Newborn acne? Please stay relaxed
A small topic that is a big issue, especially for new parents: newborn acne.
Some newborns develop intense acne on their face after around three to four weeks, as is actually familiar from puberty. This occurs slightly more frequently in male babies than in females. The acne can also spread to the chest and abdomen.
It is particularly important for parents to know that this is a completely natural phenomenon that is not pathological and is easy to explain.
The cause of neonatal acne lies in the hormones during pregnancy. Towards the end of pregnancy, women produce more male hormones, known as androgens. These are of great importance for the development of the baby, for example for the maturation of the lungs. And it is also these hormones that often lead to the acne flare-up described above.
And what can you do? First and foremost, you should react to acne with patience and wait and see. The use of skin creams in particular is not recommended, as they can make the acne even worse. Even if the babies look different than expected during these weeks, it is important to remain patient, as the acne will recede on its own. Acne should no longer be visible by the time they are around one and a half months old.
Further interesting tips
Blood poisoning
Today a topic from the category: Myths of medicine. Colloquially, a red line on the arm or leg is often referred to as blood poisoning. Just as often we are presented with children whose parents are full of fear and worry and immediately need antibiotics because the child has blood poisoning. A little education is needed here.
Gynaecomastia
Today's topic concerns boys aged twelve to 15, or their parents. Everyone else can of course continue reading :-). The topic is called "gynaecomastia" and often leads to boys being somewhat desperate in the surgery and parents being really worried.
Separation children
Unfortunately, this is a topic that you have to talk to parents about time and again in the paediatric practice: How do parents deal with separation or divorce? What do you need to bear in mind to minimise the impact on the child?