal medicine is acceptable - bathing in water with the addition of a decoction of chamomile and a string. You can wash your baby's chamomile several times a day, avoiding the broth getting into the eyes, nose and ears.
- With the right approach, according to Evgeny Komarovsky, acne disappears without a trace on its own in a fairly short time - from several weeks to 3 months.
When to see a doctor?
- If acne appears after a year, this is a very good reason to contact a pediatrician, and then an allergist and dermatologist.
- If a child with a severe acne rash loses appetite, disrupted behavior, sleep, the skin becomes dry and rough, this is also a reason for undergoing a thorough examination by specialists.
- If you cannot determine the origin of the rash. If it is not possible to understand whether she is allergic or physiological as an infant, Komarovsky advises to visit a doctor. A specialist will be able to quickly resolve all issues and give the necessary recommendations.
