Rosy cheeks, velvety skin. That’s what we associate with baby skin. The skin of a newborn is three to five times thinner than the skin of an adult. In the first weeks after birth, it is therefore very sensitive to external stresses and requires special care and adequate protection. For example, the subcutaneous fatty tissue is not yet fully developed and temperature regulation by the sweat glands is insufficient. As a result, babies are prone to cooling or heat accumulation. The skin does not reach full functionality until after the first few months of life. Skin problems such as cradle cap, baby acne and moles are not uncommon. Overall, about two-thirds of all babies suffer from dry skin. Skin problems on the face also often do not occur until the fourth, fifth month, when the first complementary food is fed.
Newborn acne
Baby acne, also called acne neonatorum, affects about one in five babies in the first six weeks after birth. Little boys tend to get the unsightly pustules, blackheads and pimples four times more often than girls. The reason: after birth, babies go through a hormonal change that can also affect the skin. There is usually no need to treat the skin blemishes. Often, the pimples disappear after two to four weeks just as quickly as they appeared. To prevent the child from scratching the itchy acne pimples, you should cut your baby’s fingernails.
Milia
Milia are better known by the term grits or skin grits. They are cysts filled with horny material that form on the excretory ducts of the sebaceous glands of the skin. Like baby acne, they are caused by the hormonal changes that every baby goes through after birth. Almost every baby has these small white grains under the skin. Milia can multiply greatly within days and occur not only on the face, but all over the body. They do not need to be treated, but disappear on their own after a few weeks.
Sweat Frizzles
Sweat pimples, also called miliaria or heat pimples, are small water-bright blisters on the skin that appear especially after heavy sweating or also with fever. They are caused by overheating of the skin during heavy sweating around the glandular pores and are harmless. Sweat pebbles are typically in places where you sweat, on the neck, upper body and arms.Cradle cap, also called infant eczema, has nothing to do with a milk allergy. On the outside, it rather resembles overcooked milk on the stove top.
Typically, the yellow scaly layer is found on the scalp. Cradle cap disappears by itself during the first year of life. As long as it only affects the scalp, it is usually harmless. If the cradle cap extends into the face – typically also into the eyebrows – you should ask a pediatrician for advice. You should not scrape off the scab. However, to loosen the crusts somewhat, you can massage the scalp with oil.
Stork Bite
Stork bite, nevus flammeus (port-wine stain), is a birthmark that many newborns have as a red skin patch on the back of the head, sometimes on the forehead or eyelid. The skin mole is due to dilation of the capillaries (smallest blood vessels). The color changes with temperature, becomes more intense with excitement (crying) and with increased blood flow. While most stork bites – especially those on the face – disappear within the first year of life, the mark on the back of the head sometimes remains for life. They should not be confused with hemangioma, which is a benign vascular growth originating from the inner layer of blood vessels.
Hemangioma
Hemangioma, also known as blood sponge, is a very noticeable skin lesion. Approximately two to three percent of all newborns are born with a hemangioma, and as many as one in ten babies born prematurely. Most often, hemangiomas occur on the head and neck. Hemangiomas are benign tumors of the blood vessels that are somewhat raised and do not usually become malignant. However, they show different growth tendencies: Some hemangiomas slowly grow larger, while others regress over time. In babies, they are often only very slightly present at birth, but then become more prominent within the first year of life.
