Your newborn’s skin conditions explained

Newborn babies are often prone to rashes or other skin problems of all sorts. Many of these conditions are extremely common and often go away on their own.

While often harmless, newborn skin conditions tend to cause a significant amount of parental concern.

Sister Jenny explains common newborn skin conditions and their symptoms.

Cradle Cap

Cradle cap commonly occurs in newborn as well as older babies. Symptoms might include crusty yellow scales, deep red bumps, and dandruff-like flakes on your baby’s head. The cause of cradle cap is build-up of sebum, which is an oily substance produced by glands in the skin, which traps old skin cells on top of your little one’s head.

Cradle cap is harmless to your baby but looks unsightly.

Milia

Milia are tiny white bumps that most commonly appear across a baby’s face. These bumps look like whiteheads, but are in fact small cysts filled with a build-up of sebum and keratin, which is a protein that makes up the outer layer of a person’s skin, hair and nails.

These little bumps aren’t painful or contagious, and will go away without treatment in two to three weeks.

Heat Rash

Heat rash is a common condition in which areas of the skin feel prickly or sting due to overheating.

A heat rash shows up as tiny, red bumps after your baby’s sweat glands get clogged, leaving your little one hot, irritable and itchy. You will most likely see the rash in the folds of your baby’s skin and on the body where clothing fits snugly.

To calm a heat rash, apply a recommended cream gently to the irritated area to relieve the itch and ease the discomfort and redness or strip your little one down and cool him or her down with a cool bath.

If the heat rash doesn’t go away after three or four days, or if it appears to be getting worse and your child develops a fever, contact your doctor right away.

Infant Acne

Infant acne is a very common harmless skin condition which pops up at two to three weeks of age and occurs mostly on the nose and forehead of young babies.

It is thought to be the result of the mother’s hormones which are still circulating in the little one’s bloodstream. These hormones cause the baby’s oil glands to clog and the acne to appear. Infant acne can also be the result of yeast that lives on the skin.

It is not painful and usually doesn’t leave any permanent scars. Infant acne will usually go away on its own.

Erythema toxicum

Erythema toxicum is a common harmless rash that appears in at least half of all infants who are carried to term. Erythema toxicum is a rash of small white dots surrounded by red skin that usually appears in the first three to five days after birth.

The rash generally appears on the face and midsection of the body, though it may also appear on the arms or thighs.

The rash can change rapidly, appearing and disappearing in different areas over hours to days.

The cause of Erythema toxicum is unknown. Erythema toxicum is usually completely gone by four months without treatment and is not at all dangerous.

Transient Pustular Melanosis

Transient Pustular Melanosis is a benign neonatal skin condition that is most common among darker-skinned babies.

The lesions of transient neonatal pustular melanosis are present from birth in the form of tiny white bumps on the baby’s neck, chest, back, or buttocks. The bumps may go away on their own, but sometimes they leave slightly darker marks on the skin.​

The vesicles and pustules rupture easily and resolve within 48 hours. The brown macules may persist for several months.

About the Author: Your baby’s skin is generally a lot thinner and much more sensitive and delicate compared to an adult’s, so you should care for it differently. Sister Jenny JEN-TIL Baby cream is especially designed for the treatment of baby’s skin conditions and can be used on the face and whole body of all babies.  It relaxes and soothes the baby and can also be used for Baby massage. Available at selected Pick n Pay pharmacy and Pick n Pay hyper stores nationwide. www.jentiltouch.com      

Note: In the unlikely event of allergy to any of the ingredients in Sister Jenny Baby Cream, discontinue use and consult your doctor.

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