Common skin conditions that may affect your baby

Your baby’s skin is guaranteed to break out in some sort of rash at one point or another! The human skin is the body’s largest organ and acts as a protective barrier keeping out all sorts of external elements such as bacteria, however it takes about a year for babies’ skin to function efficiently.

The most common infant skin conditions are:

Seborrhea (otherwise known as Cradle Cap)
The cause of this rash is unknown and can occur on the scalp and eyebrows where it looks like dandruff, although it can also look like thick, yellow or crusty scales in this area. It can also appear behind the ears, or on the neck, cheeks and chest where it can appear cracked and scaly, or pimply, red and bumpy. Although it looks unpleasing it likely won’t trouble your baby at all.

Eczema
Eczema affects up to 20% of babies. The itchy rash can appear anywhere on the body and can cause the skin to turn red, ooze pus and crust over. There are many causes of Eczema – Hot weather causing sweating which can irritate the skin, cold weather that dries out skin. Even certain soaps and clothing can trigger the outbreak.

Contact Dermatitis
Contact Dermatitis is a skin reaction to something the baby has physically come in contact with. This can be soap, detergent, grass and other elements. The itchy rash looks like little red bumps spread over the area.

Prickly Heat (Also known as Miliaria)
Prickly Heat rash looks like tiny red bumps that can occur on the face, neck, back or bottom. It is cause by heat, so any situations where the baby might be a little too warm can set this rash off – hot humid either, too much clothing, a warm, long car ride. Luckily this rash can improve quickly when the skin is able to cool down.

Intertrigo
This is a red, raw, weepy rash found predominantly and is more severe in a baby’s skin folds, especially on the neck. It mostly flares-up in chubby babies and is due to moisture that collects in the baby’s skin creases.