The In's and Out's of Baby Acne

The “In’s” and “Out’s” of Baby Acne

By Margaret Gaia

Baby acne is simply acne that has developed on your baby’s skin.  It most commonly found in areas such as the forehead, legs, cheeks and/or forehead.  While it is not attractive, it is very common and there is little treatment for it.  Most treatment is to let it play out.

Small red bumps on the areas where acne would be found.  It is most common in the first weeks after childbirth, and often clears up completely soon thereafter.  If it does not clear up in three months or so, do consult a physician.  We always recommend communicating these types of observations with your physician.  

Your baby might also develop some small white bumps in these areas as well.  These bumps are referred to as milia and are in the baby acne family – so nothing to worry about here either.

Baby acne is caused by hormonal changes in the mother’s pregnancy.  It is rarely a hormonal problem in the baby itself.  It usually looks like normal acne in people, however when the baby is fussy or crying, it might intensify the look/feel of the acne. 

The acne is easily spotted on the skin, therefore in terms of testing, there are not any particulars around it.  It is simply visual, and easy to find.   If it is longer than a few months in terms of the acne’s presence on the skin, your doctor might recommend a medical cream which might aid in the curing of the acne.  This is going to be something that is between you and your doctor and is not universal as to common ways to treat baby acne.

As a last note to parents, it is important to not pick the acne although it might be tempting.  In some cases this can scar over time, and make the acne must worse than what was originally expected.