Treatment Plan for Baby Acne

There is no happier day in new parents' lives than when they bring their beautiful, new baby home from the hospital. After nine long months in the making, this gorgeous baby, cherubic enough to win any cutest baby contest, is finely in your arms. Chances are, you believe there couldn't be a lovelier baby in the whole world.
Then one morning you wake up to find that your clear-skinned, rosy-cheeked baby suddenly has developed a case of acne that would even have most teenagers giving their sympathies. In most cases, this baby acne develops around the age of four weeks, or just before the baby's first professional photos, christening or the first visit from the grandparents.
At first, because the baby acne has come on so suddenly, you may wonder if there is something in your breast milk, or perhaps in the formula that you are feeding the baby, that is causing the skin breakout. You might also wonder if your baby is sick, or if he or she has an allergy to something. The answer, in almost all cases, is no. Your baby just has baby acne.
Baby acne is a common skin disturbance in infants, affecting about 20% of newborns. The cause of baby acne is believed to be maternal hormones secreted during the end of your pregnancy that were passed to the baby prior to birth. Just as hormones can wreak havoc with your own skin, these same hormones affect your baby's skin. Baby acne is usually found on the cheeks, forehead and chin, and it can look like small red bumps, whiteheads or a mix of both. Baby boys are the most likely to get baby acne, but newborn girls can get it, too.
The treatment for baby acne is simple, but for many new parents, it is frustrating. Time is all that is usually needed for baby acne to resolve itself. Babies with newborn acne usually have clear skin by the age of four months, often sooner. As upsetting as it is to see your sweet little baby with pimples, they will go away, and the less that you do to help, the better. As tempting as it is to wash the baby's face often, or to apply creams, or just generally fuss at the bumpy skin, all of that will only irritate the sensitive skin further.
The best way to treat baby acne is to simply wash the affected areas with warm water a couple of times a day. Wash the skin gently, with no scrubbing. Because formula and dribbled breast milk can make the acne look angrier, gently dab any from the skin after feedings.
Wash anything that comes into contact with the baby's skin, such as bedding, burp clothes and clothing, in a scent-free, dye-free laundry detergent designed for washing baby items. Most importantly, as hard as it might be, try not to touch your baby's face too much.
If your baby's acne seems especially severe, then see your doctor, who may prescribe a cream to help treat the baby acne. However, unless there is a rare condition beyond your baby's zits, nothing will probably need to be done. Know that your baby's acne is bothering you more then it is bothering your baby, and that it is just the first little bumpy patch on your journey as a parent. Before you know it, baby acne will be a distant memory, so relax and enjoy your baby!