Baby Acne

[sassie23]

Hello
My DS is 3 weeks old and has developed red pimples on his cheeks which are raised and some have little yellow heads on them. I have researched on the net and it looks like it might be baby acne. He has had them for the past week but they are starting to look really red and angry when he cries and also just after he has fed. They are really unsightly and he had such beautiful skin after he was born
Any advice as to what I should do - maybe nothing will they just go away on their own. Going to see HV on tuesday, he is feeding great and sleeping normally.
Thanks Sas

Just to keep him clean. Baby acne occurs because his skin isn't mature yet, they should go away on their own, just watch out for any that look infected (red, weeping, puss).

Hi sassie23 my ds had the same until he was 7 weeks old, mw and doctor both said it was hormones in my milk? Perfectly normal and they will go within a few weeks

My DD2 (now 8 wks) had exactly the same thing as your DS at the same age. Like you say, she had such beautiful skin when born and although its a little thing I felt really conscious of the spots. Didn't really do anything to make them go away - I became convinced that they were possibly aggrivated by being tucked up under my largish, warm and poss slightly sweaty boobs when bf her and so made a real effort to wipe her with a flannel after feeding. All gone now anyway so keep hoping!

Another owner of very spotty 4wk old here. 2 days after sticky eye cleared constant application of breastmilk for that, but salty water is what seemed to clear it in the end then in came the spots!

feel terrible about worrying what he looks like but worry people will think im not caring properly for him

There is a difference between baby spots and baby acne. I kept mentioning DS's spots to the GP but he must I have thought that I was a hypochondriac mother because he did nothing. Eventually he decided that it was acne, not spots, and prescribed antibiotics. It was a bit late in the day and DS now has scarring. You can still see it and he is now 13 years old.

what would you say the difference is between baby spots and baby acne ?

oh both of mine had those '4 week spots.' (that's what the hv called them). They lasted about 4 weeks and then went . Both have beautiful skin Sassie...so don't worry they will go!

My ds had this too. My hv advised me to see the gp after he had had them for about two weeks, so along we went and saw a locum doctor - she spelled out for me that what he had was 'm i l i a'. I was furious at her dismissive attitude - I know what milia looks like and this wasn't it. My hv agreed with me that this was something more, proper 'plooks' with heads and pus. Because he didn't get antibiotics for the infected spots, he is also scarred on his cheeks. It did eventually go away at about 8 weeks.

Sorry, should add that he only has scarring because of infection in the spots, not because of the acne itself. Just keep an eye out for infection and your ds's spots will clear up themselves.

Oh fgs, sorry I meant 'untreated infection'!

thanks for all your advice will keep them clean with boiled water cooled and see what the HV says on Tuesday

same here (lots of small red spots, many bigger ones with white heads, all over face and scalp). my hv said nothing to worry about, just clean his face with a wet flannel after every feed and try not to get his face too hot. at 6.5 weeks, there're now fewer spots, but all his skin is dry and scaly keeping fingers cross it will heal and miraculously return to the beautiful soft skin he had at birth...

'keeping fingers cross' ?!? I meant 'keeping fingers crossed'