How to get rid of Baby Acne on Face, Chest & Shoulders Naturally?

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How to get rid of Baby Acne on Face, Chest & Shoulders Naturally?

Although Baby acne is extremely common in infants who are 2 to 3 weeks in age and affects nearly 40% of newborns, the parents naturally get worried when they spot acne on their babies.

Even though acne typically appears on their face, on occasion, it can even develop on your baby’s chest.

Don’t worry, baby acne does not bother babies and goes away with time. Generally, it does not last for more than 6 months of age. To get rid of baby acne and relieve the stress of parents, the experts at BAC have put together these following 9 pieces of advice.

First of all, let us highlight some important questions before we go into detailing these 9 baby acne treatment tips:

What is baby acne?
What are the symptoms of baby acne?
What causes baby acne?
How long does it take for baby acne to go away?
Can my breast milk be causing baby acne?
How to get rid of baby acne?

What is baby acne?

Baby acne is a very common skin condition that affects nearly 20% of healthy newborn infants.

It typically arises in babies who are 2 to 3 weeks in age with little bumps and pustules on the infant’s forehead, eyelids, cheeks, and chin.

This condition should be distinguished from infantile acne, in that open blackheads don’t usually appear in baby acne. Baby acne, also known as “neonatal acne” or “neonatal cephalic pustulosis”.

What are the symptoms of baby acne?

Small pustules and bumps appear on the baby’s face and can extend into his/her scalp.

Babies often get pimples on their cheeks, the neck, and upper trunk, but less common than the face.

By the way, there are no whiteheads or blackheads as are seen in acne in adults.

What causes baby acne?

Baby acne, also known as milia, is usually caused due to:

The hormones of the baby’s mother, which would be still circulating in your baby’s blood. These hormones end upstimulating your baby’s oil glands.
Build up of oil in the pores.
Not keeping the baby’s face clean.
Cradle cap.

As a result, pimples form on your baby’s face and occasionally on the neck, back, and upper chest too.

Since your baby’s skin pores are not completely developed, dirt gets trapped in them aiding the growth of acne.

Baby acne is very normal and if left untreated, it will go away.

How long does it take for baby acne to go away?

As a parent of an infant with baby acne, all you desire is for it to quickly and magically disappear, so your baby can recuperate his/her soft skin again. So how long does it last?

Baby acne can appear at any time in the first six months of a baby’s life, and usually lasts for about one month, but can linger up to three months.

Baby acne often looks like teenager acne, with red and yellowish bumps on the face. Because of its appearance, infant acne often causes concerned parents to worry and fortunately doesn’t bother babies.

So, trust me that your baby acne will go away on its own over time even you untreated it. Enjoy with your baby, he/she doesn’t feel or suffer from anything.

Can my breast milk be causing baby acne?

The cause of baby acne is unknown, though it might be due to hormones in the mother at the end of pregnancy. There are some things else that can irritate your baby’s skin.

If we associated baby acne with breastfeeding, it is because of:

Your baby spits up milk after feeding. The same thing can occur if his/her skin is irritated by saliva.
The close skin contact involved between mother and baby.
Sometimes the mother is too tired to take a shower and bacteria that is harmless on her skin can cause a reaction on a baby’s skin and get into or onto the pores, causing the body to react with immune response and white blood cells, producing acne.

In fact, Breast milk does not cause baby acne. Breast milk ingredients do not cause infant acne, on the contrary, every bit of breastmilk is a good thing to improve his/her health, and it’s good for you too actually.

9 Tips For Treating Baby Acne

Baby acne bothers their parents more than the babies themselves. The main thing to remember is that baby acne goes away with time. However, here are a few do’s and don’ts to keep in mind:

1) Pat your baby dry after a bath

Clean your baby’s skin with water twice or thrice a day. Pat the skin with a dry towel to dry it completely.

2) Don’t use oily creams or lotions

Don’t use any soap, oil or any type of lotion on the acne affected areas.

Do not use any adult acne treatment products.

3) Do not pick at the bumps

Do not pick, squeeze, or scrub the acne as that can cause it to spread

4) Try out some natural remedies

Try out the following natural remedies for the treatment of acne on your baby.

5) Try the breast milk remedy

Breast milk is rich in nutrients and vitamins essential for your baby. You can also use some breast milk as a very effective cure for your baby’s acne.

Dab a cotton pad in a bit of your breast milk. Wipe the soaked cotton pad over the acne affected areas on its chest 4-5 times a day.

6) Use Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is a truly amazing hydrating substance for your baby’s young skin. Using unrefined organic oil helps to control and in curing baby acne.

Rub some coconut oil, the extra virgin variety, on the area of your baby’s skin which is affected with acne. You will see the difference after a few days of applying it.

7) Use Cornstarch

Mix some cornstarch with a bit of room temperature water.

Apply a thin paste on your baby’s skin. Leave it on for around an hour and then rinse off with warm water.

Cornstarch has excellent natural drying abilities and helps tackle the sensitive skin pores in your baby’s skin. You just need to apply once a day for a few days to see the acne clearing up.

8) Use natural products

Stop using chemical moisturizers on the affected area. Bathe your baby alternate days using some clean cotton, which is soaked in water.

Do not use fabric conditioner. Switch to natural, organic and chemical-free laundry detergents.

Stopping the use of chemical products will help your baby’s sensitive skin. In some time you will see the acne will disappear completely.

9) Be patient and calm

Be sure that baby acne will clear up on its own, a process that can take between a few weeks to a few months, so be patient!

If the acne does not clear up after three months, we suggest consulting with your baby’s pediatrician.