Is this baby acne, and what should I do about the bumps?
Baby acne, also called neonatal acne, is small red or white bumps on the cheeks, nose and forehead that appear around two to four weeks of age and clear by themselves within weeks to a few months. It is common, it does not bother the baby, and it is not caused by anything a parent ate, used or did. Care is minimal: wash the face with warm water once a day, pat dry, and skip scrubbing, squeezing and any acne product made for older skin. Other newborn bumps look similar: milia are tiny white bumps present from birth, and heat rash is fine pink bumps where the skin stays warm and damp. A pediatrician is the one to read bumps that start after six weeks, spread, ooze or come with a fever.
Call your pediatrician if the bumps begin after about six weeks of age, turn into blackheads or deep, widespread or marking bumps, spread to the body, look sore or oozing, or come with a fever.
Who it's for: skin that looks red, bumpy or blotchy.
The Wash and Soothe steps
Bubbly Wash cleanses without disrupting the skin's natural ecosystem, and Soothing Serum is a water-light, fragrance-free leave-on that supports the look of calm, even skin; the focus is the serum. The pair is the routine BEB places for reactive-looking skin.
Questions parents ask
What causes baby acne?
Baby acne is linked to the hormones a baby is exposed to around birth, which stimulate the oil glands, and to a normal yeast on the skin; the clinical name is neonatal cephalic pustulosis. It is not caused by a parent's diet, breast milk, detergent or a lotion used too early. It appears and leaves by itself.
How long does baby acne last?
Most baby acne clears within a few weeks and nearly all of it by three to four months. It can look worse when the baby is warm, crying or has spit up on the cheeks, then settle again. No scar is left behind.
Can I put anything on baby acne?
Warm water once a day is the care clinicians advise for baby acne. Skip scrubbing, squeezing and acne washes or creams made for teenagers and adults, since those are made for thicker skin. If the cheeks look dry between the bumps, a light, fragrance-free leave-on is a reasonable choice.
Is it baby acne or milia?
Milia are tiny, firm, pearly white bumps, often on the nose and chin, present from birth, and they rub off by themselves in a few weeks. Baby acne arrives later, around two to four weeks, and includes red bumps with some redness around them. Neither needs treatment.
Is it baby acne or heat rash?
Heat rash (miliaria) is a scatter of tiny pink or clear bumps in places that stay warm and damp: the neck folds, chest, back and under a hat. Baby acne appears on the cheeks, nose and forehead and can include whiteheads. Cooling the room, loosening clothing and a cool rinse clear heat rash in a day or two.
