Baby Skin Issues & Conditions

1. Baby Skin Issues and Conditions-JUN ‘18

2. Infant Acne About 40 percent of babies develop infant acne, which commonly pops up at 2 to 3 weeks of age and can often last until baby is 4 to 6 months old. While they're not pretty, these blemishes don't bother baby a bit and won't leave permanent scars as long as you leave them alone. A simple wash with water two or three times daily and a gentle pat dry will suffice.

3. Cradle Cap See some crusty yellow scales, deep red bumps and dandruff-like flakes on your baby's head? That's cradle cap, a seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp that's very common in infants in the first 3 months. What should you do about it? Not much since cradle cap is harmless, but if you can't stand looking at the flakes, try massaging baby's scalp with petroleum jelly or mineral oil to loosen dead skin, followed by a thorough shampoo to wash away flakes and excess oil.

4. Infant Eczema Most baby skin conditions bother you more than your little one — except infant eczema (aka atopic dermatitis). This itchy rash tends to start on the face and spread to the rest of the body. To ease the pain, apply a gentle hypoallergenic moisturizer while your sweetie's skin is still damp from a (short and not-too-hot) bath and leave a cool-mist humidifier running in his bedroom.

5. Impetigo Blistery, scabby skin appearing in your tiny one's diaper area is more often than not impetigo. This common skin infection, which can also spread to other parts of the body or face, occurs when one of two types of bacteria (streptococci or staphylococci) enters baby's system through a break in the skin. Keeping baby's diaper area clean and dry is your best line of defense. You might need a doctor to help confirm the diagnosis.

6. Dry Skin Plenty of grown-ups suffer from flaky, tight skin, but babies do, too. In fact, your little one is actually more susceptible thanks to her extra-sensitive birthday suit. Your plan of attack against dry skin: Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Work from the inside out, making sure your baby gets plenty of fluids from breast milk and/or formula. Then, rub on a hypoallergenic lotion after baths — but skip soap and long tub sessions, which can irritate skin — and keep your baby's room humidified.

7. Heat Rash This pesky rash shows up as tiny, red spots on the face, neck, armpits and upper torso and happens when perspiration builds up because of clogged sweat-gland ducts. Though heat rash usually fades on its own within a week, it can be itchy and uncomfortable for your baby. One way to treat it is with a cool bath, but avoid powders or lotions that can further block the sweat from flowing.

8. Sunburn Even babies love to soak up some rays, but the sun can damage his hypersensitive skin, causing red, swollen patches that may blister or peel if the sunburn is severe. Prevention is your best tool: Limit baby's exposure, especially between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. when the sun's rays are the strongest, and choose his wardrobe wisely.

9. Frostbite Babies are particularly susceptible to frostbite, when skin becomes very cold to the touch and white or yellow-gray in color. This condition is caused by extreme cold, which constricts blood vessels and can cut off blood supply to the outer areas of the body. The best way to prevent frostbite (and its less serious cousin, frostnip) is to make sure baby is well fed and properly dressed before heading out in the cold.

10. Strawberry Hemangioma These soft, raised, strawberry red birthmarks usually appear on baby's head, chest or upper back, are very common and usually fade away by grade school. Ranging from the size of a freckle to that of a coaster, these bumps are created during fetal development when immature veins and capillaries break away from the circulatory system. The best approach is to let the hemangioma disappear on its own, but if it continues to grow, spontaneously bleeds or becomes infected, or interferes with baby's vision or ability to eat, consult your doctor.

11. Stork Bites (Nevi simplex) Also known as angel kisses, these salmon-colored birthmarks are extremely common among newborns. They often appear on the nape of the neck (where the proverbial stork might have carried your precious bundle), forehead, eyelids and around the nose or upper lip. These skin patches are caused by dilations in your baby's capillaries (tiny blood vessels), which are visible beneath his super-thin skin. Since 95 percent of stork bites fade away as your baby's skin develops and thickens, there's no need to worry and nothing to be done.

12. Port-Wine Stain (Nevus flammeus) This purplish-red birthmark that are caused due to a faulty nerve supply to tiny blood vessels, may show up anywhere on baby's body, but most typically appears on the face or limbs and on just one side of the body. These nerves control the diameter of those vessels, so when they're defective, the vessels continue to expand, allowing blood to collect beneath the skin's surface. These birthmarks are considered permanent, but most experts recommend treating port-wine stains on the face with lasers at a young age when they're smaller in size.

13. Café-au-Lait Spots Typically flat and irregularly shaped, café-au-lait spots are permanent patches ranging in color from beige (coffee with a lot of milk) to light brown (coffee with a little milk). They may show up anywhere on your baby's body, either at birth or within the first few years of life, and increase in size, quantity or darkness as your child gets older. They're harmless, but do keep an eye on the size and quantity of these spots, since having six or more that are larger than a quarter may be a sign of neurofibromatosis (a genetic disorder that causes abnormal cell growth of the nerve tissue).

14. Mongolian Spots Most common in babies of African, Asian, Indian and Mediterranean descent, these gray-blue patches are caused by simple variations in skin pigmentation and usually appear and disappear all within the first year. They might look like a big bruise, but they don't hurt at all. Ranging from the size of a pinhead to six or more inches across, Mongolian spots typically show up on baby's back, buttocks or legs. What to do? Nothing.

15. Moles (Congenital Pigmented Nevi) Present at birth, congenital pigmented nevi, aka moles, range in color from light brown to black, and in size, from small to very large. "Acquired" nevi, which develop through childhood and adolescence, are far more common than the congenital kind. If your baby is born with one, monitor it by taking pictures at regular intervals so that you can report any changes to your pediatrician. He or she may recommend removing large moles (after a baby is 6 months old) or any suspicious ones to minimize the risk of cancer.

16. Diaper Rash Is your baby sporting a sore, red and bumpy bottom? Then she's most likely experiencing diaper rash, a skin irritation that's typically caused by this tough trio: too much moisture, too little air and irritants (think everything from urine and stool to common baby products like diapers, wipes and soaps.) Your best defense is to keep her diaper as clean and dry as can be by changing her frequently.

17. For more details ON THIS ARTICLE - https://www.whattoexpect.com/first-year/health-and-safety/baby-skin-issues-conditions/