My 7-week old daughter has had what seems to be baby acne for almost 4-weeks. She has very small bumps over her forehead and cheeks, and once in ahwile will have larger red bumps around her cheek/hairline area (might think it is a heat rash??). They are not spread down her neck or chest or anywhere else on her body, so I am pretty sure it is not an allergy.
Question is...will this go away, is there something special I should be using on it, does this mean she will have severe acne when she gets older (I NEVER had issues when I was younger)? I wonder if it is just hormones because I have a small little breakout on my chin that I have not been able to get rid of since she was born. I have been trying to wash her face with water and Aveno baby wash, but that only seems to make her skin dry which then I put on Aveno baby lotion and then I worry that I am only adding to the problem.
Any one else run into this with their infant? Any suggestions.
Thank you thank you thank you!! Everyone's feedback was very supportive. Everything I had read, and even my Ped gave me the same advice as all of you...but I couldn't help but look at every other newborn who DIDN'T have acne and wonder if there was something wrong with mine. Not to mention everyone constantly asking what was on her face, and other mothers at that. I thought...hmmm...didn't your baby have the same thing? Baby acne seemed to be a foreign thought to everyone...good to know it really isn't.
Thanks to all of you for such great feedback!!! It is good to know I am not alone!! After the past week of washing her face daily with water/washcloth sometimes the aveno soap and lotion...it seems to be getting better. Some days seems to be worse and others seem to be better...but getting better overall!
my daughter's pediatrician said to wash her face with warm water and a washcloth--and nothing else. Don't scrub too hard or you could irritate the skin more. No creams or anything else, and yes it will clear up on it's own.
Hi L.,
My son had little bumps all over his face and a little on his neck when he was a baby. One of my friends told me about a botanically based baby care product which is fairly reasonable. It was very gentle of his skin and uses the natural oils, and even moisturizes. His skin seemed to manage very well. I actually work for the company now, let me know if you have any questions.
A.
Married with two wonderful kids!!!
My daughter too was born in September and she had this baby acne as well and it is just starting to clear up. My son had it too when he was an infant and our pediatrician said it is completely normal. It has to do with our hormones. I was told not to use anything on the face just wash it with warm water when she gets a bath and I would wash her down every night with a warm washcloth if it wasn't bath night. It will not cause any problems in the future for her. I think the lotion that the previous person was referring to was Eucerin. This is a really good light cream that will help if her skin gets really dry from it. Basically the less you put on it the better. It will clear up on its own.
It is normal. Many babies get it. I was told to wash the baby's face once a day and it will clear up on it's own. It did.
AND, everytime someone would say "why does your baby get this?" I remind them that most babies get it and would say, "didn't yours?" THEN, they would remember their baby got it as well. Drove me crazy.
Hi L..
My 5 mo. old son had some baby acne on his cheeks when he was a few weeks old. We washed his face 2-3 times a day with a clean washcloth & water (no soap), and it went away in about 2 weeks. He hasn't had it since. I think it's just a hormonal thing. I don't think it is an indication of future acne problems. I think it's totally normal for babies.
If you are breastfeeding, it is probably hormones from you. My son had it and its no big deal and it goes away. Wash with water, it is worse if you try to dry it out.
No reflection on what will happen with her later. And the hormones just have to get out of your system.
Do not panic. Babies get this ALL THE TIME when they are newborns and sometimes it lasts several months. Its due to your hormonal levels in the baby esp. if you're nursing it can be more so. But it goes away and it is harmless. I would not do anything or put anything on it cause its useless and unhelpful most of the time. You could just wait it out like all of us do! Besides, once they start drooling a lot (teething) they get rashy pimples around their mouth too. So this is only the beginning - enjoy it all cause its going to fly by!!!! Congrats!!
Don't worry. My little one had some similar bumps. I remember reading that he was still processing the hormones from being inside of me. (There was another reason too, that I can't remember.) It was harmless and it went away very quickly. I didn't have to do anything. Don't worry. I really don't believe this would have anything to do with her chance of acne in adolescence. I wouldn't even treat it with extra washing, like you said. Leave it alone & it should clear up in a couple more weeks. If you're concerned, speak to your pediatrician.
Hi L.,
My daughter, at the age of 6 weeks also had this occur. It went away within a month.
Do not use anything on your baby's skin except warm water and a soft cotton cloth. Just dab the skin dry (I only washed her face 1x per day and that was fine.).
Also, make sure the baby's bedding, clothes, and the clothes of those who handle the baby are laundered in either Dreft or a detergent that is free of harsh irritants. I use Tide Free.
It will go away - My daughters case seemed to be brought on more when she was too warm or after a crying spell.
Hope this helps -
J.
Hi L..
Don't worry -- totally normal and fairly common. Both my kids had it. My doctor recommended using a little bit of cortisone cream, like a .5% cream and using a mild baby lotion to prevent over drying. It worked very well for us.
Also, the doctor said it was due to hormones from the pregnancy that had passed during that time and was still being passed through breastmilk.
I hope that helps.
-Jen
Oh, this is so normal. My oldest had it and I never had a problem either. It is the Hormones. My doctor said to use the lotion that starts with an E. Sorry I can't remember the name right now but it came in a white bottle. The only thing I can think of is estergin right now and I know that's not it LOL... but it starts with an "E". Hope this helps.
Eucerin That's it!!!!!!!!!!!!!
K.
As everyone said, baby acne happens all the time. My daughter and son both had it. The doc said it is not an indicator that they will have it when they are teens. My doc said the less you mess with it the better. Don't over wash. Water and wash cloth 1X per day. I also noticed that when I was nursing, if my milk got crazy and sprayed her face she would break out if I didn't use water to clean her off right away and I also noticed that she would tend to have a flare up about every 4 weeks. I think it coensided with the time I should have gotten my period. Anyway. Good Luck with your beautiful baby girl!
