What Is Acne? Acne is usually associated with teenagers, as it is often caused by sex hormones that are released with puberty. But it can affect babies as well. The scientific name for condition is acne vulgaris because acne usually strikes in plainly visible locations such as face, neck, chest and back. It occurs when an oil gland becomes blocked. As excess oil is not allowed to exit, gland swells and may even become infected.

Does My Baby Have Acne? If your baby’s skin is irritated, it could be due to a number of conditions. Baby acne usually occurs on baby's cheeks, forehead, chin, and even back. The pimples are actually small whiteheads that are surrounded by red, irritated and maybe even inflamed skin. Baby acne may become more pronounced when your baby is hot or fussy, or if his skin is irritated. Common irritants include saliva, spit-up milk, soap, and clothing that has been washed in strong chemical detergent.

If your baby has tiny bumps on his face at birth this may also be milia. These little bumps are unrelated to acne and they will disappear on their own within a few weeks. Cradle cap is another condition that may be irritating your baby's skin. However, this condition looks scalier than acne and it usually occurs at other points on body like top of head and behind ears. If your baby's breakout looks more like a rash, it may be eczema.

Cleansing In order to prevent or alleviate acne, you need to keep you skin nourished from inside and clean on outside. People who suffer from acne need to be especially careful about methods and products used to cleanse skin.

Choose gentle herbal facial cleansers and moisturizers, and use them at least twice throughout day to remove debris, oil, perspiration, and pollutants that have built up on skin. There are several products on market that are made exclusively for acne-prone skin. These products are designed to reduce incidence of acne breakouts. The best product available is Oxy-Skin™. A non-oily face wash that contains tea tree oil or echinacea can also help to slow or halt development of acne. Excessive washing will not help reduce acne, and in fact it can actually aggravate it. Rather, wash your face twice a day in morning and evenings and rinse thoroughly with warm water.