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After two to three months of the birth of a baby, very often something scaly, crusty and oily occurs on her head. The areas that it generally occurs are the side of the ears and the eyelids. Of course, it can occur in other areas of the head and even in other parts of the body. This neonatal disease is known as cradle cap. Unlike any other diseases common to the babies, it is not harmful and sometimes vanishes without any treatment.
The most common treatment for cradle cap is the use of shampoo on the affected area and to wash it away clearly. Usage of oil is also another frequently used method of treating the skin condition. However, it is recommended that the separate treatment should be used for curing the disease in separate places. This specific treatment remains better and more effective. It is also not difficult to treat the skin condition on area basis.
When cradle cap occurs near the eyelids, it is advised to use shampoo to cure it. But parents should be careful about the fact that they are using mild shampoo for this purpose. A few drops of shampoo can be diluted to some water and used to wash the place. There is no hard and fast rule with regard to the dilution proportion. It may be a few drops or half cup or even a fifty/fifty mixture.
When cradle cap occurs in other parts of the body, it can be cured with oil. Any kind of oil, both vegetable and chemical can be used in good proportion on the affected area and then left for some hours. After a few hours, the greasy scales can be brushed away with something soft. It may be a little risky to brush away the scales. So, parents should be careful while applying this method.
While it may be an ungainly sight, cradle cap is not that harmful. It typically affects babies of two years or younger. This begs the question - why are newborns constantly at risk? The exact cause of the disease is still a bit of a grey area. However, some theories have cropped up over time. Many attribute the cause to the lack of essential fatty acid, the failure of a human child's skin to shed properly, hyperactivity of the sebaceous glands during the time of mother's pregnancy et al. While a simpler theory suggests that it could just be a bad case of dandruff.
Symptoms vary. A dry scalp is just a mild case; a more severe case manifests in the form of a waxy crust. The latter can spread to neck, face, ears, armpits, chest, groin etc. Nowadays, there are several medically certified shampoos that can cater to this condition.
One thing to note is that is not contagious; there is no allergy or infection associated with the condition. So, how do you rid your baby of this condition? The solution is quite simple. Put a little olive oil and rub it gently into the affected head. Leave it on for some time till the flakes go soft and then wash it off with a good anti-dandruff shampoo. This should work for a more extreme condition of cradle cap. For milder conditions, the solution can be as simple as using a brush with soft bristles and gently combing the scalp, which should be properly shampooed.
Should the condition still persist after home-made remedies have been tried out, there is always the option of availing the services of a medical doctor. He would palpably be in a much better position to suggest the appropriate cream or shampoo to be used for cradle cap.