Cradle cap, also known as neonatal seborrhoeic dermatitis, crusta lactea, milk crust, or honeycomb disease, is a skin condition where newly born babies develop a head rash that is yellowish, patchy, greasy, scaly, or crusty. Although cradle cap is not painful, contagious, itchy, or harmful, it may appear rather unsightly to relatives and cause great distress to mom as well. It is quite common, and if does occur it is usually within the first 3 months and develops a rash around the ear, eyebrows, and eyelids. If the rash appears on the baby's scalp then it is known as seborrhoeic dermatitis instead of cradle cap. Sever cradle cap may lend the risk of skin conditions like dandruff later on in life, but, severe cases are usually not a common occurrence. This skin condition is not contagious, or harmful to the baby.
Little is known about exact causes of cradle cap. A probable cause could be that the oil glands of the baby's head are overactive and cause the old skin to stick to the scalp instead of naturally fall away. Usually there are high levels of hormones in a baby's body after his/her birth, and they will even out after the first few months causing the oil glands to later function normally. Cradle cap may also be part of allergic reaction conditions that run in the family, like eczema for example. However, in most normal cases cradle cap will clear up by the time the baby is 8 to 12 months old.
Cradle cap usually clears up on its own, but there are a few things you can do to making clear up just a bit more quickly. Try gently massaging baby's scalp with your fingers or a soft baby brush to loosen the scales. You could also try special baby Cradle Cap Treatment shampoos. Be sure that the Treatment shampoo that you are using is mild and gentle enough for regular use. These can be used up to once a day, but be sure that all the shampoo gets properly rinsed out, and baby's scalp is dried with a towel to loosen the dead skin. Once he is dressed and his hair is partly dry you can try using a soft brush or terry cloth towel to gently brush away the loose scales.
Oil remedies also do wonders for helping to loosen dry flakes from a baby's head. Use 100% pure and natural almond oil or olive oil and rub a small amount of on the baby's scalp. Leave it in for 15 minutes and then gently comb out the flakes, either with a gentle fine-tooth comb or a soft baby brush. After using this method wash your baby's scalp with a mild baby shampoo. Always be sure to dry baby's hair, doing so will not only keep your baby from chills, but it will help to loosen any dead skin from the scalp and keep your baby's skin breathing and healthy.
Little is known about exact causes of cradle cap. A probable cause could be that the oil glands of the baby's head are overactive and cause the old skin to stick to the scalp instead of naturally fall away. Usually there are high levels of hormones in a baby's body after his/her birth, and they will even out after the first few months causing the oil glands to later function normally. Cradle cap may also be part of allergic reaction conditions that run in the family, like eczema for example. However, in most normal cases cradle cap will clear up by the time the baby is 8 to 12 months old.
Cradle cap usually clears up on its own, but there are a few things you can do to making clear up just a bit more quickly. Try gently massaging baby's scalp with your fingers or a soft baby brush to loosen the scales. You could also try special baby Cradle Cap Treatment shampoos. Be sure that the Treatment shampoo that you are using is mild and gentle enough for regular use. These can be used up to once a day, but be sure that all the shampoo gets properly rinsed out, and baby's scalp is dried with a towel to loosen the dead skin. Once he is dressed and his hair is partly dry you can try using a soft brush or terry cloth towel to gently brush away the loose scales.
Oil remedies also do wonders for helping to loosen dry flakes from a baby's head. Use 100% pure and natural almond oil or olive oil and rub a small amount of on the baby's scalp. Leave it in for 15 minutes and then gently comb out the flakes, either with a gentle fine-tooth comb or a soft baby brush. After using this method wash your baby's scalp with a mild baby shampoo. Always be sure to dry baby's hair, doing so will not only keep your baby from chills, but it will help to loosen any dead skin from the scalp and keep your baby's skin breathing and healthy.
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