baby acne treatment
No one wants to see their baby suffer. However, baby acne, though rare, can be an issue with some parents. Acne is not a serious disease and does not adversely affect your babys health, thus you should probably not want to go for any acne treatment for your baby. This is because the acne treatment is probably more painful than acne itself.
Baby Acne, What is It?
Basically, baby acne is just like the acne that you probably got when you were a teenager. Also known as acne neonatorum, baby acne is simply pimples and zits developing on your newborn baby. Thats all it is and is not a health issue that could adversely affect your babys quality of life, other than appearance when your baby gets older and begins socialization. Typically, baby acne is caused by a hormonal imbalance in your baby which may have been caused in the fetal stage during pregnancy. How does this hormonal imbalance cause the acne in newborn babies? Well, under the babys skin are oil producing glands which produce an oily substance that keeps the skin soft and smooth and prevents it from drying it out. These glands later also affect our lives as we grow into adulthood. When the hormonal imbalance begins in the baby, it causes the glands to release too much oil, thus the baby develops acne, like a teenager would.
How Does One Treat Baby Acne?
Though baby acne does not really cause any health issues other than cosmetic issues, you do not necessarily need to treat the acne, however, if you wish to do so, many neonatal pediatricians do recommend that you wash your babys face twice or three times daily. Typically, for babies, you should use mild and gentile soap that is specifically for babies, because they do have delicate skin which can be damaged by stronger and more abrasive soaps. You also want to make sure that you do not overuse too many baby products, because this can actually exacerbate your babys acne. The method that has been proven to be the best for removing acne the earliest, is to wash your babys face with very mild soap with soft hands.
Breast Feeding vs Baby Products and Formulas
Go natural. Thats the best way to get rid of your babys acne. This means that you should use real breast milk. Thats right. Women, mothers! Your breasts are not just there to attract the other side and your partner. Your breast provide a vital function for your baby. Use them! Breast milk is natural and is intended for your baby. Furthermore, the natural breast milk is more likely to normalize the hormonal imbalance and can provide vital strength for your baby, such as a stronger immune system, preventing your bundle of joy from getting sick often.
You want to avoid as many artificial baby products as possible. These are often made from synthetic ingredients and can worsen the condition if overused.
What are the Factors that Worsen Baby Acne?
The truth is that there are many different factors that can worsen your babys acne. Soaps that contain harsh chemicals are the worst factor. Clothing, however, can also cause problems. When you wash your babys cloths, do not use harsh detergents. This can also worsen acne. Thats right. It doesnt matter how well you rinse the clothing and dry it, the detergents that are in most laundry rooms do contain harsh chemicals. Even touching these clothes can exacerbate your babys acne.
It has also been known that from time to time, when a babys skin gets into contact with saliva as the baby dribbles or with vomit when your baby gets sick, the acids can also worsen acne.
In general, benzoyl peroxide is not used as an acne treatment for baby acne, since babies are too young for that. This kind of medication should only be used to treat baby acne after consulting a pediatrician and if the acne is very severe that it is disfiguring your babys face or other parts of the body. In many cases, baby acne is nothing to worry about because its not serious and very rarely lasts for months.
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