Is this baby acne or baby eczema?

[ilovesweets]

I have a 5 week old who has got a rash on his face.

It started 2 weeks ago as a few red spots, by last week it had spread to his cheeks and forehead. He also got spots going into his hair and on his ears but these were more just "bumps" than the red spots on his face and forehead.

Now the spots have toned down in redness but his skin is really bumpy, and his earlobes and under his nose are flaking. His cheeks and forehead feel very rough to the touch.

Could this be baby acne on its way out, or actual eczema?

He has a few spots sprinked on his chest, neck and back but nowhere else. They are actual spots or pimples rather than patches.

Anyone else had this on their baby? Or knows what baby acne does when it's clearing up?

sounds like excema! allergies come because we cant break down the protein of milk . there is a gp prescritive diary free milk but you have to be referred to allergy clinic to get allergy testing done immediately, then prescription is discrectionary upon your pg mine was unhelpful. best thing is to eliminate the milk even if its yours and try soy or rice dream ask the health visitor put aloe vera gel on the skin infected rash to sootheat it are osteopathy at a childrens clinic or naet.org or homeopathy ora naturopath...but please act soon as its uncomfortable for your baby....enzymes also help but not at 5 weeks old!

are you bf ? that's obviously the first line of defence.

In the meantime, it sounds like it's the normal spottyness that babies get. My DD's had it, when they were about 6 weeks old & it clears up after a week or so.

I understand stand it's caused by the withdrawal of the mothers hormones.

Ask the hv & avoid all diprobase creams etc like the plague. Use a small amount of extra virgin oil on any dry & flakey bits.

Thanks for your messages.

I am mixed feeding, mostly BF but do 2 or so FF in 24hr period.

I thought it was the hormone rash thing but the flakiness has got me thinking it might be eczema instead (hopefully not tho).

I admit I have used a little Oilatum Junior on it but won't use any more until have seen HV on Fri.

Thanks again

My DS and DD's eczema both started off with baby acne which didn't clear up - I suspect it triggers it off somehow. I was BF'ing, don't suffer from eczema myself - very annoying! We found aveeno very helpful. It did last a little while with both mine, but they now have smooth, smooth skin - see what the HV says - good luck.

Thanks smellyeli. I have heard lots about this Aveeno product, it sounds good.

I hope it does clear up! When he's resting you can't really see it (it is pale but still rough to touch) but when he's feeding/fussing/crying it really comes up.

dare I suggest you drop the formula ? if anything is going to irritate him, it's going to be that. Putting creams etc may soothe it, but it's best to prevent.

When my dd's had it, they did look quite awful, but it cleared up fine with no help at all.

My dd's was the same for 2 months after she was born. Shes allergic to cow's milk protein and was on soya formula from Doc as her spots were awful. Though I also found she was getting too hot which didnt help the redness. Im changing her milk to Rice milk as you shouldnt really give a 12 month+ soya due to FSA saying so.

I was BF too and it didnt help due to the fact I was eating dairy.

You should go to your doctor for advice on the formula feeding. It could be just baby acne, and it may clear up. Or it could be eczema.

Formula milk contains cow's milk and cow's milk protein is very often the cause of baby eczema. You can buy special formula milk with deactivated cow's milk protein (I think that's right) or you can breast feed exclusively. You may also need to watch the amount of dairy produce in your diet.

my DD has/had this exact same thing. I took her to the doctor on Friday who said it was a heat rash. Her's started at about 5 weeks and was a few little spots on her forehead, spreading into her hair, round her ears and then on to her neck. The doc prescribed emulsifying ointment to put on to keep the moisture in. I also found it got worse when she fed, or got upset etc, and it seems to be a bit better now, but was itchy as well. I fully breastfeed and she is 9 weeks old. Her skin is now very dry and rough and I'm waiting for my aveeno to arrive to try that out on her (after reading it praised so heavily on here!)She also has flaky skin round her ears and eyes, basically where she has been rubbing. I've changed her blanket to a natural one and make sure she's not bundled up too warmly and it seems to have helped.

...yes aveeno is ok, but it's got chemicals in it. Olive oil is cheap & you can eat it, so much better for babies delicate skin. Putting all these creams etc on at such a young age, isn't good thing & could create more problems.

Thanks all.

Today his skin is a bit improved, its not quite as rough & the bumps are definitely getting flatter and less pink when feedng/crying.

All I have done is keep it clean with water and cotton wool. Perhaps I should let it sort itself out unless it takes a turn for the worse again.

is there proof that cow's milk protein is very often the cause of baby eczema?

I also have a baby who seems to have a combination of acne and ezcema. It did clear up and then came back which is leading me to suspect my diet may be contributing. Is milk really likely a cause, or spicy food? The diprobase helped to clear it first time but it is still relentlessly dry. He is BF and i have had ezcema myself.

pointydog, a lot of the evidence is anecdotal.

If this helps, the dermatologist we saw when DS was about 8 months old sort of rolled his eyes upwards and told me there was "absolutely NO evidence". He wished parents would stop telling him their DC's diet affected their eczema He then refused to even look at the 4 month food diary I was carrying which proved beyond any doubt that DS's eczema was linked to cow's milk in my diet (bf).

Of course, there are loads of reasons for eczema, and no 'one-size-fits-all' solution, but dairy is certainly a factor in some cases.

Ilovesweets, Aveeno works for lots of children (and works for mine), but remember that different children react to different things. What works for one might make another's eczema worse. It's worth considering all your options.

Interesting what your dermatologist said, greenbananas, given that the new NICE guidelines on testing children for food allergies (published this month) lists eczema as a possible symptom of food allergy.

Yes, AngelDog - I knew at the time that he was talking rubbish, so I simply thanked him for his time and left. I'm still a bit cross about it tbh - we should get better support from the specialists!

I have the EXACT same issue as the original poster that seem to get better when my baby is asleep and worse when she is crying or after a feed.

I only breastfeed. Never given her formula. She is 6 weeks old.

Has the original poster got an answer from the doctor about what the problem is?

Has anyone else had this same problem and got an answer from the doctor on what the problem is?

Thought I add a message to this since I have been to the doctors today.

Used Oilatum cream yesterday and it didn't work. In fact she woke up worse and I made an appointment with doctors.

Doctor said that this was eczma. Not to be confused with the eczma which adults usually get but a baby one which should disappear when babies are usually 8 months. In the mean time it should go on and off but can be controlled with the right treatment.

She prescribed aveeno cream to keep area moisturised and also an antibacterial cream to use in the area 3 times a day.

I have been using it for a few hours and already I have noticed an improvement... fingers crossed!!!

good to read this thread and see this is a common experience with newborns. My DD is 7 weeks old, has had the red spots since 5 weeks old and the raised red dry patches and some nasty brown flakey patches on her face for about a week now. Doctor advised olive oil and an antibiotic cream for the flakey bits but seems to do little good. Eczema wasn't mentioned by her at the appointment but I'm now thinking that's what it is. Had eczema myself as a child but was confused as so far its only appeared on her face?

good to read this thread and see this is a common experience with newborns. My DD is 7 weeks old, has had the red spots since 5 weeks old and the raised red dry patches and some nasty brown flakey patches on her face for about a week now. Doctor advised olive oil and an antibiotic cream for the flakey bits but seems to do little good. Eczema wasn't mentioned by her at the appointment but I'm now thinking that's what it is. Had eczema myself as a child but was confused as so far its only appeared on her face?

Babies can develop acne anywhere on their face, but it is most commonly seen on the cheeks. Some babies may also have acne on their back. For more info about baby acne please visit motherhow.com/baby-acne-how-to-treat/

Babies having problem of acne because of bed diet during the 7 weeks of pregnancy. Here you can find more info here www.pregnancyweeks.org/7-weeks-pregnant-symptoms-ultrasound/