Cradle Cap in Babies : Causes, Home remedies

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What is a cradle cap?

Cradle the cap is nothing but white to yellow scales on the baby’s scalp that do not come off easily. These scales can be greasy or dry. You may notice this in the first 2-6 weeks of life.

Cradle-Cap-in-Babies-Causes-Home-remedies


Causes of Cradle Cap:

Maternal hormones from the mother cross the placenta and over stimulates the oil glands in the baby. Hence they release more oil than normal. Simultaneously, dead skin cells  can not be cleared off and they stick to the skin and form scale.

 Symptoms of cradle cap:

 Also called seborrheic dermatitis, it's caused in part by too much oil. It shows up as a scaly, waxy, red rash on the scalp, eyebrows, eyelids, the sides of the nose, or behind the ears. It might not be painful or itchy, but you can try few remedies. 

Home remedies for cradle cap:

It usually clears up within the first year. If cradle the cap is not heavy and few scales are there, you can try to wash your baby’s hair with baby shampoo every day.

If the scales are heavy and thick scales are there, apply some mineral oil and massage your baby’s head for few minutes. Be gentle while you do this and leave the oil for a couple of hours before shampooing. It helps to loosen scales and is easy to remove by shampooing hair. Wash baby’s hairs as usual and brush the scalp gently to remove scales.

If these measures fail, consult your pediatrician. Sometimes doctors may recommend you Ketoconazole shampoo with low potency steroid cream for your scalp. But remember that these are medicated shampoos and you should not use it as over the counter drug. Always consult your pediatrician before you use it in your baby.

Avoid using antidandruff shampoo in babies as it contains salicylic acid which may be harmful for your baby.

 





Cradle Cap Brush



Cradle Cap Shampoo

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