As a new parent, you worry about every little ailment, scratch and bump that your newborn experiences. Seeing your baby’s skin break out in red and white pimples can be a little bit of a scare. After all, your little one shouldn’t have to deal with acne until he or she becomes a teenager, right? Not quite. What your child is experiencing is baby acne, a fairly common condition that affects young babies.

What Causes Baby Acne?

Acne is often caused by a change of hormones, bad nutrition and excessively oily skin. So how did your sweet little baby acquire any one of these causes? Obviously your child hasn’t picked up any bad eating habits yet, and newborns don’t usually suffer from oily skin. Hormones are the culprits.

Right before birth, the mother passes her hormones along to the baby through the placenta. This causes your baby’s skin to break out in acne when he or she is just a few weeks old. Baby acne mostly appears when the child is 4 to 6 weeks old.

How To Treat Baby Acne?

Baby acne is thankfully just a temporary skin condition. To take care of baby’s skin and help clear up the acne, wash the affected area several times a day with warm water and mild baby soap. If the acne appears in baby’s face, gently wipe it after each meal or spit-up. You should never use anything other than mild baby soap on your baby’s delicate skin unless your pediatrician instructs you otherwise. Baby’s skin is much to sensitive for any harsher cleaning solutions or acne remedies.

Once the hormones that were passed on from the mother work their way out of baby’s system, the baby acne will clear up on its own. Until then, keep the area clean to avoid additional bacteria to grow and to keep your baby comfortable.

The little zits do not hurt or bother your baby, after all he or she is too young to feel self-conscious about them and neither should you. Your baby will be just as cute with a few little bumps.