What is Cradle Cap?
If there is a serious illness that you are afraid your baby will catch, cradle cap shouldn't be of them. This almost harmless and temporary disease is actually very common and can affect almost 50% of newborns.
The disease characteristics like dandruff and scaling of the scalp are very similar to Seborrheic Dermatitis. In some rare and serious cases, it might spread to other areas of your baby's skin as well.
What Causes It?
Just like Seborrheic Dermatitis, there is no proven single direct cause of the disease but it's not related to an infection, allergic reaction or poor hygeine. It's rather an unavoidable condition and will usually go away on its own.
One of the most common suspected causes of the disease is due to the baby's overactive sebaceous glands (oil glands) attached to the hair follicles under the skin. Excessive oil production can stick dead skin cells preventing them from falling off. It can also trigger a population boom of a common fungus residing on the baby's skin. This fungus known as Pityrosporum Ovale feeds on oils and dead skin cells can be a nuisance if left uncontrolled. It's can also cause skin irritation and redness due to the baby's immune response to the fungus.
There are several factors that can lead to surplus oil production like
- Mother's hormones still remaining in the baby's blood circulation
- Immature digestive system unable to absorb sufficient biotin and other essential vitamins and minerals effectively
- Infrequent shampooing leading to accumulation of oil and bacterial growth
There are also possibly other causes for this condition but usually they are not an indication of a serious health problem, so don't get devastated over it.
What are the Symptoms?
The symptoms might vary from very mild and almost unnoticeable dandruff to sometimes more expressive symptoms. You might notice that your baby is developing some
- Patchy looking scales on the scalp
- Some redness on the scalp
- Over greasy and cracked scales
- Crying or irritation
- Possible rashes near the ears or the eyebrows
In most situation, the symptoms are obvious and mild but do also be on a look out to see whether your baby develops a persistent diaper rash or swelling on the scalp. If the swelling looks more abnormal than just some usual scales, it might be caused by another fungal infection like
Tinea Capitis. Just observe the symptoms attentively as you can never be to sure.
Treating Cradle Cap
Your baby's scalp is still developing so it's really sensitive and fragile. I do advise not to use any harsh chemicals like medicated dandruff shampoos or other strong treatments for your baby unless it's really necessary. You should try some simple remedies to see whether it helps to clear the symptoms first. In most cases, the symptoms will diminish with just some mild remedies below.
Some of the steps that you can take is
- More frequent washing of your baby's hair to remove excessive oil build up.
- Use a baby shampoo or you might want to try a chemical free organic shampoo like Avalon's Organic Biotin B Complex Shampoo. Biotin and other minerals can help improve the scalp and hair condition too.
- Apply some petroleum jelly like Vaseline before putting your baby to sleep. It will soften the scales during the night so you can brush them off in the morning.
- If the scales are stubborn, try applying some natural oils like olive oil to your baby's scalp. Leave it for 15 to 20 minutes for the oils to soften the scales then brush it off with a soft brush. Make sure to wash off additional oils from your baby's scalp afterwards because Pityrosporum Ovale thrives on an oily scalp.
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Most of these steps are sufficient enough to alleviate your baby's cradle cap problems. If the problem persists or gets worse, I do recommend seeing a doctor to double check whether there are any underlying problems.
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