What is Baby Acne?
I have to admit, I don’t have any kids yet, so I’m pretty ignorant when it comes to some parenting terms like “swaddling”, “binky” and other terms and euphamisms used in the world of baby and child care. So, when I heard the term “baby acne” I was likewise confused. I thought, wait a second, how does a baby get acne when they’re hormones haven’t even begun to kick in, and they are pure as the driven snow, meaning nothing has polluted their body yet. Also, no worrying or anything, so how does a baby get acne?
Well, baby acne and adult and teen acne are really not too much alike, which explained a lot to my pea sized brain when it comes to baby talk. Baby’s may break out in rough, red rashes that look very much like acne, and in fact, they are called baby acne if they meet certain criteria. Many parents at first think that baby acne is a rash or allergic reaction at first, at must usually get the redness and bumps diagnosed by a pediatrician before they can confirm it is actually baby acne.
Here’s the very interesting part though. Baby acne is caused by hormones of the mother’s crossing the placenta into the baby’s living space so to speak, so baby acne is actually hormonally caused! Crazy, isn’t it, that a tiny baby can be affected that much by it’s mothers hormones simply crossing the barrier of the placenta before the child is actually born into this world.
Whiteheads can appear, not just red bumps, and the acne usually doesn’t show up right when the child is born, but just a few weeks after, when the mother’s hormones interact with the child’s body and produce chemical reactions that make the kid’s skin break out. It usually goes away on it’s own, and usually goes away in a few weeks, when the hormones that caused it in the first place are dashed out of the child’s system through simply running their course.Â
This is interesting, now I’m wondering if I ever had baby acne as a child – sure would explain a lot. I’m just kidding – I know that probably has nothing to do with getting it later in life – right, right???
