Common Causes of Cradle Cap in Babies And What Are The Safety Precautions
See those crusty or oily flakes in addition to scaly patches on your loved one’s scalp? Yeah, this is the result of the cradle cap. You don’t have to worry too much about this condition because it is as normal as pimples on the skin.
You might not be familiar with Seborrheic Dermatitis. The interesting thing is that this is one of the common skin conditions in babies and toddlers.
Even adults are not safe from this disease; we call it dandruff in adults (a mild condition of seborrheic dermatitis).
This article reflects the basic overview, symptoms, causes, and how to fight those flakes in babies. So, without taking much of your time for baby care research, let’s get started!
What is Cradle Cap?
The so-called cradle cap is a term that we use in our routine language to describe the formation of crusty flakes mostly on the baby’s scalp followed by the occurrence on other body parts.
This condition is referred to as dandruff in adults. Age is not the only difference. The spreading on other body parts and severe symptoms separate both terms; cradle cap and dandruff.
Symptoms
It mostly leads to oily and crusty flakes on the baby’s scalp. These flakes appear in white or yellow color. Sometimes, the affected area gets red.
These symptoms are quite common in mild conditions. However, the severe symptoms include inflammation, itching, an ugly look, smell, and redness in the affected area.
It naturally fades out on its own. If that doesn’t happen, you still don’t need to worry much about it. Just read this guide to know what the possible causes and treatments of this condition are.
Possible Causes
There is no specific situation that leads to the formation of a flaky layer on the scalp and other body parts (diaper area, armpits, skin folds, face, and forehead). However, researchers have found that these are some potential scenarios that lead to this skin condition in babies:
- Sebum: Our body has sebaceous glands on various parts that are responsible for the production of oil, Sebum, which is responsible for moisturizing and lubricating the skin. Overproduction of oil leads to extra cells on the skin which causes oily flakes.
- Hormonal transfer: For babies, this is the ideal scenario. Some hormones remain in babies after delivery. These hormones are not harmful but they overactive sebaceous glands. Thus, increasing the production of Sebum; resulting in cradle cap.
- Malassezia: This is a type of yeast found in every human and many animal’s skin. It is responsible for skin health. Sometimes, it leaves unsaturated fatty acids behind after consuming saturated ones from Sebum, resulting in flaky skin.
These are the most commonly known scenarios that cause flakes to appear.
Preventive Measures:
You might have heard that “precaution is better than cure”.
This is in fact true. Some disease requires precaution with and without treatment. Cradle cap is the one. In mild conditions, it is better to rely on preventive measures instead of quickly moving to treatment.
Happy Cappy Shampoo sells over-the-counter skincare shampoos and creams that you can use without consulting a doctor. You can use their products to fade out severe symptoms.
However, you still need to follow preventive measures because cradle cap can occur more than once.
So, here we have listed a few effective preventions to stop the spread of flakes on the skin.
Don’t Scratch!
One of the scenarios that worsens the existing condition is scratching vigorously. Flakes sometimes cause itching which increases the urge to scratch. We understand it but you have to stop your child from scratching.
Your baby’s skin is sensitive and scratching can damage skin tissues. Ultimately attracting bacteria to come and spread infection.
Avoid picking flakes
Some parents try to pick flakes with their hands or with hair pluckers. This looks good to remove flakes but it can lead to hair loss. Cradle cap causes hair loss is a myth.
However, picking flakes can also pick hairs or weaken hair follicles. This can irritate your baby and cause temporary hair loss. The growth will continue after the removal of flakes but you must avoid this practice.
Keep your baby Clean
During the infantile period, you have to carefully measure the baby’s bath routine. Infants don’t need regular baths but if your child gets dust or sweating, you must keep your baby clean. However, for toddlers, you can give them a daily wash.
Frequent bathing will loosen flakes and also stop bacteria from sticking to the scalp. In the case of flaky skin, the best method is to use a cradle cap shampoo which will not only clean your baby but also remove flakes.
Massage the scalp
You don’t have to use any oil for massage. Go on with gentle massage daily for a few minutes and see the results. Use bare hands on the baby’s scalp and give a gentle massage.
This will loosen the flakes and also give a relaxing feeling to your baby.
Massage also helps in relaxing muscles and improving blood circulation in scalp. You can give a massage to your baby at night as it will help in a good sleep.
Avoid fragrances and harsh products
Cradle cap sometimes causes a mild smell. This smell will change with the severity of symptoms. It might look like a good idea to remove the smell with fragrance and soaps but this can worsen the situation.
Always use fragrance-free products for your baby because the scent can cause allergic reactions.
Avoid harsh products and chemicals that can damage your baby’s skin. Only use medicated shampoos and creams for your baby.
Conclusions
These are some preventive measures that can boost up healing procedure and avoid the spread of flakes over the body. By learning the symptoms and causes of cradle cap, you can better fight against this condition and speed up the natural healing process.
Hope this guide helped you a lot.