Infant Baby Acne - Gilbert, AZ

Updated on July 31, 2008
A.J. asks from Gilbert, AZ
41 answers

My daughter is 5 weeks old and has really bad baby acne. Everything I've read says to not put anything on it, but her skin is SO dry. Her little cheeks and chin are so chapped that all I can think about is how much it must hurt her. The little pimples are starting to clear up, but the dryness and little rash-like bumps are still there.

Does anyone have any experience with this? Did you put something on it? Any ideas on what I can do to make it go away?

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So What Happened?

First, I just wanted to say thank you so much for the overwhelming response to my request! Your advice was so appreciated.

I ended up taking my daughter to the doctor, and found out that it wasn't even baby acne! I forgot the medical term my doctor used, but he said it is basically cradle cap that extends down onto her face. He told me to use Selson Blue on her scalp, and then wash her face with the lather, and it will clear right up. I've only done it once so far and it is already starting to clear up! I also tried the aquaphor suggestion, and it works great after the selson blue washing.

Thanks again everyone!

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A.D.

answers from Phoenix on

OMG! I just posted a baby acne question as well.. I guess I should have looked at this one first. Mine is 3 weeks and just started developing it. It doesn't look very attractive.

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G.V.

answers from Phoenix on

Hi A.,

Are you breastfeeding? If yes, it's likely something you're eating. Also, if you use store brand laundry detergent (even the "free & clear" kind), that could be causing problems, too.

I'm a Holistic Health & Nutritional Consultant. Feel free to contact me with questions. ###-###-####.

Warm Regards,
G. Van Luven

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C.K.

answers from Phoenix on

I know it sounds strange, but I've read that putting breastmilk on it does wonders for this. I believe I read it in the most recent issue of parenting magazine, and I also had a friend that said she did this with her twins, and it really helped. I don't know if you are breastfeeding, but if you are, it's worth a try. Had I known this at the time, I would have tried it when my baby got acne around the same age. I just left it alone though and it cleared up on its own, I didn't put anything on it.

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P.S.

answers from Albuquerque on

My daughter had pretty bad baby acne too. And what I have read was to let it go away on its own and it did, but for the dryness, I used Aquaphor. It didn't do anything for the acne, but was wonderful for the chappedness. I still use it on both of my kids now, ages 9 and 4. It works great for windburned and sunburned skin. My daughter has mild eczema and that works great for that too. Good luck!

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S.T.

answers from Phoenix on

I put lotion on my baby's skin and it seemed to help rather than make it worse. I used baby Aveeno. Once I started using the lotion his skin started to look real healthy instead of red and irritated. To this day I put lotion all over his body every day and his skin couldn't look better.

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M.B.

answers from Tucson on

My daughter had it very badly as well. We left it alone and it cleared up very well. I think putting anything on it would clog and irritate it more.

Good Luck with your new baby!

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D.P.

answers from Phoenix on

Hi A.!
My son had the exact same thing when he was a baby. The pediatritian finally gave me some samples of 'Elidel'and 'Topicort'. They said he had eczema which does have a history in our family, like my sister and my mom and then found out some of my aunts had it etc.. You may want to ask your pediatrician about these creams.

It didnt last too long, but I know how you feel. You feel just awful for them. Try to keep loose clothing on because it seemed like the more restricted my son was, the breakouts would get worse.

There is also a special soap that my mother in law had us try but the pharmacy had to special order it. Im sorry I dont remember the name of it but maybe you could inquire with a pharmacist also. Its just a white bar of soap.

Well good luck and it will go away. My 3 yr old who had it has the softest, most beautiful skin now!

Take Care
D. P

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S.S.

answers from Flagstaff on

Try olive oil. It worked great for me, and there is absolutly nothing toxic in it.

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L.H.

answers from Albuquerque on

Hi A.-
The baby acne is not pretty on our precious girls, but it does go away. I don't think it cleared up completely for both my girls until they were about 3 months old. The only thing I put on both my girls whole bodies, head and face for the first year is olive oil. It is completely safe and good for them. Good luck!

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S.G.

answers from Phoenix on

Our pediatrician recommended putting Aveena Baby Lotion on my daughter's skin. (One with blue accents) It was fantastic for her dry skin...and it is SOOOOOOO mild and gentle. Good luck!

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S.F.

answers from Eugene on

We didn't have the baby acne problem too bad except with my daughter. I'm allergic to just about everything and use lotion from soapcrafters.com. I mix it with some distilled water, it is so gentle it totally helped her. For the really dry patches, I made some body butter using one of the recipes on their site. Not expensive at all, no memberships. Just a really sweet staff that will send what you order really quick! I highly recommend them to anyone with skin sensitivities to do it yourself.

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V.Y.

answers from Phoenix on

Hi A.,
my son has baby acne too and he is almost 4 months old. I too have been worried about how he feels and how it looks. I was told by my pediatrician to try Aquaphor at first, it seemed like it was helping but didn't clear up.
Now we are trying a different treatment of cleaning with cetaphil cleanser and lotion. I may wash his face 1-2 times day and apply the lotion 3 times a day. We are suppose to re-evaluate in 3 wks. Discuss it with your doctor and see what they suggest. Good luck, hope this was helpful.

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K.F.

answers from Phoenix on

cetaphil lotion is awesome. it won't clear up the acne (that will clear up on it's own don't worry) but it is very sensitive and won't hurt it. You can still put lotion on the baby acne I think they just mean don't put any acne creams on it.

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D.H.

answers from Santa Fe on

We always used oils made for baby massage like Weleda Calendula oil or apricot oil by burts bees. They seemed to help soothe the skin. Also, don't worry-it goes away! =)

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K.H.

answers from Phoenix on

A. -
My little guy had/has the same thing. My pediatrician recomended putting vasoline on my sons face to help the acne and dry skin. It does help. It doesnt get rid of the acne but it did help the dryness. Hope this helps.
K.

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R.H.

answers from Flagstaff on

You should only be bathing her every 2-3 days, this will help with the dry skin. The rash is called newborn rash and goes away over time, it's your hormones coming out of the baby from before birth. It just takes time, afte the rash goes away try some Johnsons lotion on her or maybe some Burt's bees baby stuff. Hope that helps.

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L.S.

answers from Tucson on

You probably know this, but acne is normal in a baby about your daughter's age. I hated the acne my son but it wasn't bad enough in my opinion to use a medical ointment or see my Dr. about it. So I did a ton of searching on the internet and books and read that lettuce, yes, lettuce leaves help. I was skeptical but it cabbage leaves are known to help with sore breasts why can't lettuce possibly help with acne. I tried it (I washed and then wilted the leaves a bit and them put pieces on his face) and it did seem to help within two days. I know it seems pretty odd but, it is something easy and harmless to try. No matter what it will end soon, though. Best to you and your family!

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S.K.

answers from Phoenix on

Oh my gosh, my daughter had baby acne too, and it was really bad. Honestly don't do a thing, hers was gone within a couple weeks. Thank goodness. My pediatrician recommended Cetaphil lotion for the dryness and I put it all over her face and scalp, and she actually just recommeneded for my daughter's body too. It worked wonderfully, and while it goes against everything I thought I knew to put lotion on top of acne, it worked. But don't load her up with a bunch of different products, just the Cetaphil lotion. Good luck.

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D.D.

answers from Tucson on

The best thing for her face would be the same as the rest of her body just baby oil, the lotion may burn if it has alcohol, they make a baby oil jell that works very well because it only takes a small amount and does not run, I use it on myself.

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B.W.

answers from Phoenix on

My son had it too when he was a newborn. Turns out he has extra sensitive skin. Use detergent like cheer free or all free, and double rinse. Use no soap in bath. Most lotions are irritating, but my dermatologist recommended Vanicream (ask the pharmacist at Target) and it works great. Make sure all your clothes and self are perfume free too, since baby rubs on you all the time. It did go away as soon as the irritants went away. Anytime we use a bubble bath or anything, we have skin problems.

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A.P.

answers from Flagstaff on

The first thing I might suggest is Aloe Vera Concentrate. If you have a health food or natural food store somewhere close you should be able to pick it up there. A great brand is ALOE LIFE. I would just dap a little on a cotton ball and rub it on her face a few times a day. This is a great alternative if you are looking to stay natural.
I personally did not want to put lotions or anything else on my son right away. Now from crawling around he gets dry legs and elbows and I found a company with great products called "Natures Baby Organics" that has a great lotion and baby oil as well (this I love for his face and body and use daily). I found them on www.diapers.com. You might want to check into them.
Hope all works out.

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A.M.

answers from Phoenix on

My youngest daughter had 'baby acne' for about 6 weeks after she was born. I put her in front of our arcadia door, for the indirect sunlight, twice a day ( in the morning and later afternoon) and it cleared up in about a week! I would avoid direct sunlight-especially if her skin is already showing signs of dryness.

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C.D.

answers from Phoenix on

I used Mary Kay's moisturizer on my son after he was born because he had the acne. It went away!!

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C.D.

answers from Flagstaff on

My daughter had the same thing for the first few months of her life. I don't even have any pictures of her at that age because her whole face and head was covered in those bumps! My doctor said to only bathe her with water. Don't use any lotion. No fabric softener on her clothes, just baby detergent. And then he gave me some sample tubes of a cream. I can't remember the name of it (it was 8 years ago), but I'm sure your doctor could tell you what it is. he also recommended that I put Eucerin cream on her. To this day, she has very sensitive skin and periodically has bouts with exzema. We can only use Eucerin on her. Any lotion with perfume or dye in it stings her skin. I would definitely talk to your doctor. Good luck!

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S.

answers from Phoenix on

Both of my boys had it and I used 1% Hydrocortisone cream on it. My friend just had a baby with the same problem and she used it and his skin looked remarkably better the next day. This is the experience that I have had with it. Good luck!

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S.C.

answers from Las Cruces on

A.-
I know about dry skin on babies. I used this stick called Baby Face Stick made by Gerber. I know that you can find it at Babies R Us. I hope that this will help you out. Good luck.

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M.B.

answers from Las Cruces on

In the olded days(ha ha ha) we used to bathe our babies in sasafass tea to help with the baby rash and acne. I'm a grandma and don't see it that often anymore. another thing I used do is use baby oil, but i don't see people use that either. By the way I have a daughter that lives in Gilbert.

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M.O.

answers from Albuquerque on

Hi A.. Sorry you're having to go through this with your daughter. But, I totally know what you're going through. My now 4-month-old son was born a month early and had baby acne pretty badly.
I found that Arbonne's Baby Care (ABC) line of skincare products really helped prevent further outbreaks and kept it under control. ABC products are hypoallergenic, pH balanced with NO chemical dyes or fragrances, no mineral oil, and no animal by-products. They are wonderful for the extremely delicate, sensitive skin that babies have. If you're interested in checking them out, please feel free to visit my website at: www.mandyolsen.myarbonne.com. And, I'd be happy to send you a FREE sample to try for your daughter. Just let me know. Good luck!
Take care and have a wonderful day!
M. O.
Arbonne International
Independent Consultant and Area Manager
###-###-####
____@____.com

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E.S.

answers from Phoenix on

My son was a little older when I asked the doctor about dry cheeks, but she said that lotion wouldn't work. She recommended petroleum jelly, which I have used on and off for the last 2 years and it always helps out the dryness. Not sure about the acne... I don't know if the petroleum jelly would just clog up the pores and make it worse or what. I didn't have that problem simultanueously. Good luck!

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R.W.

answers from Phoenix on

Instead of using the Johnson baby wash use Cetaphil. MY son has really dry skin and had really bad baby acne and this helped so much! Then instead of using the JOhnson lotion use the baby Aveeno unscented! This helps so much and although the lotion doesn't have the new baby smell I would rather of had my child looking perfect! THe baby acne will go away . . . I promise. Just don't pick at them, but you can still put lotion and stuff on her face. Also when my babies cheeks were chapped I put aquaphor on them and lotion over it. Aquaphor is amazing! My sister works for a dermatologist and so she is always looking at our skin and every suggestion she has given me (they are what I have told you) has worked very effectively for me. Good LUCK!

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K.G.

answers from Phoenix on

I love the Arbonne baby line (I don't sell for them). It helped my baby's excema clear up right away! I use the body wash and the body lotion. They also make a great baby sunscreen. A little pricey, but definately worth it! My 9 year old has been battling excema for years so I am so glad to have found something that works on my baby! The baby pimples go away in a few weeks...it looks painful but they are fine! Good luck!

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D.S.

answers from Albuquerque on

My son never had baby acne, but he used to get really bad rashes around his mouth from drooling. If you're just wanting to help the dryness, try Aquafor. It's great for their dry skin and is also gentle. Good luck.

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L.V.

answers from Phoenix on

Try vaseline. We did that with our 2 month old baby who had severe excema over his entire body due to a myriad of allergies. The vaseline helped the best of any over the counter remedy. Aquaphor works great, too, but pricey and the active ingredient?--Petrolatum (vaseline)! Good luck. Hope it is not allergies! We also reduced baths to every 3rd night and loaded him with vaseline post bath. It ruined his clothes but saved his skin:)

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S.R.

answers from Phoenix on

I am going through the exact same thing right now with my 10 week old. My daughter never had any of this and my son had it worse than I had ever seen. I was told by his Dr to use an eczema wash and lotion made by Orajel called gentle naturals, the only place I have found it is at Walgreens, its a little pricey so I just use it on his head and face and use the regular stuff everywhere else. I also but cortizone cream on his face twice a day and it cleared up with in 2 days! So the whole thing is completely gone now.

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A.S.

answers from Phoenix on

Coconut oil! I swear by it for everything from my daughters baby acne at first to diaper rashes from food allergies. It is an anti bacterial, anti fungal, anti viral, natural substance. It's amazing! And the best part is that it's not chemicals and if she ingests any bit of it she will be fine and you have nothing to worry about! I love this stuff, my mom recommend it to me when Emmalee was born and I thank her all the time for doing so!

I beielve you can find it at places like sprouts or whole foods.

D.O.

answers from Phoenix on

I would like to suggest Noevir S & D Body Treatment Lotion. There is no perfumes, it is all natural and absorbs quickly, but yet leaves a lot of moisture to help the dryness.

My daughter has used it for diaper rash and I use it for a condition that I have on my arms called Keratosis Pilaris. Keratosis Pilaris can also appear on the face, where it closely resembles acne. The small size of the bumps and its association with dry, chapped skin distinguish Keratosis Pilaris from pustular acne. Anyway I find it help with this condition my helping with the moisture level. The company offers a 90 return policy which is awesome and since I carry it I will give the refund instantly. If interested you can check out the ingredients at http://www.MyNoevirBiz.com/Natural2Skin it is under body care. I do carry it in my store just me a call and I would be happy to ship it to you free of charge. It is true it is not true acne, but that doesn't mean you don't want to help the dryness in the cheeks, you just want to make sure it will not make it worse. Take care, and regardless of what you decide to try I wish you the very best.
D.

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D.C.

answers from Phoenix on

My daughter had baby acne that started around 2 or 3 weeks of age. It got so bad that we took her to Urgent Care (before we actually knew ut was just acne) It had spread to her chest and back as well. The doctor at the hospital told us that is as acne and can last up 6 months, not to put anything on it, only wash it with water and soft cloth, and it will go away on it's own without scarring. He also said that it does not bother them one bit. It drove me crazy not to put anything on it. And the thought of it staying around for the next 6 months bothered me but I took his advice and ignored it and it went away after about a month. No scars just like he said. Baby acne is caused by hormones similiar to that of a teenager. He said it doesn't mean they will have acne in their teens....which relieved me. Her skin is perfect now and creamy white. If your baby has cradle cap, use head and shoulders when you wash it and ut will go away. You can also scrub behind their ears where it is scaly with the head and shoulders. (my pediatrician suggested this shampoo...I used it on both my girls and neithter had cradle cap ever !!!!) just make sure not to get it in their eyes as it is not like baby shampoos that are eye griendly. So just leave the skin alone and it will go away in no time. I think that anything you put on it will irritate it more or possibly clog the pores even more making matters worse.
Hope this all helps you

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A.M.

answers from Phoenix on

The baby acne is totally normal. I have 4 children, my sister has 7 and they all had it, some worse than others. Don't worry, that will go away. As far as the dryness and chapping...Bag Balm is the best stuff! It's at the grocery store in a little green square tin. We use it for lots of care with our kids. I have also tried a product line called Pedium it's awesome, but a bit expensive. The two bottles together cost maybe about $25. I haven't used it in a long time so I'm not sure where to find it, you might have to do a search on the internet. A.

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J.B.

answers from Phoenix on

Hi A.,

My son got real bad baby acne/rash when he was 3 weeks old. I did not use any lotions or oils until after it cleared up. I would wash his face with Cetaphil which is such a mild soap once a day and use 1% hydrocortisone (ointment not cream) twice a day (once during the day and once at night after bath). The ointment allows it to stay on the skin longer and do it's job better. Her skin is going to be a little dry as the rash heals, that will go away too. The hydrocortisone will help with the dryness and once the rash goes away then you can use your lotions and oils. My son's rash went away within a week, so this should work for you! Good luck!

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C.H.

answers from Flagstaff on

Well I see you have gotten a lot of advice on this subject so let me just say that everyone has got different skin which needs different things. Obviously not putting anything isn't helping. If your baby has dry skin, give her a short bath. Staying a long time in water is terribly drying. Right after you dry her off put a light lotion on her. My sons had baby acne for the longest time. The said it would clear up within a week or two, but my sons had it at least two months. Don't worry about the acne so much as keeping her skin healthy.

You have some excellent suggestions posted from some nice people. Try some out and see which works for you baby. Beware of the coconut oil, too much can be drying. I used it in combo with sweet almond oil and cocoa butter. Whatever lotion or oil you use, if her skin is still red and rashy, try adding a drop of tea tree oil in with the lotion/oil keeping it out of her eyes. Some wal-marts sell it as well as Grocery stores. Hope this helps a little.

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M.L.

answers from Phoenix on

Baby Acne is natural, it is helping the poors develope. It is not the same as when teenagers or adults have acne. For dry skin us Vaseline, or cocoa butter. Do not use any products that come out of a pump bottle.

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