Cradle Cap: Symptoms And Treatment

Cradle cap is a skin condition that affects the scalp of newborn babies and makes it dry, rough, and flaky. This skin condition is harmless and does not require much medical intervention, still, proper care and prevention are suggested to keep the baby’s skin soft and nourished.

Causes of Cradle Cap

The exact cause of the cradle cap is still unknown. However, when a baby’s skin starts producing more oil than is required, it leads to rough patches. As oilier skin causes the dead skin to stick on the scalp flaky deposits are seen over baby’s scalp..

The cradle cap starts appearing between 2 to 6 weeks of the baby’s age. You may start noticing the following signs and symptoms of the cradle cap:

• Greasy and Patchy Scalp – The skin of the baby becomes very patchy and greasy. You may observe white or yellow patches on the scalp of the baby. This scaly skin starts coming off after few days.
• Changed scalp colour – The scalp colour may seem to be yellow or white as skin becomes very dry and flaky. The skin looks itchy, but in actuality, it is not.
• Hair Loss – baby starts facing hair loss with the occurrence of cradle cap. However, once the condition of the cradle cap goes off, the baby starts gaining new hair on its scalp.

Cradle Cap Treatment

The cradle cap doesn’t require much medical intervention. Therefore, cradle cap is well treatable at home in the following ways –

• Wash – The cleanliness of the scalp is much needed in the treatment of cradle cap. Thus, keep your baby’s scalp clean as much as possible because it will not keep your baby’s skin oilier. Apply baby shampoo gently on the scalp. Do not peel or scrub the flaky skin of the scalp caused by the cradle cap. Ideally, a very mild and gentle shampoo is recommended for a baby suffering from cradle cap, however, you may consult a doctor for suggesting any medicated shampoo that can suit your baby.
• Brush – After you clean your baby’s scalp, comb your baby’s scalp using a very soft hairbrush. With every soft brushing, flakiness should come off. Remember, do not be too harsh on your baby’s soft skin. Be gentle and easy.
• Lubricate – In some cases, the application of light and non-sticky baby oil has shown great success. Please make sure, use a small amount of baby hair oil, rather than making your child’s scalp greasy and sticky. wash it off during bathing. Do leave any oil on the scalp
• Apply ‘prescribed’ medicated cream – There are some medicated creams available that are effective for treating cradle cap problems in newborn babies. Talk with your doctor about these creams, if you see that other methods are not much helpful. These medicated creams are good for the inflamed scalp, too.

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