How To Get Rid Of Cradle Cap 
When your baby gets born into this world, he or she is a fragile little thing: small, and cute, and squeaky clean (once the doctors have him or her cleaned off those icky blood and stuff, that is). To parents, the baby is the most perfect little thing in the world, with soft, rosy skin that is just so undeniably smooth. But wait, what are those small, flaky things on your baby's scalp? Are those crusts? Is your baby having a degenerative contagious disease? Should you call your doctor right away?Relax, that's just what people call cradle cap. Hold those alarmed thoughts, concerned parents. Like most things, it looks worse than it really is.Smooth as a baby's...?Cradle cap is medically known as infantile seborrheic dermatitis. On other parts of the body, and in adults, it is simple called seborrheic dermatitis and it is not a serious condition. It is an extremely common condition and about half of all newborn babies are affected by it, worldwide. Although cradle cap can become severe, such cases are very rare, and oftentimes, your doctor can easily treat it without many complications.Cradle cap usually manifests as a yellowish, greasy, and scaly crust patch or skin rash on the scalp. It usually appears within the first three months of a baby's birth. It is not usually itchy and as a result, your baby will not generally be affected by its presence. Aside from the scalp, the rash may also prominently appear on the the eyelids, the eyebrows, and around the ears.There is no definite or exact cause of cradle cap, but experts agree that it is not due to an infection, allergy, or poor hygiene on the part of either the baby or the parents. A contributing factor that has been bandied around is that it may be hormones being passed on from the mother to the child before birth. These hormones may lead to an abnormal or overactive production of oil or sebum in the glands and hair follicles. The excess oil may then cause the dry skin and old skin cells to stick to the scalp instead of falling off. Another probable cause could be the skin yeast fungus called mallasezia that, along with bacteria, grows in the sebum. Finally, nutritionists have speculated that the disorder might be caused by an immature digestive system that is unable to properly absorb biotin and other vitamin-B complex vitamins.Regardless of the reasons, though, almost all experts agree that cradle cap is not contagious. Its presence does not mean that the child has an infection or that he or she is not being taken care of properly.Getting Rid of Cradle CapCradle cap doesn't require medical treatment. Usually, it goes away on its own after a couple of months to a year from its first appearance. However, this doesn't mean that there's nothing you can do in the meantime. Here are some things you can do to minimize the effects while waiting for the condition to go away:
How To Get Rid Of Cradle Cap
When your baby gets born into this world, he or she is a fragile little thing: small, and cute, and squeaky clean (once the doctors have him or her cleaned off those icky blood and stuff, that is). To parents, the baby is the most perfect little thing in the world, with soft, rosy skin that is just so undeniably smooth. But wait, what are those small, flaky things on your baby's scalp? Are those crusts? Is your baby having a degenerative contagious disease? Should you call your doctor right away?Relax, that's just what people call cradle cap. Hold those alarmed thoughts, concerned parents. Like most things, it looks worse than it really is.Smooth as a baby's...?Cradle cap is medically known as infantile seborrheic dermatitis. On other parts of the body, and in adults, it is simple called seborrheic dermatitis and it is not a serious condition. It is an extremely common condition and about half of all newborn babies are affected by it, worldwide. Although cradle cap can become severe, such cases are very rare, and oftentimes, your doctor can easily treat it without many complications.Cradle cap usually manifests as a yellowish, greasy, and scaly crust patch or skin rash on the scalp. It usually appears within the first three months of a baby's birth. It is not usually itchy and as a result, your baby will not generally be affected by its presence. Aside from the scalp, the rash may also prominently appear on the the eyelids, the eyebrows, and around the ears.There is no definite or exact cause of cradle cap, but experts agree that it is not due to an infection, allergy, or poor hygiene on the part of either the baby or the parents. A contributing factor that has been bandied around is that it may be hormones being passed on from the mother to the child before birth. These hormones may lead to an abnormal or overactive production of oil or sebum in the glands and hair follicles. The excess oil may then cause the dry skin and old skin cells to stick to the scalp instead of falling off. Another probable cause could be the skin yeast fungus called mallasezia that, along with bacteria, grows in the sebum. Finally, nutritionists have speculated that the disorder might be caused by an immature digestive system that is unable to properly absorb biotin and other vitamin-B complex vitamins.Regardless of the reasons, though, almost all experts agree that cradle cap is not contagious. Its presence does not mean that the child has an infection or that he or she is not being taken care of properly.Getting Rid of Cradle CapCradle cap doesn't require medical treatment. Usually, it goes away on its own after a couple of months to a year from its first appearance. However, this doesn't mean that there's nothing you can do in the meantime. Here are some things you can do to minimize the effects while waiting for the condition to go away:
- Gently wash the baby's hair or scalp. Frequent washing of your baby's hair or scalp will get rid of the flakes and the crusts that accumulate due the excess oil. Regular washing will also prevent build-up. Be sure to use mild baby shampoo. Normal anti-dandruff shampoo contains ingredients and chemicals that may be too harsh for your baby's skin and might even irritate it, doing more harm than good.
- Loosen the scales and flakes using a soft brush. Make sure that you use a baby brush, the kind that doesn't have strong teeth; you can even use a soft-bristled toothbrush. Use even strokes when combing. If you do not properly comb your baby's scalp, you run the risk of worsening the condition and may even bring about temporary hair loss.
- For stubborn crusts, use a small amount of oil. If the crusts still don't go away with simple washing, then loosen the crusts by massaging a small amount of baby oil, olive oil, or petroleum jelly into the scalp. The application will soften the stubborn patches of crust after an hour or so. Once that's done, use a baby towel or cloth to gently remove the scales and then proceed with the washing. Be careful not to leave the oil on for too long, though. Doing so may cause more scales to accumulate and worsen the cradle cap instead.
- Consult your baby's doctor. In cases where the shampoo still does not help, ask for help from your doctor or pediatrician. They may recommend a stronger shampoo you can use. However, don't immediately shift to any shampoo on your own. Remember, your baby's skin and scalp are not the same as yours; they are more frail and vulnerable to chemicals. You might be doing more harm than good experimenting on different adult or treatment shampoos.
- For redness and inflammation, try topical treatment. Hydrocortisone cream applied regularly may help relive or get rid of the redness and inflammation that sometimes accompanies cradle cap. As with point no. 4 however, be sure to consult your doctor or pediatrician first. Allergies or certain ingredients may exacerbate the situation instead of helping it.
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