The yellow scaly skin on the head of newborn babies is simply known as cradle cap. In medical language, it is called Seborrheic Dermatitis. There are many questions in the minds of parents about how to take care of their children’s scalp when they are suffering from cradle cap. This is the reason why in this article we will learn about what to do and what to avoid if you have cradle cap.
Contents
Causes of Cradle Cap in Infants
Let us have a look at the reasons for cradle cap in children:
According to the information given in a research, the problem of cradle cap can be due to excess secretion by the sebaceous glands (oil glands) present in the skin or yeast in the oil. In fact, during pregnancy, certain hormones are transferred from the mother to the baby in the womb, which increase the production of sebum. This causes the scalp to become greasy, which clogs the pores of the skin and leads to the problem of cradle cap.
Apart from this, like adults, babies also have dead skin. Sometimes this dead skin sticks to the surface of the skin with oil and after some time it takes the form of hard yellow scaly. In such a situation, one of the reasons for cradle cap can be the accumulation of dead skin on the surface.
Symptoms Of Cradle Cap in Infants
Symptoms of cradle cap in a newborn baby may include:
- Thick and scaly layer of yellow color on the scalp
- Excessively greasy or flaky scalp
- Patch formation on the skin around the forehead
- Redness may appear on the top of the head
How to Care for Cradle Cap in Children?
Listed below are information on how parents should take care of their babies with cradle cap problems:
Wash Hair Daily with Mild Shampoo
In most children, the problem of cradle cap goes away with regular hair wash. Always choose a mild baby shampoo for baby and apply it on the scalp by massaging it thoroughly with the help of fingers. Babychakra’s Natural Strengthening Baby Shampoo has some properties that can be helpful in eliminating the problem of cradle cap in your baby. Do hair wash. Gradually you can shampoo twice a week.
Remove Scaly Skin with a Soft Comb
Never try to remove flakes and crusts from a child’s head with fingernails or a comb. This increases the risk of bleeding and infection in the baby’s scalp. Instead of sleeping at night before sleeping, apply petroleum jelly or oil on the scalp of the child. By morning, this skin will become soft, then with the help of a soft brush, the scaly skin can be removed from the scalp of the baby.
If the crust falls from the scalp on the forehead and cheeks of the baby, then clean their face with baby wipes.
Medicated lotion-
Your doctor can prescribe over-the-counter lotions to get rid of cradle caps. This has to be applied and left for 15 minutes before shampooing the baby.
When to See a Doctor?
Although cradle caps can be treated at home. Tips related to its care have also been shared above in the article. Below we will know about some such situations, in which it is better to contact the doctor without delay:
- Even after taking care of cleaning the baby’s scalp regularly and applying lotion, the problem of cradle caps is not reducing.
- The child is crying due to excessive itching in the head. This can be a symptom of eczema. It looks like a cradle caps, but it’s a serious problem.
- The problem of cradle caps is limited to the scalp of the child, so there is nothing to panic about it. But if yellow scaly skin is also visible in the ears, forehead, eyebrows, nose, cheeks and neck of the child, then consult a doctor.
- Inflammation in the scalp. This can be a symptom of an infection in the layer beneath the skin.
- Bleeding or yellow discharge from dry scalp. These symptoms also point towards infection.
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This was important information related to cradle cap in children. In this article, tips related to scalp care have been shared to get rid of cradle cap. If the child’s scalp does not improve in 10 days, consult a doctor.
