My 3 yo has zits across his nose. The ped said to use Neosporin, which we tried but it didn't do anything. We've tried picking the white heads (oh the screaming) and using witch hazel; doesn't help. We wash his face every day, and he has a good diet with very very limited fried foods and plenty of fruits and veggies. Any suggestions? I know they are harmless, they just look really gross!
We've tried leaving them alone and some go away but new ones crop up in their place.
Thanks gang. Some of you suggested dairy as the culprit, but he was on soy from a cow's milk allergy...however, you sparked a thought. The soy could be the culprit. We just started him back on cow's milk (the allergist said to try it again when he was 3) and so far so good. We looked at images of contagum molloscum, but that just doesn't seem to fit. Secondary milia seems more likely. Soy is estrogenic, and it's estrogen that causes the baby milia (I think), so perhaps the soy is behind it all. We'll see!
Try Cetaphil cleanser. Garlic is suppsosed to be very good for acne too. Just add garlic to the things you make for dinner.
The body cleans itself through the skin. He could be reacting to dairy or wheat and this is one way the body is trying to get it out of his system. White sugar can also cause zits.
Stop worrying about them, try removing different foods from his diet and see if that helps.
Sometimes hormones cause eruptions on the skin. This is normal and passed as the body adjusts.
These are small things, don't focus on them. Enjoy your son, nurture his skills and talents, the majority of these things take care of themselves with time. It is never going to be perfect, when he gets bigger smelly feet, weird haircuts, loud music, how he dresses. These things are not him or you, but they do take away from the time you have to spend loving each other.
Overly focusing on fixing these things can cause him emotional damage that will last a life time. He is screaming because he is setting a boundary about his body - he is saying no. I A. sure you want him to hear other people when they say no and you want him to feel his boundaries are respected.
What was the doctor's diagnosis? Did he call them white heads? Perhaps they are what is commonly called baby acne. If they're baby acne I know that they will go away on their own. I don't know what causes baby acne. At birth it's may be caused by the mother's hormones passed along to the baby.
At this age I suspect the clogged looking pores can be caused by smeared food, dirt, mucous from his nose, that sort of thing. I recommend gently washing his face with a warm soft cloth (preferably flannel rather than terry) after he eats or whenever his face is dirty. Don't use soap which can also be irritating. You could use a mild cleanser once/day if his face seems greasy or oily.
I know that witch hazel is too strong and will irritate his skin especially if the skin is broken. Even teens' skin can frequently not tolerate witch hazel.
Do NOT pick at them. This just irritates the skin more and makes it look even more gross.
Leave them alone. Gently wash his face with a soft damp cloth whenever it's dirty with smeared food, mucous, or dirt. Use only a mild cleanser no more than once/day. Apply Neosporin only if the skin is reddened or looks infected. Use the cream instead of the ointment. Ointment is greasy and could also irritate a sensitive skin. If the skin is not germ free the ointment seals in the germs.
You don't describe the spots appearance. My brother had whitish looking bumps on his face when he was 3. This was 60 years ago. The doctor had us wash his face with Phisohex which is still commonly recommended for sensitive skin. His bumps did not ooze anything unless squeezed very firmly and then it was mostly a liquidy ooze caused by broken skin and not the formed white lump of white heads. Squeezing them would have not been a good thing to do. He "outgrew" them.
My 9yo granddaughter has one white head looking bump on her cheek. When I touch it, it's mostly firm but softer than a "ripe" white head would be.
I suspect that picking at your son's face and using witch hazel is what's causing their gross appearance. I know it seems like second nature to pick at bumps. I fight the impulse to squeeze the bump on my granddaughter's face because I know that's best.
When one picks at skin they are breaking the skin's protective barrier allowing germs to enter which cause infection. Try leaving the zits alone.
Addition: After reading other posts suggesting molluscum contageousum I found the following web sites that seemed helpful. They have pictures.
https://health.google.com/health/ref/Molluscum+contagiosum
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molluscum_contagiosum
When I googled it I found several other sites that looked to possibly be informative.
What struck me as most important is that if your son has molluscum contagiosum it is a virus and contagious. When you pick at it you enable it to spread more easily. You can also be infected.
Whether or not the virus spreads or another person catches it may be dependent on each person's immune system.
A strong immune system can fight it off.
Since your son's has not spread I wonder if it is molluscum contagiosum. Or possibly these 3 "zits" have reved up his immune system?
Oh, I agree with the looking gross part. My daughter gets one right in the middle of her nose about once a year. It is painful to watch grow and painful if you touch it. I was told early on to NOT touch them, leave them alone and they will go away on their own. If you pop them you risk damaging growing skin and leaving permanent scars.
I do believe it is just a pocket of oil that needs to run it's course and get out of the body via a zit, leave it alone.
They do go away, they just look horrible until do.
Don't touch!
M.
They might not be actual acne but regardless I would leave it alone and try not to touch it at all and try to keep him from touching it as well. My little one got this thing on his chest that is now spread all over if he touches any of them to scratch they spread very easily and he has had them for a while. Sometimes they spread up to his face. The doctor just said to not touch and eventually they go away on their own. It is called Molluscum Contagiousum(?) but it can appear anywhere. They can look like little white heads at times and sometimes they look like little warts. Just don't touch, and hopefully it will go away soon. Good luck!
What kinds of fats are you using...we eat a healthy diet also, but I have to use monounsaturated fats or I get zits and acne also - especially from using saturated (good kinds) fats like coconut oil or butter. If you use these for oils in your cooking, this may be a source...I A. just speaking from my experiences though...
Maybe try a very very mild soap with salicylic acid. It's the main ingredient in "medicated" acne washes aside from benzoil peroxide (at 1:30 A. it's too late to worry about spelling :-)). As long as you don't over-use it it should be gentle enough.
Both my son and daughter have had Molluscum Contagium, which presents like your description. As frustrating as it has been to deal with, I wouldn't pick at the bumps. That can cause permanent scarring, in addition to the pain. On top of that, I wouldn't use witch hazel to treat their delicate skin. I have tried witch hazel on my face and found it far from soothing. Regardless of what he has, please remember he is only 3; the habits and experiences he has now can affect him later.
I would use a gentle facial cleanser for sensitive skin and apply a light moisturizer, also for sensitive skin. Teach him how to wash his face so he doesn't scrub too hard and, especially important, teach him not to touch his face. Watch his diet. As another Mama suggested, he could be reacting to too much sugar, dairy, or another imbalance. Review your sons' diet and follow healthy habits. Hopefully it will clear up soon.
I hope you'll resist the impulse to improve your son's skin – and protect his personal comfort and emotional well-being instead. My mother picked at every imperfection on her three daughters for our whole childhoods to make us "beautiful," and it drove us all nuts. One of my sisters would scream, fight and kick, but that wouldn't stop my mom, and then she would punish the child for struggling as well. It was sad, cruel, and unnecessary, and quite possibly resulted in less beauty of any sort, exterior, interior, or relational.
Your efforts could cause infections or scarring, or lead to your son developing the habit of picking at his own imperfections. This happened to three of the four girls in our family. Including me. I have learned to resist most picking, but sometimes I lose it and dig holes in my skin around some small flaw. I have learned to mostly do this only where it will be hidden by clothing. But it's a habit I detest, and have broken a million times, only to relapse when I'm feeling a lot of tension.
The zits will probably clear over time, but if they are driving you to distraction, definitely get a second opinion. There just might be something to put on them to clear them out.
Not sure how this will help a 3-year-old, but a friend of mine was able to clear up her zits with Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar. She took it in liquid form first, then got some capsules to make it easier to swallow. Somehow it works. She swears by it. It might be worth a try.
I use Hydrogen peroxide to help with the infection part of the 'zit'. pour a bit into the cap of the bottle.. then dip q-tips in and pat on the zits until it kills all the infection apparent at that time & it no longer foams up.
make sure to use several q-tips ends not the same one over and over - & then be sure to dump the used capful down the sink and rinse the cap. it's so inexpensive :)
If this was a teenager.. I would suggest using a safety pin to gently pop the zit !! but not squeeze it.. just use the H.P. to battle the puss.
for a young child you might use a small 'buff puff' type face scrubber/or those exfoliating mitts to get the white head to open up so the H.P can get to the puss..
.. but I would just try the H.P. rubbing it on the top for now.. one step at a time perhaps.
good luck!
take him to a naturepath so you can find out what is causing it and get rid of it. An AMA MD is only going to tell you to treat the symptoms (and that did not work) so go to a healer and have a workup and find out what is out of balance and then follow what is said and I A. sure the problem will be resolved.
