Baby Acne...

My first baby had this--I used watered down baby shampoo on a washcloth and washed his face daily. It cleared up in a couple of days.

J.: It is not heat it is hormones there is really nothing you can do but i assure you it goes away almost as fast as it appears!

Baby acne is caused by Mommy's hormones. The hormones that you shared during pregnancy, they are working their way out. From my experience, two kids with severe baby acne begining at two weeks and lasting until about 4-5 weeks, just let it run it's course. Their skin is so sensitive, it's better to just leave it alone. Remember, it is just the hormones that baby received in utero just working it's way out. It will clear, no treatment necessary. It's not from your body heat, so no need to treat yourself either. She will resume her beautiful, perfect complexion in time once all the hormones exit her system.

My pediatrician prescribed 2% Ketoconazole cream, which is an anti-fungal. It worked like a charm, in a matter of days, and never came back. The tube of cream barely has a dent in it. My son is now 11 1/2 months old!

Cortisone cream over the counter worked great to help both of my sons' faces. I'd still get the picture anyway - they change so much and are only so tiny for such a short time.

Okay, this may sound a little strange, but someone at the hospital I deliver at told me this with my first one. Wash her face with warm water, but if/when you nurse rub a little breast milk on her face. It seems to work best with fresh breast milk and not pumped. I know this seems odd, but I, as well as several other mothers I know, have done this. It clears up baby acne & scratches from their tiny nails in a matter of hours, maybe two hours at most. About the only thing it doesn't clear up are the little milk spots they get on their faces (the little white bumps). If it doesn't clear up entirely the first time you can do it again. My first baby had terrible baby acne until I remembered this and afterwards had beautiful skin. Hope it helps.

Many babies have what you're describing including one of my 3. The pediatrician said it's caused by the baby's exposure to the hormones in your body before she was born. As I recall, there's really nothing you can do about it. I think it goes away on it's own, but if you're really concerned call your pediatrician's office and talk to the nurse. I wouldn't put anything on her skin until you do.

Hope this helps.
M.

The baby acne is from the rush of hormones released from your body into hers during birth. This can take several months to clear up. Even though my second son was born in like 5 minutes, he had the baby acne for several months. There wasn't really anything to clear it up. I know it looks bad on an infant especially when you want them to look so perfect. It clears up on its own.

I would suggest that you don't use any really potent lotion or perfume or detergent for your clothes bc perhaps nursing in the heat is transferring it to her and irritating her. My son got really bad acne for a while to, but it seemed to resolve itself. Our Dr. said it was probably due to his right-out-of-the-uterus skin never having been exposed to pollutants and irritants, etc. So I would just do your best to remove them from your home, but I think her skin will adjust most likely.

I was told by a friend of my mom's that worked in a pediatric office for years to use a little bit of the regular Dial (the stuff the doctors always use). I got a bar of plain Dial and would get a wet wash cloth, rub a little soap on, and wash my daughter's face. Some days were still bad, but most were good, and I could tell a difference on the days that I didn't use the soap at all. I still, after 8 months, do this to her face. I am interested in the rubbing breast milk theory though! I'll have to try that next time.

All 3 of my kids had this and I remember that for one of them I put a very little bit of Aquaphor on it and it cleared it right up.

Unfortunately, there's nothing you can do to get rid of it. It's due to your hormones that are still in her system, and they'll go away eventually. Don't use anything except clear water to wash her face with, no soap or lotions because you could clog her pores and cause more problems. They don't bother babies, they just look unsightly. They'll go away soon. Check with the doctor in case it might be allergies, such as milk.

Both of my girls had this and here is what our pediatrician told us. For cleaning our clothes use only Arm & Hammer or Purex and for softener use only Downey. The other brands bead up on your clothes and then when you hold the babies next to you the beads irritate their faces. He also said we could use the same on the baby clothes or use Dreft if we preferred. He said for baby baths to only use sensitive Dove wash. This worked for both my kids and I even insisted the grandparents do the same if they wanted to hold my babies.

My son had that acne when he was born too - it only last a short while. It's the excess estrogen from our bodies coming out of their little bodies. I wouldn't do anything other than wash with water and soft cloth.

I was told fresh breast milk and aquafor were the two best things to get rid of the baby acne. I was told it was your hormones that do this and not lotions, fabric softner, perfume, nothing can make it worse or better! I did the breast milk trick and couldn't believe that it worked just by rubbing their faces with milk...definitely sounds gross! good luck!

My daughter had this also. The doctor said just use warm water and a little baby soap - but not to scrub. I would ask a doctor before using cortisone as it can cause discoloration of the skin if you use too much. I would either reschedule the pictures or just take them and remember her as she is. My daughter has a whole set of acne pictures - hers lasted about 2-3 weeks.

Are you sure it is acne? the only reason I ask is because both of my kids went through periods of red rashy cheeks when their pores were starting to open up. It got worse in hot weather because they are the sweat pores as well and it just took a while for everything to get unblocked and start working as it should. If I remember correctly we didn't put anything on it (didn't want to block them even more) and just gently washed their faces with a little water and baby soap on a washcloth to help clean everything out and get the pores unblocked. It cleared up on its own after a few days-week or two (I can't remember how long it lasted but it wasn't too long!) Good luck!

Dear J.,
you might check to see if she is allergic to cow's milk protein, which she will get through your mother's milk if you drink milk, eat yogurt, etc.... Mine had that as a baby, so I cut dairy out of my diet for quite awhile and that worked just fine. You should ask your pediatrician for advice. Good luck!
K

our son had it too, but it goes away on it's own. our dr strongly advised not applying any type of lotion of cream to him b/c baby skin (like ours) soaks everything in. i.e. chemicals and can make baby ill. i think our son's went away in about 4-6 weeks

Happy Friday :)
My youngest had the same problem! From what I found out from the Ped.... you have to use nothing but water on the face and your body. NO LOTION at all. Another big thing was NO fabric softner in your clothes or hers.
Good Luck!

I know it sounds strange - but since you are nursing rub some of your breast milk on them - it has anti-bacteria aspects and will help to clear it up. It worked for my son. It does take a while to fully clear however - just give it time - I know how frustrating it can be to see that on your perfect little baby - but just about every baby will go through this.

Good luck :)

As far as I know, J., time is the best answer. It'll take a couple weeks to clear up but this is the best thing to do so there isn't any scarring later. Sorry about the pictures. I'm sure she'll look beautiful anyway.

If possible, avoid cleansers or products on the super-sensitive skin of a newborn. Baby acne is fairly common, especially in breastfed babies (receiving some of mom's hormones). Maybe reschedule the photo appointment?

Hi J.,

When my son had baby acne, I made sure that I washed his face (only using water) with a warm gauze cloth several times throughout the day. I was nursing and used Lansinoh brand lanolin. Quite by accident I discovered that Lansinoh seemed to clear up the acne around his mouth. So I tried rubbing a tiny amount on my finger (so that it wouldn't be really piled on his skin just lightly coating it)and then on some of the other acne on his cheeks and forehead after washing his face. It worked and cleared up within a few days. I wouldn't put it near his eyes though just to be safe. If your daughter's acne is bothered from the heat, you could try washing her face with a warm cloth first and then a cool one before rubbing the lanolin on the acne. I also found that Lasinoh worked pretty well on healing fingernail scratches on the face. With my son, once the acne cleared up the fingernail scratching began. Hope that helps and that your sweet little one will look her best for the photos.
Best wishes,
D.

A little about me:
36 yrs old first time mom to a very strong little boy who just celebrated his first birthday.