At a superficial level it seems that cradle cap cannot cause any harm to the baby; and hence, can be left unnoticed. Well, it is true that the disease is not a fatal one and not necessarily to be taken seriously. But this may not bet the case always. Sometimes the skin condition may become a little harmful and start spreading on to the other parts of the body of the affected baby. This is very easily controllable.
Another turn that cradle cap takes is not injurious but in no way desirable; if left alone and not taken care of then the effected area may become crusty, hard and ugly to look at. Like the other unexpected turn the skin condition takes, this also can be easily stopped by being careful. In fact, there is no necessity to go for any rigorous medical treatment for curing the disease. Easy steps will suffice to keep it under control.
One of the easiest ways of treating cradle cap suggested by dermatologists is the use of oil. Parents can apply oil of any sort, vegetable or chemical, on the scalp of the baby and leave it overnight. The oil will soften the scales and make them easy to remove. Next morning, the softened scales can be brushed away with something soft; may be a soft brush, tooth brush, a piece of cloth or something of this type.
However, one should be careful while treating cradle cap in this way. It is a fact that oily skin harbours Malassezia viruses. So, chances may be there that while treating the skin condition, you may cause harm to the baby in some other way. Moreover, removing the scales from the affected area with something soft may become risky sometime. If touched hard or pricked sharply, the area may get infected. Hence, carefulness is necessary.
