Definition
Newborn acne – also known as acne neonatorum, acne infantilis or baby acne – is a special form of acne that occurs predominantly in newborns in the first weeks of life (often around the 3rd week of life), but can sometimes also begin in the womb, so that the affected children are already born with newborn acne. Approximately 20% of all newborns are affected, with strikingly more male than female babies being affected. Classically, newborns develop a painless, non-itching acne – especially in the area of the cheeks, more rarely also on the forehead, chin or trunk. The acne can be easily inflammatory, but usually it heals without complications and without scars after 3-6 months at the latest, so that it does not need to be treated separately. The newborn acne must be distinguished from the so-called infant acne, which only occurs between the 3rd – 6th month of life, is often more severe and persists longer and, if the course is more severe, must often be treated with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs to prevent scarring from healing.
Causes
The cause for the development of neonatal acne can be on the one hand the hormonal balance of the newborn during the foetal period (9th to 38th week of pregnancy – organ growth and maturation sex) in pregnancy, but on the other hand also the hormone load via the mother, who continues to transfer her hormones to the newborn via the placenta (placenta) or after birth via breast milk. The causative hormones are so-called steroid hormones, which lead to a blockage of the sebaceous glands with a resulting accumulation of secretions in the sebaceous glands and lead to the classic picture of acne (easily inflammatory nodules or purulent blisters). Various diseases of the unborn or newborn child can lead to an excess of steroid hormones, including adrenal cortex hyperplasia (enlargement of the adrenal cortex) or the so-called androgenital syndrome, in which an enzyme defect leads to an overproduction of androgens in the adrenal cortex.
If the offspring is affected by neonatal acne, it usually occurs in the first weeks of life, often starting around the third week of life. In some cases, however, it can also begin intrauterine, i.e. in the womb, so that the newborn child is born with neonatal acne and does not develop it after birth. How long the neonatal acne lasts in the infant depends, among other things, on the cause and the speed with which the newborn gets used to the increased steroid hormone load or adjusts to a normal level.
On average, acne recedes without any consequences from the 3rd month of life onwards, so there is usually a scarless healing process. By 6 months of age at the latest, however, it should be completely regressed. If acne-similar skin phenomena arise however only around the 3. until 6. month of life, should be thought here rather of the so-called infant acne, which runs often more heavily and must be treated under circumstances even with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medicines, in order to avoid a scarring process.
Newborn acne usually occurs in the first weeks of life. Newborn acne then heals without scarring, usually within three months. In rare cases, it can take longer than six months.
Not only during the pregnancy in the womb is the hormone load of the offspring with steroid hormones increased, but also after birth. If the newborn is breastfed with breast milk, steroid hormones are also transferred from the mother to the newborn after pregnancy, so that these steroid hormones can lead to constipation and secretion accumulation in the sebaceous glands. However, it is important to note that this should not lead to the reverse conclusion that breastfeeding can make the newborn sick in this respect – this is of course not the case!
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