The care and attention a newborn baby receives is daunting. Parents are ever vigilant to monitor any changes in the baby’s mood, behavior, or appearance. To the dismay of many parents, their child develops acne shortly after birth. Normally, acne will appear when the baby is somewhere around three to four weeks old. The acne appears as red bumps. Whiteheads may appear as well. An interesting fact is more boys have baby acne than girls.

You will have two major concerns if your baby develops baby acne. First, you will want to make sure that there is nothing physically wrong that would cause the acne to appear. Second, you will want to make sure the baby acne is not causing your child any pain.

Baby acne normally comes from hormones the child absorbs from the mother during the last stages of pregnancy. Hormones are absorbed into the placenta and then into the baby’s system from there. The hormones stimulate late development of many vital organs such as the lungs. The hormones can also lead to the overdevelopment of oil production in the child’s glands.

Parents should not worry that there is some physical problem with their baby. Over time, the baby acne will disappear on its own. The child’s hormones will balance out and clear skin will return. It is a good idea to continue to wash the baby’s face regularly with warm water and mild soap. Do not go overboard in washing as this can lead to even more irritation, dry skin, and other problems. One important thing to note is that you should not apply a lot of oils or lotions to your child’s face. Oils and lotions will not help cure the baby acne and could, in fact, make the condition worsen.

Parents should not be concerned that the baby acne is causing their child undue pain. Babies become “fussy” after about 4 weeks and for the first few months after that. There are many reasons for the fussiness and baby acne will rarely be the main culprit. It is a good idea to remember that baby acne will be aggravated by agitation, becoming overheated, and too much wetness (slobbering and spitting up). You should not be too worried that the baby acne is the source of your baby’s discomfort.

The final issue surrounding baby acne is the appearance of your baby. Parents want their child’s skin to be clear at any stage of their lives be it infancy, teenage years, or adulthood. Always keep in the forefront of your mind that the condition is temporary and will clear up on its own. If your baby has a rare case of extended baby acne, you can consult your physician or dermatologist to see if medication needs to be prescribed. It is only in rare cases that the medication step is reached.

When baby acne strikes, you just need to muster up some patience to wait the attack out. Continue to perform basic skin cleansing. Do not worry about pain or severe long-term consequences.