When Your Newborn's Hair isn't So Cute - the Scourge of Cradle Cap

While I often find myself admiring a newborn hairdo, it is also common to see flakes of dry oily skin on a newborn head. These flaky scalps are a sign of a condition called cradle cap.

Cradle cap is a common disorder in infants. Also called seborrheic dermatitis, cradle cap is a condition characterized by excess skin caused by a parasite known as a saprophyte. It sounds scary but in fact, it is red, oily skin with some flaking of dead skin.
Despite its name, cradle cap can occur all over an infant body (and even in adults), but tends to occur areas rich in oil glands such as the scalp, eyebrows, axillae (armpits), upper trunk, and diaper area. The affected area might be slightly itchy, and it looks red, scaly, and oily.

The best treatment for infant cradle cap on the scalp is frequent hair washing to prevent plaque build-up. Selenium sulfide shampoo 2.5% can help the problem from spreading. For areas on the body, a 2.5% hydrocortisone lotion may be useful. Some find baby oil or other oils applied to the scalp helpful in loosening thick, scaly plaques. Gentle hair brushing afterwards can help as well.

Though your baby doesn't need medication for cradle cap, that doesn't mean you shouldn't see your doctor. He or she needs to see your baby to diagnose cradle cap because it can mimic other skin and scalp conditions. It might be an infection (fungal or bacterial), eczema, psoriasis, another skin condition, or even head lice. Your doctor can take a good look, maybe do some tests on scrapings from the skin, and figure out how to best get rid of the problem. If all of these things don't work, your child may benefit from an evaluation by a skin specialist (dermatologist).

Do you have any home remedies for this condition? It is mostly a cosmetic problem unless the itching becomes irritating to your baby.

Family Health Guide
To take advantage of the latest medical advances, and to deal with the often-confusing world of health care, you need information that is clear, accurate, easily understandable, and accessible. The Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide brings you the information you need to keep your and your family healthy and to cope with illness when it does strike. 170 faculty members of Harvard Medical School, physicians who care for patients every day, developed this comprehensive guide.