The appearance of the baby in the world is often associated with experiences and health problems both in himself and in the mother. After the birth, at the age of one to five weeks, a rash may appear on the face and head of the newborn. Rashes in an infant in the first days and weeks of life are a fairly common occurrence, as is jaundice. This condition does not threaten life, but with the help of external pharmacological agents it can be corrected.
List of Common Reasons
From the first to the seventh week in a newborn, the residual effect of maternal hormones provokes the release of a fairly large amount of sebum. The ducts of the sebaceous glands in the baby are still very narrow and are not adapted to secrete such an amount of secretion. As a result, they get clogged. A so-called hormonal rash is formed in newborns.
When a rash appears on the face and head of a newborn, you should seek the advice of a pediatrician. In some cases, the cause of the condition is not only sebum, but also allergic reactions to breast milk or components of artificial feeding - and this is already serious. In case of allergic reactions, the rash can be deployed not only on the face, but also on the arms and legs. lower back. Depending on the nature of the rash - its color, quantity, density, presence or absence of a purulent escudant, the therapist will draw up a clinical picture and prescribe treatment. Depending on the diagnosis, this may be the use of ointments or nutrition adjustment. In some cases, you may need to refuse breastfeeding or switch to a mixture for artificial feeding with a different composition.
Neonatal pustular rashes of newborns are a rash on the head and face of a newborn. In this condition, there is no reason for unrest - such a rash most often goes away on its own during the first few months of the child's life. In dermatology pustules are called skin formations, inside of which there is a cavity filled with pus or a sacrum. Neonatal rashes most often have the same nature as the hormonal rash in newborns - under the influence of the remains of the hormones of the mother in the blood, a dermatological pathology occurs. Most often, no special medicines are required to get rid of it. In order to reduce the discomfort of the child, Bepanten should be used.
Atopic dermatitis in newborns
Pediatrics and dermatology still have not exactly figured out the causes of the appearance of rashes characteristic of atopic dermatitis. It is generally accepted that this is a kind of individual reaction to nutrients that come with food. After some tests, it may turn out that the child has lactose intolerance - in this case, it is enough to simply transfer it to a mixture synthesized based on goat milk. This is usually enough to alleviate the symptoms of atopic dermatitis in newborns.
Acne in a newborn on the face and head, as well as on the upper back (less often - on the hands and feet), which have purulent contents that cannot be squeezed out or removed from the wounds in any other way - this is atopic dermatitis. For treatment, most often enough:
- Change the diet: you will have to abandon breastfeeding, especially if a woman takes any medications or adheres to the wrong diet. Only this item is almost always enough to get rid of a rash on the face and head of a newborn, provoked by atopic dermatitis.
- Take feces tests that will help identify intolerance to lactose and other components of the mixture or breast milk. It is the inability to properly digest nutrients that enter the body is usually the cause of the rash in the infant. Treatment and therapy should not be carried out independently: the gastroenterologist will prescribe a detailed course and the necessary dosage of drugs. Typically, these are lactobacilli and probiotics in suspension, synthesized specifically for use in infants with almost unformed microflora.
- If all the doctor’s recommendations are implemented, and dermatitis does not recede, then you will have to resort to the help of hormonal ointments. For many mothers, this is a “step of despair”: after all, such drugs contain steroids. In fact, there is nothing particularly terrible in terms of the consequences for the child’s health in using such funds. But he will stop crying from constant itching and burning, which provokes atopic dermatitis.
Symptoms of Eczema in Babies
Infant eczema is a relatively rare pathology. It is characterized by:
- red spotted tubercles on the forehead, neck, cheeks;
- lack of purulent contents;
- palpable itching, due to which the baby is always in a bad mood and it is difficult to lull him;
- red halos around the skin lesion.
A pediatrician or dermatologist prescribes local treatment, which includes the use of ointments that accelerate skin regeneration and, in some cases, contain hormonal preparations. Sometimes you may need to take antihistamines - Zirtek or Fenistil. Most often, infant eczema goes away on its own within one to two weeks.
Allergic rash of hormonal nature
The appearance of a rash on the face and head of a newborn is most often associated with nutrition. In some cases, allergic rashes occur due to contact with diapers and bedding, which were washed with powder, the particles of which were poorly washed from the fabric.
Signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction to drugs can be very different. Skin manifestations occur within a few hours or several days after contact with medications. An allergic reaction to medications begins with a rash on the chest in the child or on the limbs. The greatest fear is caused by swelling of the face and tongue. Difficulty breathing and swallowing, which pose an immediate threat to life.
Common causes of an allergic rash:
- gum in the mixture;
- when breastfeeding - a mother violates a diet for lactation, she takes any pharmacological drugs;
- lactose deficiency;
- low-quality powder, which is used for washing diapers;
- palm oil in the mixture.
In order to accurately determine the source of allergies - you should make an appointment with a gastroenterologist, allergist, and immunologist. After the necessary tests are completed, the clinical picture will be restored. Doctors will be able to accurately determine the cause of the rash in the baby and the newborn on the face, as a result, effective treatment will be prescribed.
Impetigo in newborns
Impetigo is a bacterial lesion of the skin of the face and scalp. The causes of the development of pathology are streptococci or staphylococci. They can be transmitted during passage through the birth canal or through toys, a towel, and diapers. Therefore, it is so important to choose a high-quality washing powder that will kill all bacteria, but it does not provoke the development of an allergic reaction.
For treatment, ointments and creams with a local bactericidal and disinfecting effect are used. It is important to ensure that such products do not get into the eyes and mucous membranes.
General principles for treating a rash in a newborn
Young and inexperienced parents are very worried about the question "does a newborn have a rash on his face and head - what is it?" You should not raise a panic and immediately run to the doctor. Being in a clinic with a baby is stress for both the child and the mother. First, you should track the dynamics of the pathology. Red hormonal rash in newborns often goes away by itself a couple of weeks after the appearance. If the parents note that the rashes not only do not go away, but also grow over a large area of the skin, and purulent contents appear in the wounds - this is an occasion to consult a doctor.
You should not try to independently treat atopic dermatitis and a rash of an allergic nature at home. Only after analysis can we accurately state what exactly provoked the pathology. Often parents are too lazy to go to doctors and pay for tests. They uncontrollably change mixtures for artificial feeding. As a result, the condition of the child is only worsened - the rash grows over a large area of the skin.
What treatment methods should not be used in any case
You can not use the "grandmother's" tips and bathe the child in a solution of potassium permanganate, make compresses from urine, burn the affected areas with iodine and brilliant green. The skin of the newborn is very delicate, and such aggressive methods of exposure are guaranteed to cause the baby anxiety. The intensification of itching and burning will lead to poor sleep, lack of appetite, the appearance of ulcers and sores on the already affected skin.
In an extreme case, at home, you can use Bepanten cream or ointment - this is a tool to accelerate the regeneration of the skin, which can be used from the first days of a baby’s life.
How to treat a rash on the face and head of a newborn
For treatment, both external and internal therapy agents are used. Only a pediatrician or allergist can prescribe antihistamines. External means for the treatment of rashes on the face and head of a newborn:
- Advantan.
- Bepanten.
- Solcoseryl.
These ointments almost never cause complications and side effects. The composition and principle of action of each of the ointments are discussed below.
"Advantan" for newborns
This is the most effective remedy for atopic dermatitis in babies. When desperate parents tried all the means, it remains only this ointment. On the second day after the start of its use, the rashes begin to decrease, and after a week and a half they do not remain at all.
Such a powerful effect is due to the fact that Advantan contains a component of the hormonal nature methylprednisolone. This component allows you to achieve recovery in the shortest possible time. Alas, with regular use, addiction appears.
Bepanten for the treatment of small rashes on the face of an infant
The main active ingredient in the Bepanten ointment is dexpanthenol. Ointment quickly relieves the baby from itching and pain, which almost always accompanied by a rash.
Bepanten should be applied in a thin layer to the affected area of the skin. After half an hour, carefully wash off the remnants of the ointment with a cotton pad soaked in warm water. Reapply. The total amount of ointment use per day is not limited. "Bepanten" is usually very well tolerated and causes neither side effects nor worsening.
It is made in the form of ointment and cream. In the first, the percentage of dexpanthenol is higher. The cream has less main active ingredient, but its effect is more delicate.
"Solcoseryl" for babies
The main active ingredient is the blood dialysate of dairy calves. It is made in the form of ointment, gel and cream. For babies, it is better to choose a cream, since the concentration of the active substance in it is lower than in the ointment.
"Solcoseryl" is a mild, but effective tool to accelerate tissue regeneration and accelerate metabolism in all layers of the epidermis. It contributes to the rapid healing of wounds and the reduction of itching, burning and pain, which is accompanied by atopic dermatitis and allergic rashes.