What’s Cradle Cap and how to treat them ?
What’s Cradle Cap and how to treat them ?
Cradle cap
Cradle cap or seborrheic dermatitis is a common skin condition in newborns and babies that causes rough yellowish white patches on their scalp. Cradle cap is common in newborns and appears in 2 weeks-12 months of age. It resolves in a few weeks. Cradle Cap is harmless and not something to be worried about excessively. It’s the baby form of dandruff.
Cradle cap might look uncomfortable or irritating to the skin. But it usually isn’t itchy and doesn’t seem to bother the babies.
What Causes Cradle Cap ?
Doctors do not know the exact cause of cradle cap. It’s possibly due to a combination of things. Too much skin oil (sebum) in the oil glands and hair follicles and a type of yeast found on the skin called Malassezia are suspected to cause cradle cap.
Signs and Symptoms of cradle cap
- Scalp color changes
- Hair loss – Sometimes hair loss is associated with cradle cap but the hair grows back normally.
Treatment for cradle cap
Doctor’s recommend simple at home care for cradle cap. Using a shampoo and cradle cap brush to loosen up the flakes for easy removal with the comb is the recommended method.
STEP 1: Use a small amount of your Vaseline/petroleum jelly or baby oil and massage into baby’s scalp. Make sure that it’s on the scalp and not just on the hair.
STEP 2: With gentle pressure massage baby’s scalp with the CRADLE CAP BRUSH in circular motion and loosen the flakes away. Shampoo to remove the excess oil.
STEP 3: Rinse baby’s head. Use a comb or the brush to remove the loosened flakes away.
The CRADLE CAP BRUSH is a gentle scrub brush consisting of a soft foam sponge attached to a brush with over 800 gentle PE bristles. This soft scalp scrub brush can be used regularly to prevent and treat the cradle cap.
Doctor’s Tip
Short baby hair is easy to wash and loosen the flakes from the scalp. Long, voluminous hair while cute to look at, can make scale care tough.
The cradle cap brush is now available for purchase in India, here.