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Cradle Cap:
What It Is & How It's Treated
by Jaime Warren
The medical term for
cradle cap is seborrheic dermatitis. As frightening as that may sound, cradle
cap is really nothing more than irritation around the oil producing glands on
the scalp.
Cradle cap usually shows up within the first month of a newborn's life. It
appears as yellow, flaky skin on the scalp and, in severe cases, it can be found
on the ears, eyelids and forehead.
Cradle cap usually goes away on its own, but, most parents like to try to speed
the process up! Here are some ways of treating cradle cap:
Before washing your baby's hair, rub mineral oil or baby oil on the scalp. Let
it sit for a few minutes so that it can work on loosening up the dry scaly
patches. You can also take a very soft bristled tooth brush and gently scrub the
patches. Then, rinse baby's scalp and wash as usual.
Some doctor suggest using a dandruff shampoo such as Selson Blue on the scalp if
the mineral oil doesn't work. However, use caution when doing this. Getting a
dandruff shampoo into a newborn's eyes is not only painful but dangerous.
If the cradle cap gets worse, a prescription hydrocortisone topical cream may be
prescribed. Look for signs of redness or spreading. If this happens, consult
with your doctor.
© 2003 by Jaime Warren, Reproduction without permission is prohibited.
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