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Acne Treatment and Prevention

How do I know if its baby acne or a rash?

My daughter has what looks like baby acne on the right side of her face and behind her ear, but could it be a rash? They look very similar.

Public Comments

1. Talk to your pediatrician. If she's had it a long time I doubt it's a rash. My daughter had a blotch of what I thought was baby acne on her cheek for months and when I asked her pediatrician she said it wasn't acne and I should put a creamier lotion (We use Vaseline brand) and it made it go away.

Or it could be heat rash or allergic reaction if it's new.

2. Baby Acne

Like teenage acne, baby acne occurs more often in boys than girls. Unlike later forms of acne, it is generally mild or moderate, and rarely severe.

It generally occurs on the face of infants - usually the cheeks, though it can spread to the chin and forehead. When this type of acne is mild to moderate, it is unlikely to lead to permanent scarring. However, if the acne is severe, scars can occur that last into adulthood. Those babies who develop severe acne usually get acne vulgaris when they reach the teenage years. Acne vulgaris is the most common type of acne people suffer from.

Neonatal acne can include features of regular acne like whiteheads and blackheads, as well as papules and pustules. Papules do not have pus in them, and look like small, solid, raised areas of the skin. Pustules do have pus in them, as the name suggests. Pustules generally form in sweat glands or hair follicles. It is composed of inflammatory cells as well as pus.

When there are no comedomes (whiteheads and blackheads), babies may have what is call neonatal cephalic pustulosis. This is a result of an infection by a genus of yeasts called malassezia. There are a number of different species belonging to this genus, although it has not been established whether the different species cause particular skin conditions. Malassezia yeasts can cause seborrhoeic dermatitis and dandruff, as well as neonatal cephalic pustulosis and a range of other conditions.

Neonatal cephalic pustulosis doesn't usually need treatment, though a topical antifungal cream can be applied.

Heat Rash

Heat rash can occur in anyone, though babies are more vulnerable because their sweat glands aren't fully developed. Thus, they are less able to re-balance their core body temperature. Heat rash is characterized by very small bumps on the skin, surrounded by a red area. Heat rash:

* usually breaks out on areas of the body covered by clothes

* this includes the trunk, groin, and armpits

* it can cause fever and heat exhaustion in severe cases

* hot and humid environments tend to be associated with it more

* it can feel prickly or stinging

3. Use a mild soap for sensitive skin but it doesn't matter exactly what type of soap you use. It can be designed for acne-prone skin or not, but you will want to treat your skin gently. Harsh antibacterial soap may actually make your acne worse by irritating skin.

Remove dead skin cells regularly by exfoliating. Use a gentle scrub with natural defoliants like ground walnut shells, or use an over-the-counter chemical defoliant like salicylic acid or glycolic acid. Adding ground walnut shell to a thick moisturizer like cocoa butter can be effective too. Take caution, because over-exfoliating can actually increase the likelihood of acne by irritating the skin. Pat dry, rather than rubbing, since rubbing can cause irritation to the fresh skin you've just revealed.