How to Treat Baby Acne?

The best thing is to do nothing. Just keep his face clean with water. Using baby soaps and lotions can actually aggravate baby acne. Some babies are just prone to have it. It will go away as he gets a little older. (a mom of 4 and social worker who works with lots of babies & children)

My 2-month-old had terrible baby acne when he was first born. Bad enough that, even though I knew it was totally normal, I went looking online for a remedy. All the sites said basically, "As long as it goes away by 6 months, don't worry about it, but sometimes a vinegar solution is used". No particulars about the vinegar solution, so I diluted Bragg's cider vinegar half and half with water, & applied it to the acne with a cottonball. Worked wonders!

I have found with my 2 girls that the best thing you can do is just keep it clean. it's a hormonal thing and just using a baby wash cloth and warm water a few times a day really seems to help and keep it at bay

aquaphor works great!

If your nursing I've heard that breast milk helps clear it up.

I have no idea what your baby has, but we learned in our baby care class that baby acne is incredibly common at this age, and our daughter had a MAJOR case of it. It just resolved on its own and went away. We just had gotten the energy to start taking cute baby pictures, and she was covered with bumps! Very frustrating. I think it resolved after a couple of months.

It is probably Baby acne. It drove me nuts and I thought it looked uncomfortable but my daughter didn't care at all. The bboks and doctors will tell you it can last thru their first year. Most of the kids I knew and my daughters lasted 3-5 weeks. You don't need to do anything to it and it goes away on its own. It just bothers us. As long as they are not scratching at it it shouldn't be a problem. I didn't take as many pictures for a couple weeks. Only have a few and now I think I should have taken more to remind me with the second kid on they way that it looks bad but it does go away.

It is caused by hormone changes. i would avoid cortizone creams unless it gets yellow and crusty (some kids get really bad) and only if a dr oks it...steroids like cortizone should be used very sparingly.

My daughter's doctor had her wipe her baby's face with warm water on a gentle wash cloth after each diaper change. This did the trick and would not interfer if your son has an allergy instead....although it doesn't sound like it.

Hi Ashs,
HOw exciting and frustrating becoming a new mom. I too went through baby acne with my first son. He was at my mom's and she told me my son had a bad rash on his face. I came over and looked at it and said, its baby acne. She didn't konw what that was as her children didn't have any of this. I called my pedi and they wanted to see him. Dr said it is baby acne and acutally gave me a perscription for 2% cortizone. It was gone in a day and has NEVER come back. This was when he was 2 months old. At 4 months he had dry skin on the back of his legs and ankles and was told that he has eczema and told me to continue to use the perscription. I know it can thin the skin but i didn't need much. He is now 3 and has the most beautiful skin. I now have a new baby and thought he too might get baby acne. He lucked out. His skin is so great too. I only use burts bees on the boys or baby calming aveeno aNd they have never had issues. I found that any johnson aNd johnson lotion bothers them. I know what its like when my first son had the acne and it was around teh holidays and i couldn't handle taking his picture. My dr felt it needed to be cleared up and gave me a Rx for him. You might want to just call your son's pedi anD go from there. I called them for everything just to play it safe. Even though I felt bad calling so much they said, that is what they are there for.

Good luck.

SAHM/zombie, 39 with a super funny active 3yr son and a 6 month old son full of smiles and bubbles and is just now starting to sleep through the night. YEAH! Happy Holidays!

Don't do anything. It goes away completely on its own. It is caused by your hormones remaining in his system, but will disappear very soon without any treatment.

A.,

I just went through this with my 2 month old.. my other 3 children had really mild almost not noticeable baby acne at 1 month, but my newest had it all over her head, and down her chest, it was horrible, I thought it might be a heat rash as she loved to be bundled and therefore sweat a lot, but my Dr. looked at it and told me that it was baby acne, and that every baby at 1 month has it, just some worse than others as their skin gets used to its new enviorment (dry vs. fluid) and that just leaving it alone is the best coarse of action, we didn't put anything on it other than baby shampoo when I bathed her and 1 month later is has pretty much gone away... every now and then I see a spot here or there but no where near as bad as it was when she was a month old...

So just be patient and it will go away on its own, but if you are bothered by it talk with your PED. i am sure he/she will have similar advice..

Happy Holidays!
X.

Hi A.,

You have to be careful what you put on your babies skin as it is so sensitive. Your baby could be allergic to something. Most of us are not aware we are at war with our environment today. Everything we put on our skin, eat, breathe and drink that has chemicals goes through us and into our liver and kidneys as that is our filter system. My family has a wellness home to protect us from the environment.

If you are interested let me know and I will send you more information.

Happy Holidays.

N. Marie

Hi A.
this is normal.. The baby's hormones are still adjusting
however, IF you think it's only getting worse, then do check with your doctor, perhaps even call them to be on the safe side. But it's nothing to be alarmed about. Additionally, you can read more about it on the net, there is tons of info.

Baby acne does not need any treatment at all. It is quite normal and he will grow out of it.

Most babies get baby "acne" at around 3 weeks as a way for the hormones from birth to leave their body. Some babies have it for a week or 2 or maybe longer (my second baby had it for about a month). Its really best to just wait it out and not do anything since it is the bodies way of releasing these hormones. Some things you put on it may suppress this natural healing process. It will pass and there will be no trace of it. If it was a rash caused by an allergy; the rash would probably be on more parts of the body (particularly the bum) and would probably look really inflamed and irritated.

A., baby skin is SO sensitive you really shouldn't be putting anything at all on your child's skin at this age - if he reacted and had a rash to any creams you used you would be much worse off! The only thing you could use would be emollient moisturizers for things like baby eczema but for baby acne it will clear by itself in a few weeks usually. Babies go through a mini baby puberty phase (weird, I know, but true!) where they have hormone imbalances that cause that acne. It will pass!

It will clear up by itself. I know it is surprising and kinda depressing to have your beautiful baby's clear skin covered in spots but it really does go away.

E.

if it looks like hives, it's probably the same rash that my pediatrition said is a normal baby rash that will come and go. I googled images to see exactly what these so called 'normal' skin irritations looks like because I thought the doctor maybe hadn't seen what I had been seeing. Sure enough, my baby's skin looked similar to the images on the web. It's a common infant rash that will go away on it's own; and it has. And the baby acne that my baby seemed to have pretty badly is gone, too. I used the generic version of Cetaphil cleanser and Lubriderm unscented lotion(dr.'s advice) on my daughter after bath. Her skin is doing very well.

My baby also had baby acne everywhere except around her mouth. I asked the same question as you and found that a lot of people recommended breast milk. That made sense since it was not around her mouth. I tried it and it worked. If you are breastfeeding it can't hurt to try. If you are not, be patient it does clear up. Congrats on your new baby!

A.,

I have two daughters; 2 1/2 years old and 6 months. Both developed baby acne around one month old and by three months, it was virtually gone. It is normal. My pediatrician told me it develops because the baby's body is ridding itself of all the hormones left over after delivery. Essentially, all the stuff from your system is being purged out of the baby and as a result acne develops. I was told to use lubriderm or euceren lotion and hydro cortisone to help with the acne and improve baby's appearance. I would first check with your doctor at your baby's next check up before doing anything, but to ease your concerns, it is likely this and will be gone quickly.

Hi A.,
I have two children, one is a son who is now 27 yrs. old and he had what Dr.'s called infant acne. At the time which now they may tell you something different, they had me only bath him with ivory soap. I had to give him extra water...I don't remember the number of ounces, not much. He did have allergies that were discovered as he got older, aprox. age 2. I have a brother and a grand mother that also had the same thing...they even to this day, and they are pretty old....have to double rinse their laundry to remove the soap/dye from the clothes, sheets and things that touch their skin. My son however only has to avoid some dairy items to prevent a reaction, and others that have had this after a month or so was over all of it. Some babies have a few bumps and it is not a big deal. My son had quite a bit. Most it goes away as they get a few months older. Their system is just adjusting. I would imagine you are going to the Dr, for the checkups infants have. I would ask them and see if they have some advise as well. I am here to say, they do survive it and it is temp.

I must say per a highly respected childrens Dr. I was told avoid cortizone creams....they are not good for an infant and sometimes it is used and is not a good choice.

Enjoy your bundle of joy! Also Congrats on being a wonderful and caring Mom!

M.

This is normal. They get this usually because their face is wet from from drool or milk. Ask your doctor but dont worry. You csn try to clear it up with hydrovortisone cream.

Cod liver oil will help with acne, as much acne and skin bumps are caused by a vitamin A deficiency. It is safe for a baby. Walmart carries an orange flavored one. Mom, you should take some too!!!

For adult acne, Acidophilius works wonders. It can't hurt a baby either, its good for the gut... it coats the GI tract with lots of good bacteria so that bad bacteria, virus, and yeast can't attach to the cell wall.

It could also be a heat rash, especially if it is in an area that is close to wraps (chin, neck.)

If it is very red w/ tiny bumps it can be a yeast rash. (try vinegar)

If you are breastfeeding you should take both the cod liver oil and the acidophilus yourself as well.

A.,

Congratulations on your baby boy! As for the acne, leave it alone. Just a soft washcloth to wash his face and pat dry-when you normally bathe him. Don't scrub or rub--the acne will go away on its own. If you think its a rash, call your pediatrician.

Molly