baby acne or rash?

JackieF969 · January 2015

Any info would be appreciated. My baby is 6 weeks old and developed this rashy stuff on her face about a week ago. I feel that it keeps spreading since it's also on her neck a bit and just a little on her upper chest. I took her to the doctor and he said it is acne but my mom in law says it looks like an allergy my husband had as a baby due to milk intolerance. I'm wondering if I need to stop eating all dairy since she is primarily breastfed. It won't let me attach a picture unfortunately.

crizz13 · January 2015

I would trust your doctor...

ETA: Did you mention the dairy theory to the doctor?

Also my LO had bad baby acne on her face, neck, chest, and back for about 2.5 weeks. We gently washed it with a warm washcloth and then patted dry once a day and it cleared up.

JackieF969 · January 2015

I did mention the cow's milk allergy concern and he said "well, you're not a cow". I explained that I meant in formula or thru what I eat but he didn't seem concerned. Did you use any baby wash or soap or strictly just water?

crizz13 · January 2015

Just water... Though DH's mom (a nurse practitioner) suggested dove soap on the affected areas. We didn't do it though since by the time she mentioned it, it was already clearing up.

JackieF969 · January 2015

my LO also had a little red puffiness under her right eye a couple days ago. The doctor said there are some colds going around that might cause it. It's gone now. She also has some redness at the nape of her neck, which I have read is called stork bite (normal discoloration) and should go away on its own.
I don't know what might cause your baby to poop blood though, I hope the doctor is helpful lovebuggies1!

runningmama14 · January 2015

A rash on the face can certainly be from a food allergy, the most common allergy being dairy. OP- was your doc joking with the "you'e not a cow" remark? Dairy protein allergy is a real problem (although not super common). That remark alone would have me looking for another doc.

My lo has a dairy allergy. His issues started as green poop with occasional small amounts of blood. He also developed a facial rash/baby acne on his face and upper chest about a week later.

I eliminated dairy almost 3 weeks ago and his poop has just recently returned to normal color. His face seems to be slowly clearing up.

FWIW, cutting out all dairy is hard. There is a lot of hidden dairy. If you are going to go that route, definitely go to kellymom and read up on it. If you are also ff, you'll need to switch to a dairy free formula as well.

justjinny · January 2015

Do you or your husband have sensitive sink or eczema? My DS#1 had what I thought was just baby acne but was actually a sore eczema rash when he was about a month old. It slowly spread across his face and I could tell it was starting to be itchy and uncomfortable. We ended up needing a steroid cream to help his skin clear up and still have issues with it cropping up from time to time. (I'd think your doctor would have diagnosed this though if you took baby in for them to look at the rash)

I agree with PP's about the doctor's comments. To me that seems like a condescending sort of joke to make when you raised a valid point about your family's health history. I wouldn't look forward to dealing with that kind of doctor for the rest of my kid's childhood.

MegOct19 · January 2015

I have been struggling with a rash on my baby's face too and thought it was cradle cap as it is in the temple areas. Now that you mention it she has been pooping Green this whole time and we are mostly formula fed. Is the green poop an indicator or anything? I had eczema as a child and baby (with an occasional bout as well on the face) so didn't think much of it.

JackieF969 · January 2015

I do have very sensitive skin in general and she's battling very dry skin on her face as well. Personal experience tells me that might be causing acne. I have been making sure to check her poop more but I don't see anything unusual there. I don't think it is itchy or uncomfortable since LO doesn't seem to be scratching at it.
Yeah, not happy with the doc comment. There are two at the office and the other one is awesome. I may try to ask for him specifically from now on.

Ccalkins0301 · January 2015

It's so common for babies to break out in rash or get acne as long as she isn't hurting I wouldn't worry I would buy fragrance free soap and laundry soap ect

justjinny · January 2015

In our case, there wasn't any correlation between skin rash and poop issues.

I think that's an allergy thing, not sensitive skin or eczema related. We've found that it helps DS's sensitive skin to avoid too much washing and also apply Aveeno eczema lotion on his face multiple times a day to keep the dry skin at bay. When we do wash his face we use Cetaphil since it's gentle. I'd definitely request to see the other doctor for your next visit to get a second opinion!

@MegOct19 I'm pretty sure it's normal for FF babies to have green poop. DS would have colors varying from yellow to green to brown while on formula - our pediatrician said it just depended on how long it took him to digest it.

JackieF969 · January 2015

Thanks so much for the helpful information, ladies! I have Aveeno baby lotion and was considering putting that on her face once or twice a day to counter the dry skin but wasn't sure if that was a good idea...

Ccalkins0301 · January 2015

If baby has sensitive skin which most do just make sure it's fragrance free and that should help

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