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Two of the most common skin problems that infants deal with are cradle cap and baby acne. Quite often, parents end up getting confused between the two problems. However, the two problems are extremely different from each other and need to be with different treatments. Let us take a closer look at baby acne and cradle cap and understand how the two problems are different from each other.
Baby acne
Baby acne is a common skin condition and not as serious as it is made to be. Several infants are born with pimples on their skin. Baby acne or infantile acne is caused as a result of hormonal changes in the body of the mother at the time of pregnancy. As compared to girls, boys happen to be a more frequent victim of baby acne.
Acne in infants usually occurs on the cheeks. However, it can also spread to the forehead and chin. Baby acne may be a mild form of acne and may primarily include of whiteheads and blackheads. It may also include papules and pustules. While papules look like small red raised area of skin, pustules are pus filled. Baby acne may also be accompanied with inflammation.
If your newly born child has pimples on his/her face, then you would be certainly looking for an appropriate treatment. But you do not really need to do that. In most cases, neonatal acne disappears on its own if left undisturbed. However, if the acne persists you can consult a doctor and look for an appropriate cure.
Cradle cap
Though baby acne and cradle cap are two different things, the primary cause of the two remains same. Cradle cap too is caused as a result of hormonal fluctuations in the body of the female during pregnancy. While baby acne affects the face of the child, cradle cap is a condition that concerns the scalp.
This condition is caused when the oil producing glands of the scalp prevent the old skin cells from falling off the skin. This results in scaling on the scalp. Cradle cap is characterized by thick, scaly and red patches on the scalp of the child. In some cases, cradle cap may also be accompanied with redness on the neck and the area behind the ears of the child.
You do not really need to treat cradle cap. It subsides on it own within 12 months of the birth of the child. The doctors usually prescribe a selenium based shampoo that helps cure the problem. While shampooing the child, you can try to loosen the scales with your hands and remove the dead skin cells.
Thus, cradle cap and baby acne are two different skin conditions. So make sure that you do not confuse them for each other.
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