The appearance of crusts on the baby's head or cradle cap is a common condition in infants, especially newborns. Although not dangerous, this crust still needs to be cleaned. Therefore, mothers need to know how to remove crusts on the right baby's head.
In general, cradle cap occurs when the baby is 2-6 weeks old, but can also appear and disappear again until the baby is 1 year old or older. Cradle cap is not a dangerous condition, although it often makes the baby's scalp dry and looks annoying.
Characteristics of the crust of the head or Cradle Cap
Cradle cap generally characterized by a crusty, dry, scaly, flaky scalp that looks like dandruff. Sometimes, these crusts look like thickened, oily, and yellowish-white skin. If it peels, the scalp can appear red.
Cradle cap It usually appears on the scalp and behind the ears, but can also appear around the eyebrows, eyelids, or armpits and other body folds.
In medical terms, crusts on the baby's head are called seborrheic dermatitis. However, people are more familiar with it as dandruff which usually occurs in children and adults.
Causes of the Appearance of Crust on the Baby's Head
The cause of the appearance of crusts on the baby's head is not known for certain and is not triggered by allergies or the baby's body hygiene is not maintained.
However, there are some allegations that the crust on the baby's head may be caused by the hormones the baby receives from its mother at the end of pregnancy. This hormone makes the oil glands on the baby's scalp become more active, resulting in crusts on the scalp.
In addition, other allegations state that the appearance of crusts on the baby's scalp occurs due to the growth of natural fungi and bacteria.
Baby crusts usually go away on their own without treatment within a few weeks or months. However, this condition can sometimes be experienced by babies up to the age of 2-3 years.
Although it is not contagious and does not cause itching, crusts that are left to thick will be more difficult to remove from the baby's scalp.
How to Clean Cradle Cap on Baby
To clean the crust on your little one's scalp, you can do the following things:
Gently rub baby's scalp
Gently rub your baby's scalp with your fingers or a soft and clean cloth. Try not to scratch too hard or too hard because it can hurt the scalp.
In addition, Mother can also give petroleum jelly, mineral oil, or baby oil on your little one's scalp and let it sit for a few minutes to absorb. After that, gently clean your little one's scalp.
Don't let the oil stick to your little one's hair for too long, OK? This will actually worsen the crust on his head.
Wash baby's hair using special baby shampoo
Wash your little one's hair using a special baby shampoo that is gentle and safe for the scalp. When using shampoo, clean the flakes of crust that stick to your little one's hair using a small comb with a soft brush, then rinse with water.
If the crusts don't go away, you can ask your doctor for a recommendation. Usually, doctors will recommend using a special dandruff shampoo that contains antifungal drugs, such as ketoconazole.
However, you have to be more careful when using the shampoo, especially for newborns. Try not to get the shampoo into the baby's eyes. In addition to antifungal shampoos, doctors can also prescribe corticosteroid ointments to treat crusts on the baby's head that are difficult to remove.
After the crust on his head is gone, Mother is recommended to always keep the baby's hair clean by shampooing it regularly every few days to prevent the buildup of scale from returning.
If you have done several ways to overcome the crust on the baby's head but the crust has not disappeared, take your little one to the doctor so that he can be given treatment.
Mothers also need to take their little ones to the doctor if their scalp looks swollen, bleeds, crusts spread to the face and body area, or an itching sensation makes your little one fussy and can't sleep.