Remedies for Baby Acne

Put some breastmilk on it.

Just a thought....Have you changed anything you put ON your body? New lotion? Maybe a reaction to that.

Time is really the only remedy....
What ever caused it has to work out of her system.

I would stop using the "no rinse" face wash and stick to just plain water. Beware of washing her face TOO much. It can make it too dry and lead to other problems.

With the hydrocortizone cream I would put it on her, but only a max of 2 times a day... If your smearing it on all day long it will cause it to get worse because the skin can't breathe. Perhaps put some on her forehead and see if the redness gets lighter and use that as a judge on whether to use it anywhere else...Or just use it at those times that she is typically grumpy and the itching makes her grumpier (like right before bed time/ nap time)

Good luck and I hope it clears up soon...

Baby acne is totally normal and not a result of anything you're doing. Unless you're using too much baby oil.... :) It should go away on its own, and don't worry about it unless it looks red, puffy or oozy. I would try a new laundry detergent, all free and clear is what we use. I would also try the cortizone cream once a day and not use too much of it. See if it helps. It has never been helpful for my own itchy skin, but mine is due to dryness. If dryness is part of the cause of your baby's itchiness try (a little bit) Nivea Intensive Moisturizing Lotion or SOS relief body lotion - http://www.nivea.com/products/show/25050. These are the only products that give me long lasting moisture and keep me from itching.

It could be your diet. My daughter broke out severely with what I thought was baby acne at about 3 1/2 to 4 weeks old. It ended up that she had food allergies that were causing the rashes. Try doing an elimination diet (you can find tons of information on the web)yourself; begin with dairy and then wheat/gluten. It's a small price to pay for a comfortable baby and a peaceful mom. If it's a food sensitivity and you eliminate the source from your diet you should see improvement within a weeks time.

Hi K.,

Babies get a lot of hormones from mom just before birth. This can cause the acne. Also, it could be the herbal remedies you were taking.

My daughter was born via emergent C, and then my incision became infected. I was on so much medication it was ridiculous. Of course they told me it was all relatively safe for baby, so I nursed. The poor thing broke out in acne so terribly bad. Seriously, there was not any tiny part of her little face that did not have it.

I did a little digging and from what I could find, it seems when babies are born their liver system is not mature. This makes sense to me since their digestive system is also not mature. Consequently they are not able to metabolize many things that would get passed through our milk. They only way their bodies have to get rid of these things is through their skin. Consequently, the acne.

So, quite honestly... it could be either. It could be the extra boost of hormones baby got just before birth, or it could be the herbal supplement.

For us, my daughter never seemed bothered by it. So I just kept her face clean and eventually it went away.

www.earthmamaangelbaby.com has some really good products. I haven't specifically looked for something for baby acne, but you might take a peek and see if they have something.

The only thing I can tell you is to call your pediatrician. If you are taking suppliments for breast milk and he hasn't said it is OK, you really need to consult him. Babies, at that age especially, are so sensitive, that asking lots and lots of questions doesn't make you a pain to the Dr. it makes you smart! Having a good, progressive dialogue with your pediatrician is a great defense and in the end will make you more informed, and that is a great thing. Hope your little one's discomfort is relieved soon!

Hi K.!

My little guy had this about that same age. The dr. didn't know why it was so bad and said it was just baby acne. It ended up being ECZEMA. He didn't have the traditional looking dry patches and he didn't have it anywhere else on his body. And it didn't go away on its own. Doctors really have a hard time with skin stuff so I was really glad I found this out through another mom!

I used Gentle Naturals brand baby eczema wash and ointment. I found it at Meijer in the baby dept., baby wash/lotion section, near the top shelf. It's in greenish/aqua color packaging. The ointment did stain the sheets yellow because he was a tummy sleeper but it didn't get on his clothes or anything. It was the only thing that helped because all the prescription stuff is for 2 and older.

Hope this helps.

:o) G.

hi K., baby acne is totally normal! we as parents do not like to see our precious little ones covered in it. do not put anything on it, just wash gently 2 or 3 times a day w/ a baby wash cloth and warm water. it will clear up on its own. it is your hormones passing through your babies body. i have 4 children, they all had baby acne and it cleared up in a few weeks w/ all of them. it seems that if they were too warm it temporarily got worse. i hope this helps

I have been in your shoes. My now 6 year had baby acne worse than any picture you could find on it. I took her to the doctors after about a week and seriously was balling to him. I thought my beautiful baby was turning ugly. After a long persuasion he gave me some perscription they use for adults (something with the name peroxide in it) He told me that he never gives anything for baby acne, but i was a complete mess. I think i seriously used it one time because i was so scared to use it on my newborn baby. And before I new it, it began to clear up. Everything you read on it says leave it alone because anything you put top of it just blocks the pores more. So if I were you I would really just leave it alone. In time it will go away and she will fell better.

Hi K., I'm not a Dr.(and it sounds like yours was very little help), but it does sound like an allergic reaction to me. One of our sons had what you're describing and it turned out he was allergic to dairy. I'm not suggesting your child is, but this was one of the ways his body reacted. Shortly after we stopped dairy it went away. It is terrible and it sounds like it most likely is not normal baby acne. Our Dr. prescribed a cortisone/eszema cream that he made himself (which worked great), so I can't be much help in that department. I hope you and your baby find relief soon :(

Hi, my name is J. I'am a work at home grandma. My daughter has a 2 month old baby boy who is going through the baby acne right now, what she has been using is a product by the name of. Aquaphor, by Eucrin. It is a healing ointment, and it is clearing her baby acne up very well. she only uses a very thin layer after his morning bath, and a little at night. Be careful around the babies eyes.

Hi K.. Try Aveeno Baby Daily Moisturizing Cream. It has worked for my babies, do it 2X a day (or more if you like). It really does great on taking the redness away. I personally wouldn't do the cortizone cream at such a young age. Good luck.

I would just leave it alone. I can't say that I have ever seen a baby that has NOT got it at some point in the first few months of life. Some get it really bad like your little lady and others not so much. My peds told me that they get it because of the hormone changes that come after birth. Your hormones are leaving her body and this is how her body deals with it.
Here is a link I found...

http://www.drgreene.com/21_639.html

Hope it helps shed some light on it for you.

Good luck!

I would take a look at your diet -- perhapes you ate something that bothered her?

Did the acne come after a vaccination?

both my kids had it...my son had it worse.. I did absolutely nothing and it went away. I did some online seraching for remedies.. and every mother had a different remedy and they all said it worked great.. which made me think nothing works..

The acne is coming from inside her body so washing her face will not help much. It will go away in about a week or two. It does not scar and my kids never seemed bothered by it. Just because she rubs her face on your shirt doesnt mean it itches. My kids always rubbed their faces on me... and they still do.. ages 1 and 3.

We've always ran into pretty severe cases with our kids and my understanding was that it is my hormones cycling throgh their body so I don't think this is anything that you could have caused. You'll hate my advice but in our case we just left it alone and it went away. However, I don't remember itching like you are describing so I never was prompted to call the doctor. I agree with the doctor about making it worse by putting creams, etc.so I'mhoping you an just wait it out too!

try benedryl cream its to stop itching I wouldn't take any more herbal stuff

Sounds like she's reacting to the supplements. Either she gets weaned soon and fast or you cut out the supps. her system could be a little too sensitive for taking in the same supps for something she doesn't need. YOU want to increase production. That's for YOU. But she doesn't have a need to increase anything like that, so she's getting the supps through you and reacting. It's like if you have a glass of wine and then feed her. What are the chances she'll get a little tipsy? Or IF you were taking a chemo therapy tablet. She doesn't have a need for it, but she'd be getting it through you. And her little body will very possibly have a reaction to a strange substance.

Sounds more like a rash/reaction or even eczema instead of baby acne. Definitely stop the supplements and watch what you eat...she may be reacting to dairy (common eczema-producing food) or wheat or eggs.
In the meantime, try some of the ointments/lotions other mamasource moms may have suggested (I have no experience with the creams but have the experience with the food sensitivities).

I agree with the others that all babies get it, and it will go away on its own. You could try putting breastmilk on it...I've heard that works. As far as making her more comfortable, try an amber teething necklace. They took the redness away from my daughters cheeks, and butt when she was teething. You have to make sure it is genuine amber or it won't work though. Just something that might help. Good luck to you.