Cradle
Cap - Looks Like Dandruff
Baby Cradle Cap
Our body constantly produce new
skin cells at about the same rate as we lose old and
dry skin cells. Because dry skin falls off, often,
this process goes unnoticed.
In many healthy infants, new skin
cells on their scalp are being produced faster than
the old skin that falls off, resulting in an extra
layer of old and dry skin (cradle cap).
What is cradle cap?
Cradle cap is a form of seborrehic
dermatitis a skin condition that are common among
new infants. It is a crusting and scaling rash caused
by the drying of excess oils excreted from the baby's
body.
What causes it?
Normally, as our skin dries it falls
off. In infants, the sebaceous glands in their skin
are hyper-activated causing these glands to secretes
an oily substance (sebum). This greasy substance keeps
the old skin cells attached as it dries creating a
flaky, dry skin that look similar to dandruff. In
a more severe case, it may create a thick, yellowish,
oily, waxy scale or crusting patches.
Often the sebaceous glands in infants
are hyper-activated because the extra hormones produced
by the mother are passed to her child just before
birth. Once your baby's hormones level levels out,
the condition will go away.
Who gets it?
Cradle cap can occur in any baby.
Although it is unsightly and distressing to look at,
it is a harmless and a non contagious scalp condition
that usually appear in the first three months.
This condition tends to cease after
your baby is 6 or 7 months old.
Which area of the body does it
affect?
Cradle cap generally affects the
scalp, head, eyebrows, and areas behind the ears.
Treating Cradle Cap
As long as it doesn't bother your
baby, cradle cap doesn't need to be treated. In most
babies, the condition is gone well before they are
one year old. With that being said, it sometimes does
itches.
Until your baby outgrows the conditions,
there are things you can do to ease your baby's discomfort.
- Preventing rapid scalp growth is not easy or desirable,
frequent gentle shampooing may prevent the build
up of scales.
- To remove the build up of scales more easily,
rubbed a small amount of baby oil onto the affected
areas to help soften the scales. Wait several minutes,
soft brushing should help to remove these scales
build up.
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