A newborn'south skin is prone to rashes of all sorts. Fortunately, most of these rashes are harmless and go away on their own.

Common Rashes in Newborns

  • Picture of Baby Acne Pink pimples ('neonatal acne') are sometimes thought to be caused by exposure in the womb to maternal hormones. No treatment is needed, just fourth dimension. They can terminal for weeks or even months on a baby'due south skin.
  • Erythema toxicum is some other common newborn rash. Information technology looks similar scarlet blotches with ill-defined borders that are slightly raised, and may take a small white or yellow dot in the center. Its cause is unknown, and it resolves without treatment after a few days or weeks.
  • Dry out, peeling skin can be seen in almost all normal babies, but is especially noticeable in babies built-in a little tardily. The underlying skin is perfectly normal, soft, and moist.
  • Picture of White Bumps (Milia) Trivial white bumps on the nose and face (milia) are caused by blocked oil glands. When a baby's oil glands overstate and open upward in a few days or weeks, the white bumps disappear.
  • Salmon patches (called a ''stork bite'' at the back of the neck or an ''angel's buss'' Picture of Salmon Patchesbetween the eyes) are simple nests of blood vessels (probably caused past maternal hormones) that fade on their own later a few weeks or months. Occasionally, stork bites never get away.
  • Jaundice is a yellow coloration on infant'due south skin and eyes. It is caused past an excess of bilirubin (a breakdown product of scarlet blood cells). If the bilirubin level becomes sufficiently high, blueish or white lights may exist focused on the babe'due south pare to lower the level, considering excess bilirubin can sometimes pose a health chance.
  • Picture of Mongolian Spots Built Melanocytosis, previously called Mongolian spots,are very common in whatsoever role of the torso of night-skinned babies. They are flat, gray-blue in color (almost looking like a bruise), and tin can be small-scale or big. They are caused by some pigment that didn't make information technology to the top layer when babe's skin was being formed. They are harmless and unremarkably fade away by school age.

New rashes may announced in babies after a few days, weeks, or even months.

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Common Rashes in the First Few Months of a Baby'due south Life

  • Cradle cap(seborrhea) often shows upwards at one-two months of age. Greasy, yellowish crusts appear on the scalp and may include a cherry-red, irritating rash on the face, behind the ears, on the neck, and even in the armpits. Your medico will tell you how to all-time treat this mutual condition, depending on your baby'due south symptoms.
  • Eczema is crimson, itchy patches on the pare, oft seen on the baby's chest, artillery, legs, face, elbows, and behind the knees. It is caused past dry, sensitive peel, and sometimes allergies (although it tin can be difficult at this age to know what the trigger might be). Your dr. can determine if the rash looks similar eczema and prescribe the appropriate treatment. In general, treatment consists of:
    • Using a very gentle lather
    • Using a gentle detergent and no cloth softener in baby'south laundry
    • Using skin moisturizers
    • Applying a steroid cream (similar hydrocortisone or even a stronger one) if the eczema won't go abroad
  • Prickly heat looks like small red bumps, mostly on areas of your baby's body that tend to overheat and sweat, like the neck, diaper expanse, and armpits. The handling is to endeavour to keep the area dry and avoid overheating by dressing them in loose-fitting vesture.
  • A fungal infection(candidiasis) can prove up in different ways on your baby. On the natural language, it is called thrush and looks like dried milk, which, unlike milk, cannot be scraped off. In the diaper expanse, candidiasis looks like an intense red rash, oft with smaller bumps around the edges. A fungal infection loves moist, dark areas, so you'll find redness due to it in the creases of the thighs. Candidiasis is treated with antifungal oral gel or liquid medicine (for oral thrush) or antifungal cream (for the diaper area), or both.

Tips for Concerned Parents

In the first few months of a babe's life, whatsoever rash associated with other symptoms (such every bit fever, poor feeding, lethargy, or cough) needs to be evaluated past a doctor as before long as possible.

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When to Worry About Baby's Rash

While most rashes are not serious, a few need very close attention:

  • Fluid-filled blisters (particularly ones with opaque, yellowish fluid) can indicate a serious infection, similar a bacterial infection or canker.
  • Small cherry-red or purplish dots over the body (''petechiae'') can be caused by a viral infection or a potentially very serious bacterial infection. These will not lighten with pressure. Any infant with possible petechiae should be evaluated by a doctor immediately.