Can breast milk help with baby acne?
Any kind of skin condition that shows up on a new baby can feel a little disconcerting for a new mother, but they can rest assured that it’s more common than they think.
Baby acne or ‘neonatal acne’ is commonplace among newborn babies, taking the form of tiny red or white bumps that can affect areas such as a baby’s cheeks, forehead and chin. Baby acne is harmless and often clears up after around 4-6 months. Although there is no definitive cause of baby acne, it can be attributed to maternal or infant hormones. Due to being quite mild in nature, neonatal acne doesn’t really need any medicinal treatment and it’s advised that you avoid using any adult acne treatment on your baby’s delicate skin.
Besides gentle soaps or washes, there is a natural remedy you can try to clear your baby’s acne, and that’s… breast milk.
Yep, that’s right. Mother’s own natural goodness and the added bonus- it won’t cost you any money, so it’s natural and resourceful.
The natural components of a mother’s breast milk are said to assist in the clearing of newborn baby acne due the lauric acid and antimicrobial properties contained in the milk. The best method is to soak a cotton ball with the milk, softly pat it on your baby’s face and let it air dry. Aside from this, the best approach is not to scrub, pick or otherwise treat it.
Related: How To Nourish Your Baby’s Skin In Winter
Related: Baby Acne: Everything You Need To Know
We asked Dermatologist, Dr Natasha Cook to shed more light on whether breast milk can help baby acne.
What causes baby acne? And does it present similarly to teenage/adult acne?
Dr Cook tells us that besides showing up on their chin, cheeks, forehead - “Some little ones even get it on their back and shoulders.” She goes further to say, “it usually subsides after a few weeks, when the levels of the mother’s hormones in the baby’s body have fallen.” With regards to the similarity between baby and teenage acne, Dr Cook informs - “It doesn’t present like teen or adult acne. It can look the same colour as the skin or be a light pink in colour.”
However, she advises that if the skin appears flakey or scaly, then it’s best to visit your GP or consult with a dermatologist.
What products or ingredients would you recommend to treat baby acne?
“Don’t over cleanse or over wash babies’ skins. Keep it gentle and simple.” She warns that - “Some treatments can even dry and inflame the skin, making things worse” and to, “Keep the routine simple. Gentle cleansing not over washing and a little bit of moisturiser. With time it will naturally settle down.”
Can breast milk really help baby acne? If so, how? And is it recommended, or used as more of a last resort?
Cook emphasises that baby acne tends to form as a result of hormones transferring from the mother in her final weeks of pregnancy. This subsequently “stimulates the old gland of the baby, causing the breakouts. It gets a little more aggravated by things like saliva, vomit, fabric or when the baby has an intense crying fit or if it’s really hot.” She expresses that there is not much you can actually do to treat baby acne, besides waiting for the hormones to leave the body.
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Have any new mums out there tried this natural remedy? And did it work?
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53 Member Comments
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I breastfed both of my children. I can’t recall either of them having any skin issues.
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Amazing what breast milk can do!
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Breast milk is awesome and if you think about it everyones breast milk is different and personalised as it depends on each persons diet. Pretty cool really.
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I don't have children, so I didn't know that baby acne exists. I have lots of loved ones that have children, and they never had the condition.
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I haven't tried any of those remedies. But I will certainly recommend them to expecting or new mothers I know.
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Breast milk is great for many things...
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Same. And the ED when he was a baby
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Apparently breastmilk can cure everything! Or so the propaganda would lead you to believe. However, I don't think it's helpful to perpetuate this old wives tale as it is such a hot issue. Breastmilk is great if you've got it - for feeding babies. But claims like this only create further pressure and distress to mothers (or fathers, for that matter) out there who just cannot supply it for their babies. Let's ease up on the breastmilk propaganda and give parents permission to feel good about their choices, whether it be breast or bottle.
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Breast milk is fabulous for many things if you have good supply.
If you have good supply you should consider donating to a breast milk bank.
I breastfed my kids for 18 months and 12 months respectively but I also gave them formula.
I felt so guilty when I initially couldn’t breastfeed.
At the end of the day, you don’t want your babies to starve so whatever works...
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Love intro pic. That label should be stuck on all milk bottles out there for adults hahah
No, never heard of using this method. Even in the old times, nope. Plus babies before never had acne (I guess all the alergens and unnatural foods did not exist)
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I ate an organic whole foods diet when I was pregnant and one of my bubs had acne straight out of the womb.
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Naturally...only food we can digest and eat is organic. Inorganic matter not good, not metabolized by our systems at all =P xD
On a serious note, "organic" has little meaning nowadays. When in Sydney dad was buying organic flour that still gave me eczema. And organic milk (that still kept my bones messed up and asthma at ready). I grew up on pure organic diet. Had heaps of serious health issues! So I eat now conventional, non organic diet, but plant based and whole, no dairy, eggs, meat wheat, no stimulants (like garlic, onions, chilly etc), heaps of fruit, veggie fruit, nuts , seeds, grains, beans.. All fixed now.
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I only eat plant based and gluten free, same as my kids.
We still have issues...
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There is always controversy about breast milk. And that breast milk is best for baby. Sadly some new mums just can't do this. The benefits for those who can are twofold. Baby gets all the good stuff and mum is left with the remainder so having a good diet is important for health of both. Mum has to be careful what she eats. Oranges and chocolate are two things that caused aggravation to my babies when I was breast feeding, sadly no internet around 40+ years ago so it was a learning curve for me. My daughter was told to apply breast milk to her child to relieve some skin irritation. That didn't work! Not using soap is a good idea or if necessary, then something very mild and I am an absolute advocate for goat milk soap which is very mild. There are also moisturisers and lotions in this range that work marvels. Manuka honey also is wonderful.
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The key is gentle everything when dealing with baby’s skin.
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My daughter had baby acne and there was nothing we did differently. They just went away after a few weeks.
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You learn something new every day
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Good to know for those who this applies to, not moi
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Lucky both my babies didn't suffer from acne , while me on the other hand had heaps of acne during my pregnancy.
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I never even knew this was a thing?!
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