Introduction
Newborn acne is a form of acne that can occur in the first weeks of life after birth. Typically there are many small pustules and papules on the head, face and neck. Every fifth child suffers from newborn acne during or after birth. It usually does not last longer than 4-6 weeks.
Duration of symptoms
In most cases, newborn acne heals a few weeks after birth. Therapy is usually not necessary and there is no scarring. The duration of the symptoms usually lasts 4-6 weeks.
If the symptoms are still not better in the 3rd to 6th month of life, it is called acne infantum, the infant acne. Most pimples are located on the cheek and the findings and course of the disease is more serious than that of neonatal acne. Here, too, the androgen level in the blood is too high and it is advisable to have the concentration of sex hormones determined when taking a blood sample.
With infant acne, special therapy is also necessary to prevent scarring and infection of the acne. Here, locally applied antiseptic agents and antibiotics are suitable. In severe cases, however, the antibiotics must be given systemically, i.e. as a juice or via the vein.
Duration until healing
The newborn acne usually heals after a few weeks before the 3rd month of life. Longer courses of therapy are characteristic of infant acne, in this case it can take several months for the disease to heal. Scratching can be prevented by wearing gloves and thus a possible scarring can be avoided. Both of these forms of acne are prolonged in case of a superinfection with bacteria.
Duration of symptoms on the head
The symptoms of neonatal head acne can appear in the first three months of life and usually last for several days to weeks. If pimples on the head continue to appear after the third month of life, this is more likely to be infant acne. Although the head is the part of the body that is most exposed to fresh air, it is also the part of the body that is by far the most exposed to touch from other people and contact with food, fluids or saliva.
What can be done to shorten the symptoms?
First of all, it is important to know that newborn acne heals by itself and does not require any therapy in the uncomplicated cases. In order to shorten the duration of a newborn acne, there are nevertheless some aids that are easy to use. It should be tried to let as little as possible of the scents or artificial additives in hygiene products reach the baby’s skin.
The baby should only be washed with water or simple soap. It is helpful to put on gloves so that the baby does not scratch open pimples. Under no circumstances should you smoke in the presence of the child, as this will aggravate the skin condition.
You should also make sure that the baby is not dressed too warmly, because sweating irritates the skin even more. It would be better to let enough fresh air reach the baby’s skin. Since saliva or spit-out milk aggravate the course of newborn acne, it is advisable to dry the baby’s mouth and the skin folds regularly with a cloth.
