Baby Pimples

Updated on October 26, 2008
J.P. asks from South Pasadena, CA
42 answers

pimples started to break out on my 4-week old baby's cheeks. the pediatrician told me to just leave it alone since they usually disappear on their own after a few weeks. just wondering if any of you had this experience with your baby and wanted to know what you did.

thanks

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So What Happened?

thanks to everyone who responded to my question. you guys reassured me that what my baby has is normal. as all of you suggested, i will just leave the pimples alone and wait for them to clear up on their own, hopefully sooner than later. it really just helps to hear from other moms who have gone through the same thing with their babies!

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A.W.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hello, not to worry they will go away on their own. My now 5 1/2 month old daughter had them when she was a few weeks old and I too was like how can I get rid of them. However they say just to gently cleanse the baby's face with a soft warn wash cloth. NO LOTION. They will disapear real soon. One day she wil have them all over and the next day they will be gone. Hang in there. Dont worry about it now beacause in 13 years you will be worry about it again...haha.

A.

1 mom found this helpful
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R.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

The same happend to my little one when he was about the same age. And I am one to pick... I'm always picking at my husband, but the Dr. said to leave them alone... so I did... it as really hard... and they went away on their own. He stoped getting them when he was about 2 months old.

1 mom found this helpful
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H.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

Yes, that is normal in baby's that young and should clear up on its own quickly. Just wash with baby soap morning and night. All three of my kids had the pimples:)
H.

1 mom found this helpful

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M.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

My kids did not have this but most of my friends kids did. The best thing is to leave them alone. They will go away.

Congrats on your new baby!
M.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

My daughter's now five with amazing skin and has so much baby acne from the time she was born. Just let it be and it will go away. If you pick at it it can scar.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.T.

answers from Los Angeles on

Totally normal... often caused by heat.
Remedy: camomile tea in the ath water and to clean his/her face... works like a charm after a couple days.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

This is totally normal. Not only did both my girls have this, every baby I've ever known has had this. Do nothing. It clears up on its own. It's the hormones from your body working their way through your baby's body. A good book to get on all things baby is The Baby Book by William Sears. All the normal baby and early childhood stuff is covered, and it gives recommendations for illnesses, etc. Congratulations on your new baby!

1 mom found this helpful
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D.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

My daughter had them for weeks after she was born, sincerely they go away, they may not be "pretty" but it something that comes and goes. My doctor said there was nothing that could be done. Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi J.,
i have a 2 months old beautifull daughter. we had the same situation, doctor said it is OK and that it will go away itself, but i started using Mustella face cream, together with body wash and body lotion (blue colour) and it did wonders!!
try it. hopefully it will help you too

A.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.T.

answers from Los Angeles on

My son had the same problem and still has to some degree, though now it is mainly drooler's rash - my doctors advice regarding baby acne was the same, to just let it be - it went away on it's own after a couple months no problem - apparently it's very common. If you run into drooler's rash, my doc recommended using aquafor (I use CVS generic brand) and it works great! I apply a couple times a day and it keeps his skin from drying out and getting red and pimply. Ask your doc is you could use it already on your baby? Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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D.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

My oldest had baby acne really bad! It started around 3 weeks old and lasted a few weeks. Don't worry about it. It is very normal.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

johnson and johnson makes a stick (bigger than chap stick and its oval shaped) called (i think) soothie...its with the j/j products with the baby stuff. i got mine at target. it cleared it up in days. i wish they made it when my son was a baby...the pimples drove me nuts!

1 mom found this helpful
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S.W.

answers from Los Angeles on

Breast Milk. I JUST read an article yesterday, and it mentioned baby acne, cuts, scrapes, bug bites, you name it...........and said to use BREAST MILK!!
Oh, excema was another one.
Pretty amazing.
Happy Mothering!
S.

1 mom found this helpful
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I.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

We nicknamed my son "pizza face" it was so bad. From far away it looked like he ha rosy cheeks. Then you realized, oh gosh. I think its very common. Our Ped. told us the same thing, just leave it alone and it will go away, but most likely return in adolescence. His skin is perfect for now.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.L.

answers from Reno on

Hi J.,

Yes, I had this happen with my first daughter. She got them all over her face when she was about 6 weeks old and they didn't go away for almost 2 months. It was awful, but it went away and her face is beautiful now. She has great skin.

I didn't put anything on her face, and I just left it alone. Doctors orders.

Good luck, and I hope this helps. ENjoy your baby.

1 mom found this helpful
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L.D.

answers from Honolulu on

Hi,
My son had the same thing and the doctors told me it would go away on it's own. It did and now my son has beautiful smooth skin. Take Care.
L.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.W.

answers from Los Angeles on

Baby acne is normal and you should just leave it alone. It will go away.

1 mom found this helpful
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D.K.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi J.,
My first 2 kids (boys) never got baby acne, then I had my daughter a couple of months ago and she got it. Of course my little girl ! Anyways, I left it alone, tried to keep her face clean. It didn't go away for a couple of weeks, but now she is all cleared up and back to normal. She got really dry on her face also and her doctor said to use Aquaphor. It really helped her skin. The only downside is it is only in ointment form, but it helps. You can also use a hydrocortisone cream, but I chose not to since it is a form of a steroid. I know it may seem like your baby has it forever, but it will pass.

1 mom found this helpful
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C.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi J.,
Yep, totally normal. I started by using Cetaphil to wash my baby's face but after seeing it get worse I have since switched to Dove's bar soap (unscented for sensitive skin). I'm doing this twice a day now -- no scrubbing, just a gentle washing -- and have seen significant improvements. My understanding is that it's pretty typical in babies beginning around 3 weeks of age and for most ending after about a month though it can continue for a longer period of time. Best advice -- remember that it's affecting you way more than it's affecting him/her.
Good luck!

P.S. Based on what I've read so far there is no link between baby acne and adult acne.

1 mom found this helpful
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B.N.

answers from Los Angeles on

My son got little bumps/pimples all over his face when he was about 5 weeks old. They did go away and left no marks on him (he has dark skin). He had them for about 3 weeks. My doctor told me that baby acne is very common in infants since there are so many new things that they are coming in contact with. I kept up with my usual routine and let them go away on their own. They worse than they really are! :)

1 mom found this helpful
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M.B.

answers from Honolulu on

Hi J.,

My pediatrician told me to use fragrance-free baby wash & lotions on my son to try to clear this up & it worked! As soon as I switched to Burts Bees baby wash, his pimples cleared up.

Good Luck,
M.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.P.

answers from Los Angeles on

Leave them alone. It's usually due to changes in your estogen level, if you are breastfeeding.

1 mom found this helpful
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D.N.

answers from Reno on

Hello, my name is deb and my baby girl (2 mos) had baby pimples as well. The book what to expect the first year says the same thing, "don't squeeze, scrub, slatehr with lotions, or otherwise treat your newborn's acne. JUst wash it with water two or three times daily, pat dry and it will clear within a few months leaving no lasting marks" so far I've done just that left it alone except to wash her face and they have pretty much disappered. However I did not wash as often because I did not want to dry out her skin. just once a day if that and they are pretty much gone (just a few left)
hope this helps or if you find out something different!

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R.P.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi J., you already have a million responses but I just wanted to be another mommy reassuring you!

Around 4 weeks old my baby had really really bad acne - her whole face and ears were covered and part of her neck. To top it off, she had cradle cap in her eyebrows. She looked pretty scary! I called the pediatrician who told me to wait it out - don't use any soaps or oxy-10 (ha) or anything! And, in a couple of weeks her skin was all clear. I understand it's caused by hormones from the mom during birth.

So, hang in there, and maybe wait a little bit for scheduling any baby portraits. ;)
-R.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.G.

answers from Reno on

My neice had like 3 or 4 on her cheek and they really are nothing to worry about. Sometimes even babies can get them on their bottoms too. Just make sure to wash your baby's cheeks more often, and other than that leave them alone. They will go away on their own. Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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O.S.

answers from Austin on

My baby had them too around 4 weeks...I just left them alone per the Dr...and they went away in about 2 weeks. He's 9 weeks old now and baby pimple free!

1 mom found this helpful
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G.O.

answers from Los Angeles on

Your baby is probably going to get them all over and this will last at least a month or two. I believe it's the hormones.

1 mom found this helpful
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R.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

I just had my 3rd 2 months ago and she had these so bad - she still has them a little but they are much better... I was told to just wash them with mild soap and water and pat dry... I don't think there is much you can do.

1 mom found this helpful
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B.B.

answers from San Diego on

It is totally normal and will go away. We did wash her face with mild baby soap and a washcloth at night. Then applied Aquaphor which seemed to clear it up nicely.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

my baby had pimples... and they would go away and then some more would appear on another part of his face. your doctor's right... just leave them alone and they will go away. i read that if you try to break the pimples, that could leave a scar.

1 mom found this helpful
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T.C.

answers from San Diego on

I had the same thing happen to my daughter! After about a week it went away completely! As bad as I wanted to put something on it to fix it, I didn't-I listened to the pediatrician. Just a daily washcloth with warm water! I had some friends who have tried fragrance free dove, burts and other baby cleansers but it seemed to take about a week for it to go away with the cleansers also. Goodluck-it will eventually be gone!

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A.P.

answers from Los Angeles on

I have a 2 1/2 month old and when he was about 4 weeks old the same thing happened. I thought the best thing would be to keep it dry so they dry out but my mother-in-law who is a nurse said to do the opposite and keep lotion on it and that is what worked the best! I used Johnson's baby lotion and it started to clear up right away! Good luck!

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C.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

J.,

On ocassion my son had a pimple on his face as an infant. I did exactly what the Dr. said, leave it alone.

Also, sometimes they get them from too much touching or kissing. The rubbing of different face guk on theirs causes the problems. Also, the rubbing that they do on their face when their little hands are a bit dirty.

Another thing is the beard, my husband would rub his face on my son when he was a baby, my son loved it but then would end up with a light rash for a couple days... But to him it was worth it b/c he loved daddys face on his.

It'll go away don't worry.

C.

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

It's normal.
It is also a normal natural process in which the Mother's "hormones" from birth, are leaving the baby's body.
It DOES go away on it's own. Just let it be, and it will resolve itself on it's own... every baby is different, and the time it takes to go away varies.

My son had it bad, and it covered his ENTIRE head/face. and it took SEVERAL months for it to go away.
My daughter only had a slight case, and it didn't last long.

They say that usually, boy baby's have it worse, because of the Mother's hormones from in utero and from birth.

Just keep it clean, and don't put any "stuff" on it, unless directed by your Pediatrician. The skin needs to "breathe" and any lotions you put on it can clog the skin, especially in newborns, and exacerbate it.

But yes, many newborns have this.

take care,
Susan

1 mom found this helpful
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R.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

My baby broke out with the most horrible case of baby acne all over her face at around 3 weeks old, and then she had cradle cap which moved down onto her face as well (referred to as dermatitis when not in the hair area).. anyway, she looked frightening!

For the baby acne, there was absolutely nothing to do but wait patiently. It went away as quickly as it came up only a couple of weeks later and now she has perfect skin.

Patience I guess..

All the best and congrats on your new baby!!

1 mom found this helpful
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J.D.

answers from Reno on

Do exactly what the doctor said. It will go away on its own.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi J.,

I also am a mother of 4 beautiful girls. The most recent being 8 weeks. They all got a few baby pimples in the first weekd of life. They eventually went away on their own without me having to do anything :-). Hope this helps.

K.

1 mom found this helpful
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L.A.

answers from San Diego on

I am amazed that your fourth baby is the only one who has ever had newborn pimples!!! I have four kids and all of mine had them. So have most of the newborns I've ever known. It is NORMAL. They will go away on their own. Not a big deal. Nothing you can do to rush it that won't make the problem worse,

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B.T.

answers from Honolulu on

Yes, they will go away.
My mother removed one from my daughter 36 years ago and she still has the scar.

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J.J.

answers from Los Angeles on

My daughter broke out this past weekend. Her daycare provider called me because she was concerned. We went through a list of what we did different over the weekend. She had a fever from teething and I was wearing my perfume heavier than I normally do. I do believe that was the cause of the break out. I didn't last long. Making sure your baby's face and hands stay clean is important. Try using a clean wash cloth and plain water on his/her face throughout the day (especially after kissing).

1 mom found this helpful
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L.E.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi, J.,

My first child had baby acne. His pediatrician told me that it would disappear within a few months, but my child had it for a year. The pediatrician told us that it was OK to put benzoil peroxide on my child's face a couple of times per day but recommendend doing nothing.

Lynne E

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T.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

We all did, every single baby gets them and they go away, they are cauese from MOmmys hormones, or mommys laundry soap, or daddys hormones, they will go away soon as you know it.. then the pretty baby comes back..

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