Baby Acne Remedy!

Congrtulations! The best thing to do is to do nothing! It will clear up on it's own. All three of my children had it, and it clears up on it's own. Most babies get this, it is totally nrmal, and goes away by itelf! Congrats again!

Once I started using a warm cotton ball instead of a washcloth to wash my son's face, his baby acne cleared up. I don't know if it was a coincidence. Hope it works for you, too.

Sadly....nothing. And trust me. I was OBSESSED with my little guys baby acne. I kept wondering what happened to my adorable little baby.... HA
I just made certain to wash his face with a wet washcloth everyday...it eventually goes away.

My baby got this as well. it comes around 3 weeks and lasts a few weeks. The best thing you can do is leave it alone, wash baby's face but generally leave it to clear up itself.

Since your baby is 3 weeks old, is it probably the change in hormones in his body after the pregnancy. If you are breastfeeding, that could also be affecting it (certainly NOT a reason to stop breastfeeding, IMO). It's cosmetic and yes, unsightly for pictures, but since a baby's skin is so delicate I'd just leave it be and wait it out. He won't be like this forever.

K.:
Congrats on your new baby. They are so precious and we hate to see them looking any way but perfect. We don't realize how truly sensitive baby's skin is. It's been protected for 9 months in water! Although I will agree with most of the posts, it is very important about what you use to wash your baby's skin with. A product line that sells baby wash, lotion, diaper cream and sun tan lotion that are extremely mild and non-irritating to baby's skin is what I can recommend. You have to be very careful that your products have absolutely no chemicals, fragrances, mineral oil (causes breakouts like acne)or alcohol (causes dryness), are pH balanced for their delicate skin and hypo-allergenic. Most products can't claim all of these and you absolutely need a product line that can provide your baby the protection that he needs. You wouldn't buy the cheapest products to put on him, so if you or anyone else is interested in getting these products, please let me know. They are all natural, botanically based and extremely safe and gentle. I have seen pictures of babies coming home from the hospital being all red (it's because of what the hospital washed them with)and after using these products, cleared up right away. This is something that needs to be done all the time, not just to clear it up temporarily. You want what's best for him and a comfort for you as well. We all have choices, so best of luck to you and your little one. You will be fine, just be an educated mom! Happy parenting !!!!

K.

Congrats K.. I've seen the pictures and he's absolutely adorable. Cari mentioned that you were hesitant about doing the announcement. Maybe you could do it in black and white??

Anyway, Ryan (now 6 weeks) had/has it on and off. It seemed to be bad one day and then almost nothing the next. Once I was able to start bathing him, I would wipe his face with a wet baby wash cloth in a circular motion. That seemed to help.

Good luck,

T.

Edited to add: I've also heard that about breast milk (see A W's response). Someone once told me you can put breastmilk in your babies eye to help clear up the "crusties". I never tried that, though with Jacob because I was a chicken. Lol.

Hi K.,
My daughter also had terrible baby acne. She had pimples as well as black heads. And trust me we washed her face several times a day. I was told the same thing you were told.
My only advice is to make sure you wipe his little face quickly after he spits up or drools. As he gets older, same goes with food. My daughter is now 4 and she still has a bit of acne but nothing like she did as a baby. However I'm very careful of what she puts on her face. No play make up, (which she hates me for) and when she goes places where there is face painting, I keep the design to a minimum and we wash it off as soon as we get home.
Good luck.
P.

Hi K.-

My daughter had the same thing. Little red spots started appearing around 1 month. My pediatrician told me that I could mix corn starch and water to form a paste and dab on the skin. He also said doing nothing is fine as they will go away on their own, which they did in about a month.

Good luck!
D.

I hated baby acne so much. Somehow, I never got that far in the books, so the whole phenomenon was a horrible surprise for me. I never figured out a cure, but it does go fast. My doctor's advice: "Just put away the camera for a few weeks."

Aquaphor cures ALL!! Diaper rash, baby acne, if it's skin related for some reason Aquaphor always does the trick!!

Hi K.!
I wish I had an answer for you. My daughter's appeared at 2 weeks and the only thng we could do is wait. Most people understood - I didn't get too many people asking questions, except for kids! I didn't notice how bad it looked until I saw her bright red face in a picture and it almost made me cry! But don't worry, it will disappear rather quickly. Once you started to really notice the acne was probably when it was at its worst. It can only get better! Enjoy your little one!

Not sure if you're breastfeeding or not, but if so, rub some breastmilk on the spots. It really does help clear it up -- just take a drop or two after you're done nursing and rub it on like lotion.

Congratulations! Don't worry about the acne it will go away on its own. At this stage, they're too young and their skin is too sensitive to be using lots of creams and stuff.

K. I actually had great results with my daughter by using 1% Hydro Cortizone cream. I just bought the Walgreen's brand. It worked like a charm with my daughter. AND, it was recommended by her Pediatrician...I never would have known about it until he mentioned it. Like some of the responses, I was also always told that nothing worked, but this did work for US. Worth a try...
R.

If you are breastfeeding it could be your hormonal changes causing the acne. Nothing you are doing wrong. My son got it off and on for the first three months and he has beautiful soft skin today, nothing permanant.

Hi K.,

Congrats on your new baby boy!! Both my kids had bad acne and my 14 week old boy still has it from time to time. My pediatrician recommended using Cetaphil soap (plain, no acne one or anything, just the plain Cetaphil) and it worked for us. You only need a tiny bit on a wash cloth, wipe his face down then use another wet washcloth to wipe it off. Obviously stay away from his eyes. Also, wipe his face with a wipey often throughout the day. Even if those suggestions don't help, take heart, he'll be camera ready in no time! By about 3 months it'll be a distant memory.

Good luck!

My son has issues with this as well. My ped told me to use cortaid (for adults) on his cheeks 1-2x a day if it's really bad followed by Aquaphor. I have done that and it seems to clear up most of the time, but I feel bad putting such a strong adult cream on his sensitive skin so I usually try Aquaphor alone first. My dermatologist told me not to worry about it and it will clear up, but some of the episodes get really bad so I try to treat it.

A friend told me to use the Gentle Naturals eczema or cradle cap wash every other day. I would dap a tiny bit on a cotton ball and pat it on the bad area and then rinse with a clean cotton ball and mineral water. It cleared up well and quickly.