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Often parents are faced with such a problem as yellow crusts on the head of a child who is 2 years old or 6 years old. This phenomenon is called seborrheic dermatitis, it occurs in both infants and adolescents. Let's figure out why seborrhea appears and how to get rid of it.

Forms of the disease

Seborrheic crusts (gneiss) are a common phenomenon among infants. As the baby grows, this problem disappears on its own. But it happens that gneiss bothers older children, and such situations require special attention.

Let's look at how seborrhea manifests itself. There are three forms of the disease:

1. Mild - when only the top of the head is affected, sometimes the ears. The children's general health is normal.
2. The moderate form is when the entire face and neck become red and peel, and the body and limbs are partially affected by dermatitis. The scales on the head are large, children become capricious, diarrhea appears, and regurgitation becomes more frequent.
3. The severe stage is accompanied by the appearance of a continuous plaque on the head or “baby cap.” An infection occurs, causing suppuration. The baby loses his appetite, is lethargic and does not gain weight well.

Reasons for appearance

There is no definite answer to the question of why children have a crust on their heads. Doctors identify only possible provoking factors, which include:

• Development of the endocrine system. In the newborn period, endocrine functions malfunction - the sebaceous glands begin to secrete intensely. This leads to the formation of gneiss.
• Poor hygiene. Scales on the head appear after prolonged wearing of hats. Sweaty skin, too frequent washing, inappropriate washing gels and shampoos - all this provokes the formation of the disease.
• Inappropriate diet. Seborrhea occurs due to poorly tolerated formula or early introduction of complementary foods. Improper nutrition of the mother during breastfeeding can also lead to a malfunction of the baby’s endocrine system.
• . The fungus is constantly present in human skin, but hormonal imbalances contribute to its proliferation. This provokes the appearance of yellow scales.
• Weakened immunity. When the immune functions of the body are weakened, children experience disruption of the sebaceous glands and the proliferation of fungus.

Dermatitis in children and adolescents

“Crusts appeared on the head of a 2-year-old child. What to do?" - parents panic on the forums. First of all, you need to remember that before the age of three, this phenomenon is very common. This affects the increased work of the sebaceous glands.

Perhaps the problem is a lack of vitamin B (biotin), which is responsible for metabolism in the body. The very appearance of the crust does not cause discomfort, and with appropriate treatment and compliance with hygiene rules, they disappear without a trace.

When a crust forms on the head of a 3-year-old child, this fact should alert parents. There may be several reasons for this:

• improper hair care;
• overheating in the headdress, when the head begins to sweat;
• use of unnatural cosmetics that cause irritation;
• dry scalp from frequent bathing;
• allergies to new foods.

If all these factors are excluded, and seborrhea in 3-year-old children does not go away, then the reasons may be much more serious, for example, disturbances in the functioning of the thyroid gland or the central nervous system. In this case, you should immediately contact your pediatrician.

There are situations when, at a young age, the child’s parents do not face such a problem, but first learn about dermatitis when their child is 5-6 years old. A crust on the head of a 5-year-old child is quite rare, just like in teenagers. But it still happens. This phenomenon is often associated with a bacterial infection. It is treated with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory therapy.

If the onset of the disease is accompanied by increased weight gain, doctors suspect Leiner's disease in a young patient. In addition, scales on the skin in children 5-6 years of age and older may be symptoms of diathesis, psoriasis or atopic dermatitis.

How to get rid of crusts

Parents are wondering how to remove crusts on their child’s head, and whether this can be done. It is necessary to remove them, because with careless movement you can accidentally tear off the crust. This will lead to infection of the resulting wound on the skin.

To get rid of crusts on a child’s head, you should:

• wash your hair with baby shampoo;
• blot with a towel;
• moisten a cotton pad with sunflower or olive oil and gently rub the crusts;
• put the baby to sleep in a cotton cap or cap;
• In the morning, comb out the crusts with a soft comb or brush;
• wash your hair, comb it.

These actions should not be carried out more than twice a week. The procedure is also repeated for seborrhea behind the ears and on the eyebrows.

There is also another method in which an hour (or at least 20 minutes) before taking a bath, slightly heated oil (burdock, baby, olive) is rubbed onto the baby’s head. Then they put on a hat.

While bathing, wash your hair with shampoo and remove flakes. Then comb out the remaining scabs.

Let's look at how to comb out the crust in more detail. Take a blunt-tooth comb and comb your hair from front to back. After this, use a soft brush. The fontanel area requires special attention; crusts must be removed from it, only with caution. When combing, the scales may become separated from the hair.

If seborrheic dermatitis appears regularly, the presence of diathesis or other allergies is suspected. In this situation, you should contact a dermatologist and allergist.

Medicines

In general, gneiss does not require drug treatment, with the exception of the severe stage. In this case, children are prescribed antibiotics (for skin infection) and antihistamines to reduce itching.

Since the reasons for the appearance of scales differ in each case, treatment is selected individually.

To eliminate various forms of the disease, use:

• antifungal ointments (Lamisil, Mycospor and others);
• anti-fungal shampoo (Nizorex, Sebazol, Dermazol);
• corticosteroid ointments (“Ecolom”);
• zinc ointment to relieve inflammation;
• preparations for diseased skin (“Topicrem”, “Bioderma Sensibio”);
• vitamin complexes;
• antihistamines (Citrine, Diazolin).

Mustela shampoo or foam helps get rid of yellow crusts. Its composition is hypoallergenic, the shampoo softens scales and also has an antibacterial effect.

Prevention

After eliminating the unpleasant symptoms of seborrhea, parents need to think about how to prevent the situation from reoccurring. To do this, you should protect your child from allergens.

“The young mother’s concerns about her child’s intolerance to certain foods are in vain; allergic manifestations hide reactions to washing powder, dry air or other factors,” says Dr. Komarovsky.

Therefore, in addition to establishing a balanced diet for a nursing mother, the following measures are recommended:

• install a humidifier in the room;
• After bathing, treat your baby’s head and ears with baby moisturizers;
• if itching and redness appear, contact an allergist who will prescribe a special diet;
• Do not overheat your baby by dressing too warmly. If your baby's feet and crown are hot, dress him lighter.

Take these measures as a rule to prevent the appearance of seborrheic dermatitis.

Having become a mother for the first time, a representative of the fair sex does not even suspect what difficulties she will have to face. Most women who have given birth are tormented by issues related to feeding, colic and illness of the baby. But some people have to deal with such an unpleasant phenomenon as crusts on a baby’s head. What to do with such formations and how to get rid of them?

Seborrheic crust

This growth is often called a “cradle cap.” Crusts appear on the baby's head in the first two months of life. Some mothers avoid this problem. By right, such women and their babies can be called lucky, since getting rid of such a “hat” is quite difficult. Why does a crust appear on a baby’s head?

Reasons for the formation of a “cradle cap”

It is known that such a growth appears in most cases due to disruption of the sebaceous glands. However, there are several reasons for the formation of a crust on a baby’s head:

• the baby's predisposition to an allergic reaction;
• improper nutrition of the mother while breastfeeding;
• unsuitable formula;
• incorrect choice of bathing products;
• low-quality materials of children's clothing.

If you find such formations in your child, it is important to remove them correctly.

How to remove a crust on your head?

At the very beginning, the formations occupy a fairly small area, however, if you ignore them, they can grow and become very dense. In this case, the crusts can interfere with normal hair growth and cause considerable discomfort to the baby in the form of itching.

Method one: using traditional methods

In order to remove crusts on a baby’s head, you need to take vegetable or baby oil. If necessary, you can replace the product with regular Vaseline or baby cream.

A few hours before bathing, lubricate the yellow crusts on the child’s head with the chosen product. After this, put on a cap made from natural, breathable fabrics. This compress must be kept for at least two hours.

After the specified time has passed, you can start swimming. When washing your hair, thoroughly rinse the treated areas with shampoo or bathing gel. After the bath, carefully comb your hair with a children's plastic comb. Make sure that the growths come off gently without damaging the delicate skin.

Repeat the described manipulation the required number of times until the crusts on the baby’s head completely disappear.

Second option: using special shampoos

In recent years, manufacturers of well-known bathing products for babies have been producing special shampoos that promote the spontaneous passage of the “cradle cap.” You just need to use such products when bathing your child every day, and the crusts on the baby’s head will peel off on their own.

The most famous brands of these types of cleansers are: “Ushasty Nyan”, “Mustela”, “A-Derma”.

Method three: prevention

If a crust appears on the baby’s head, this indicates that it is necessary to completely reconsider everything the child comes into contact with.

First, start with yourself. Are you eating right? A nursing woman should avoid high consumption of salt and spices, smoked meats and fatty foods. Otherwise, a large amount of fat enters breast milk, which, in turn, disrupts the functioning of the baby’s sebaceous glands.

If the baby is bottle-fed, the formula may need to be replaced. Maybe the baby has a banal allergic reaction to it, which manifests itself in this way.

Study the composition of bathing products and shampoos. Perhaps the child’s crusts appeared precisely because of an allergy to cleansing gels. Check all of your child's clothes. You may find synthetic fabrics in your items that cause an allergic reaction in your baby. In this case, it is urgent to exclude them from use. Buy quality cotton or linen items for your children's wardrobe.

Another way to cleanse your baby's delicate skin of crusts

During and after bathing, give your child a head massage. A prerequisite is the mother's trimmed manicure. Long nails should not touch or damage the newborn's skin.

Gently massage your scalp with your fingertips, applying light pressure. If you massage while bathing, you can simultaneously use a special shampoo for seborrheic crusts. In this case, the effect will be enhanced.

Due to massage, blood supply to the skin improves and it regenerates faster.

Every time after your baby takes water procedures, gently wipe his head with the edge of the diaper. This will also help remove any build-up that has formed.

Alternative option

What to do if you have already tried all the described methods of dealing with the “cradle cap”, but no improvement is observed?

The baby may have some health problems. In this case, you need to contact your pediatrician, who will prescribe a number of necessary tests. These may include the following studies: blood and urine tests, examination of the educational material itself.

After receiving the results, if necessary, the doctor will prescribe the correct treatment.

Conclusion

If you detect even a small area of ​​seborrheic crust, you must immediately begin to fight it, otherwise you risk getting your baby’s head completely covered with a thick layer of growth.

Never try to scrape off scabs with your fingernails. Otherwise, you can seriously damage your newborn's delicate skin and cause infection.

Also, do not comb out dried formations with metal combs. You can hurt your baby and greatly frighten him.

Try to contact your doctor if you have any concerns. Then you will be calm, and your baby will be healthy and cheerful.

Having discovered crusts on a child’s head, many parents panic and hang up the phone in an attempt to call the doctor. There's really no reason to worry. White or yellowish scales on the scalp are found in almost all children on the planet. Why do such crusts occur and how can you get rid of the problem?

Causes of crusts

Seborrheic, or milky, crusts occur in most children in the first month of life. The main reason for the appearance of scales on a baby’s head lies in the structural features of its skin. A baby's skin is thin and very delicate, and any impact can lead to damage. An unfavorable microclimate or exposure to chemically active substances can cause a decrease in the protective properties of the skin. We add here the age-old habit of mothers and grandmothers of wrapping their baby in all diapers at once - and we get ideal conditions for the formation of crusts on the child’s head.

In searching for the cause of the appearance of scales on the heads of infants, scientists came to the conclusion that this problem is associated with high activity of the sebaceous glands. These glands produce large amounts of sebum, which spreads over the baby's scalp and results in white or yellowish crusts. In adults, excessive work of the sebaceous glands leads to the development of seborrhea, a severe skin disease.

Possible causes and risk factors for the appearance of crusts on the head of a newborn:

• overheat;
• drying of the skin (as a result of frequent washing);
• allergic reaction to shampoo.

To bathe your child, use only special children's cosmetics.

Bathing your baby every day with shampoo can cause the destruction of the skin's protective barrier. Increased production of sebum along with drying of the baby's skin leads to the appearance of scales on the head. This is also facilitated by the child constantly being in a hot room or wearing a hat throughout the day.

Why are seborrheic crusts dangerous?

Milky scales on the head do not pose any particular danger to the child. Of course, they look very unattractive, especially if they turn a deep yellow color, but that’s where their negative effect ends. Seborrheic crusts are not contagious, do not lead to ulcers or purulent wounds, and do not interfere with hair growth. Some children may experience mild itching due to the scales.

Many parents wonder whether it is necessary to remove crusts if they do not bother the child? Experts advise not to leave the scales for a long time. At the initial stages, seborrheic crusts are soft and easily removed. But the longer the scales remain on the baby’s skin, the more difficult it will be to get rid of them in the future. If the crusts on the baby’s head do not disappear within a month, you should think about treating them.

How to get rid of crusts on a child's head?

You can remove milk crusts without any problems at home. Treatment of the scalp is carried out in several stages.

1. Wash your baby's hair with regular baby shampoo.
2. Lightly pat your baby's head dry with a clean towel.
3. Apply the crust remover to your baby's skin with a cotton pad, touching all the scales.
4. Place a soft cotton cap on your child and leave it on overnight.
5. In the morning, comb your child, slowly combing out all the scales.
6. Wash your hair with regular baby shampoo.
7. Brush your baby again and remove any remaining flakes.

Is it necessary to remove crusts on a baby’s head after bathing? Combing is one of the important stages of therapy, and without it the success of the entire enterprise will be very doubtful. If the scabs are not combed out, the sebum will remain on the head, giving the baby a sloppy appearance. The scales do not fall off on their own, so you will have to repeat the entire treatment from the very beginning.


What product can be used to remove milk crusts? The best option for this is an exfoliating cream designed specifically for removing flakes on the scalp. Similar products are available from various manufacturers of children's cosmetics (Mustela, Laroche-Posay). The cream not only helps to gently remove scales, but also reduces the production of sebum in a newborn. The product does not cause irritation, does not sting the eyes and is well tolerated even by the smallest children.

Before using the cream, check if your baby is allergic to it.

Instead of a special cream, you can use olive or (sterile or boiled). The effect of using oil is slightly inferior to pharmaceutical creams. Usually the scales can be easily combed out after the first use of the product. In some cases, it may be necessary to carry out two or three treatments several days apart.

There is no special treatment for the appearance of scales. If the cause of their formation is associated with an allergic reaction, additional use of antihistamines may be required. In other cases, local therapy with medicated creams or oils is sufficient.

Under no circumstances should crusts on a baby’s head be scraped off with a fingernail or removed by force! Such actions can injure the child’s delicate skin and lead to the development of inflammation. Also, do not try to comb out the scales without first soaking them with warm water.

Prevention

Is it possible to avoid the appearance of milk scales on a baby's head? Yellow crusts will not appear on your baby’s skin if you follow the following recommendations.

1. Maintain an optimal microclimate in the room where the child is located (air temperature no higher than 22 degrees and humidity 70%).
2. Don't wrap your child up unless necessary.
3. Do not put a cap on your child during the day.
4. Do not bathe your baby daily using shampoos.
5. Use only high-quality and safe baby shampoo to wash your child's hair.
6. After shampooing, allow your hair to dry on its own.
7. After each shampoo, comb your hair, removing tangled strands.

With the birth of a baby, his parents, and especially young mothers, have many new questions and concerns. And one of the first is caused by a fairly common phenomenon - scales on the head of a baby. Let's look at what this is connected with, how to deal with it and whether it is worth doing.

What do the crusts look like?

To begin with, it should be noted that such crusts are not a cause for alarm, but a completely natural phenomenon for. People call them “lep” or “milk crust”, but the medical definition is “seborrheic dermatitis”. Externally, the crusts look like greasy yellow scales located on the scalp of a baby. Sometimes they come off in flakes, but do not itch or bother the baby. In addition to crusts, it manifests itself as redness, peeling and even cracks behind the folds of the child’s ears.

Why do they appear

A crust on a child’s head, as a rule, appears in the first two weeks, and sometimes in the third or fourth week of his life, and with proper care disappears in two to three months. The nature of seborrheic dermatitis in infants has not been fully established.

Important! Even if nothing is done, in the vast majority of infants, seborrheic crusts completely disappear by 9–12 months.

In addition to the insufficient maturity of the baby’s sebaceous and sweat glands and the unregulated process of thermoregulation, many doctors consider the cause of its appearance to be problems with the health of the child’s mother - gastrointestinal diseases, a lack of unsaturated fatty acids and, during the period, excessive consumption of potentially triggering foods (chocolate, citrus fruits, nuts). , honey). Sometimes lep appears as a side reaction to or excessive consumption of sugar.

Overheating

One of the reasons for the appearance of so-called birth dirt on a child’s head is the over-concern of his parents, such as excessive wrapping of their children. Hats and bonnets that are too warm for the season cause increased activity of the sweat glands and, as a result, the occurrence of seborrheic dermatitis. Sometimes it’s worth removing this cause, and the problem will solve itself.

If the room temperature does not drop below +24 °C, you should not wrap the baby up too much, as well as constantly keep him in hats and bonnets.

Did you know? All newborn babies cry without tears because their tear glands are narrowed or blocked. They will begin to work fully only a few months after the birth of the child.

Frequent hair washing

Frequent hair washing, especially with the use of household chemicals, even “children’s”, washes away the protective layer of the skin, leading to dryness and more active work of the sebaceous and sweat glands. Therefore, you should not wash your baby’s hair more than once or twice a week.

Using the wrong shampoo

In order not to think about how to comb out the crust on a child’s head again, it is better not to give in to advertising and use regular baby soap to wash the baby’s hair. But the use of cosmetics should be kept to a minimum. But if you still plan to use baby shampoo, then pay attention that its composition is as close to natural as possible and does not contain fragrances, dyes and other “chemicals”.

Is it worth removing growths?

On the one hand, seborrheic crusts, a very common phenomenon in children, are an external defect, do not affect the child’s well-being and do not harm him. On the other hand, emerging cracks can become a path for skin infection and fungal infections. Therefore, you should not ignore them, but rather get rid of them. But you shouldn’t rush; most likely, this won’t be done in one go.

Removing crusts: the correct technique

So, let’s look at how to remove a crust on a baby’s head step by step:

• prepare a comb with soft bristles, baby cosmetic oil (burdock or olive can be used) and a light cotton hat;
• An hour before, apply warm oil to the baby’s head and put on a cap;
• before taking off the cap and gently but thoroughly comb the child’s head with a brush;
• gently wash the baby's head with baby soap or shampoo;
• then carefully comb out the remaining scabs with a blunt-toothed comb and comb the baby's hair with a soft brush;
• Do not expect 100% results right away, carry out a similar procedure once a week until all the crusts disappear.

How to prevent the appearance: rules of prevention

In order not to wonder how to remove a birth crust from a child’s head, it is better not to allow it to appear again. The following recommendations will help you with this:

• provided there are no allergic reactions, wash your hair well using medicinal herbs - sage, chamomile, calendula;
• do not wrap your child up too much, wash his hair no more than once or twice a week and only with natural remedies;
• The baby’s comb should only have natural and soft bristles;
• If the baby is breastfed, then foods that cause allergies, as well as all industrially canned products, should be excluded from the mother’s diet.

Did you know? All newborn children have a highly developed sense of smell. This is programmed so that the child can identify his mother by smell. During the first year of life, a baby’s sense of smell is lost by 40–50%.

Now you know how to remove crusts on a baby’s head and what the possible reasons for their occurrence may be. If, despite all your efforts, crusts appear again and again, then this should be a reason to contact an allergist and dermatologist. In any case, it is best to focus on the baby’s condition and mood - if he is active, eats and sleeps well, then you should not worry too much.

On the parietal part of the baby's head in the initial months after birth, you can notice yellowish dry crusts - this is the result of unstable functioning of the secret glands. Over time, all body systems will establish their normal functioning and the crusts on the baby’s head will disappear, but to speed up this process it is important to provide proper care for the baby.

What are seborrheic crusts?

From birth, a so-called cradle cap may appear on the baby’s head - sebaceous deposits in the form of yellowish crusts. This does not cause much concern to the child; this phenomenon worries parents more because it does not look very attractive.

Despite the fact that seborrheic deposits at this age do not lead to side effects, it is worth starting to prevent their occurrence as early as possible. Firstly, in the hot season, due to the accumulation of crusts, the head cannot breathe, which leads to excessive sweating. Secondly, clogging of the glands makes it difficult for the hair follicles to work, which can cause sparse and brittle hair in the future. Thirdly, a large accumulation of crusts will cause dissatisfaction with the baby, because the head will itch.

Crusts on a baby's head are a common occurrence that almost all children encounter. There is no need to sound the alarm, since in most cases the cause of crusts on the head is normal physiological processes or incorrect care; with proper care of the baby, this unpleasant phenomenon will pass without a trace

Causes of crusts on a child’s head

Yellow crusts often appear on the head of a baby in the first year of life. The main reason for their appearance is that the baby’s skin is too delicate, which requires little to irritate. The sebaceous glands of the head work harder, and infants have more sweat secretions than adults, which also affects the increase in the level of moisture in the head. The active work of these organs leads to excessive hydration of the skin, as a result of which milk crusts, or as they are also called, seborrheic crusts, appear.

The appearance of crusts on a baby’s head is also influenced by factors of improper care, the main of which are:

• overheating of the head - occurs due to the constant wrapping of a newborn baby. Constantly wearing hats, things made from unnatural materials and clothes that are not suitable for the weather are the main prerequisites for the formation of yellow crusts on the head;
• incorrect bathing products– Frequent use of shampoo causes a change in the balance of the skin, which leads to the appearance of crusts. The best option would be to wash your hair with special formulations 1-2 times a week. Special attention should be paid to the quality of children's cosmetics - shampoo should be without dyes and synthetic additives, it is advisable that it does not irritate the mucous membrane of the eyes;
• allergies – infants have weak immunity, which is why babies most often develop allergies to external irritants. This can also become a prerequisite for the formation of crusts on the baby’s head.

Considering the main causes of seborrheic deposits, you can prevent such an unpleasant phenomenon, but if preventive measures do not lead to the desired result, then treatment should begin.

How to eliminate yellow crusts on the head of a newborn?

Since the appearance of crusts on a baby’s head is not considered a disease, this phenomenon does not require drug treatment. The main steps to eliminating them are proper skin and hair care:

• First of all, you should soften the greasy areas using baby oil or liquid Vaseline. It is convenient to carry out softening procedures 1-1.5 hours before swimming. Then you should put a cap on your head to insulate the skin;
• before bathing, you need to take off your cap and massage your head with a soft brush with bristles - this is done so that the crusts begin to peel off;
• Now you can start washing your hair, since you have applied a greasy product to your skin, you should wash your hair with shampoo. However, the amount of product should be minimal so as not to cause allergies;
• After washing, it is important to rinse your hair thoroughly, removing the slightest traces of oil. You can’t dry a newborn’s head; just blot it with a soft towel;
• crusts that remain after bathing can be carefully scraped off with a baby comb with rounded teeth. This should be done immediately after a bath, while the skin is damp, since this procedure will be painful on a dry head. The fontanel area should be treated very carefully, since this place is the most vulnerable, but not touching it at all is also not an option, since the skin on the crown of the head needs ventilation and cleanliness more than other areas.

Try to carry out cleaning activities when the child is healthy and cheerful, since the combing process itself is not very pleasant, so it is unlikely that a capricious baby will be able to carry it out properly.