Diagnosis
Head gneiss is a clinical diagnosis. The time of occurrence, the condition and the symptomatology are decisive for this. This allows a distinction to be made between head gneiss and milk crust.
Head gneiss is caused by maternal hormones, while milk crust can be a sign of allergy-prone skin. The cradle cap itches, and the children are impaired in their general condition. Children usually do not even notice the head gneiss.
Duration
The head gneiss should heal by the third month of life. The milk crust on the other hand can remain until the second year of life. Occasionally the head gneiss can smell unpleasant.
Many parents describe the smell of the Kopfgneis with their babies like “rancid milk” or “cheesy”. The smell can develop from one moment to the next and is no reason to panic. Two important components in the development of head gneiss are excessive sebum production by the sebaceous glands of the skin and an increase in colonization by Mallassezia yeasts.The latter belong to the natural colonization of human skin and have no disease value.
In the case of head gneiss, however, this results in an oily skin rash which is not very breathable. The odor is caused by the fact that the skin under this layer of fat can hardly “breathe”. However, the smell per se has no disease value and must not be interpreted as a sign of a stronger infestation or similar. If the smell is very annoying, it is recommended to care for the baby’s scalp with baby shampoos and baby oil or olive oil and to remove the head gneiss so gently.
Therapy
The head gneiss heals in most cases without consequences and completely by itself. Removing the scaly eczema is therefore not absolutely necessary. Parents can, if they wish, try to gently remove the dandruff with the help of olive oil or baby oil.
It is recommended to rub the oil into the baby’s scalp and leave it on overnight. The next morning you can then rinse the hair gently with some baby shampoo and comb it out carefully with a sponge or comb. Repeating the procedure may make it easier to remove the dandruff.
However, one should never try to remove the dandruff without such pre-treatment or soaking, such as by scraping it off. This can lead to bleeding and scarring during healing. In addition, small skin injuries are caused in this way, which can also lead to a subsequent fungal or bacterial infection.
If you are unsure which ointment or tincture can be used, you should definitely see your pediatrician, as babies can react sensitively to various substances that are harmless to adults. In adults, the course of the head ganglion is usually chronic, so removing the dandruff is not as easy as in children. It is often a dermatological therapy with various active ingredients such as antimycotics, calcineurin inhibitors (relieve inflammation and itching by regulating cells in the immune system), preparations containing cortisone and sodium bituminosulfate (soothes irritated skin and counteracts increased sebum production).
Oils can help to soften the scaly skin rash in babies a little and thus enable the gentle removal of the scales. It is recommended to use especially olive oil and baby oil, as these oils do not cause any allergic or inflammatory reactions of the skin. They can be gently applied to the affected skin areas and massaged in lightly.
In the case of strong head gneiss, the oils can also be left on for a few hours or preferably overnight. The next day the oil is removed with gentle baby shampoos. In this way the skin and especially the crusty scales are softened.
This procedure should be repeated several times until the scales can be carefully combed out or wiped off with a soft sponge. However, one should refrain from using other oils, especially essential oils. They can cause an allergic reaction or inflammation in the baby. Oils should also not get into the baby’s eyes.
