skip to navigation
Pampers® Village a place to grow
  • Home
  • Pregnant
  • New Baby
  • Baby
  • Toddler
  • Pre-school

Development

Expert Q&A:
What should I do about dandruff on my baby's head and eyelashes?

0   people commented
on this article
 
0
 
0
Answered by Anthony Mancini M.D.
Meet our authors


Dr. Mancini received his undergraduate and medical educations at the University of Arizona, and trained in pediatrics, pediatric dermatology, and dermatology at Stanford University. He is currently Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Dermatology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine and Head of the Division of Dermatology at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois.



Dr. Mancini has served as a member of the AAP Executive Committee, Section of Dermatology since 2001. He is a member of the AAP Super CME Planning Group and the AAP Pedia Link Pediatric Dermatology Project Team, and is Secretary-Treasurer of the Society for Pediatric Dermatology. His teaching accomplishments include the Faculty Excellence in Education Award from the Department of Pediatrics at Northwestern, which he has received for the last eight years. Dr. Mancini is a peer reviewer and/or sits on the editorial board for several academic journals, and has published over 75 peer-reviewed articles, abstracts, and book chapters. He is co-author of Hurwitz Clinical Pediatric Dermatology, 3rd edition, and is an associate editor for the comprehensive dermatology textbook Dermatology. His special interests include infectious skin diseases and exanthems of childhood, vascular malformations and hemangiomas, and neonatal skin maturation and skin disorders.



Dr. Mancini is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Dermatology. He and his wife, Nicola, a neonatal intensive care nurse, have three children (Mallory, Christopher, and Mackenzie) and reside in Evanston, Illinois.
Read bio Hide bio Hide

Question


What should I do about dandruff on my baby's head and eyelashes?

Answer


Baby dandruff is also called cradle cap, or seborrheic dermatitis. It's very common and, fortunately, does not usually bother the baby (just us parents!). It causes greasy, yellow-white scaling, and occasionally redness of the skin. It is most common on the scalp but may also occur in the eyebrows, eyelashes, diaper area, skin folds, and around the belly button. For the scalp, daily shampooing with a mild (no-tears) shampoo is helpful. If the scale is thicker, try gently massaging with a few drops of baby oil and a soft baby brush (or soft toothbrush) to help to loosen the scale before shampooing. If there is redness, you may want to use a low-strength steroid ointment, cream, or solution. You can gently cleanse eyelashes with no-tears shampoo and a soft cotton swab.

Most babies outgrow seborrheic dermatitis by 1 year of age. If the condition persists, gets worse, or causes itching, see your pediatrician or pediatric dermatologist. Some conditions may mimic seborrheic dermatitis, including atopic dermatitis (eczema) and psoriasis.
ADVERTISEMENT
 
 
0
Member comments

You might also like

A soft and strong wipe for a refreshing clean

Find out about: Pampers® Natural Clean Wipes
Pampers® Natural Clean Wipes