What to do if your baby has dandruff

Newborn babies will have brown or black dandruff on the top of their heads. This is a very normal phenomenon. Parents must not remove this dandruff with their fingers. When bathing the baby more often, rub it gently and keep the newborn's skin clean. The dandruff will fall off naturally over time. Taking your baby to bathe regularly can promote the breathing ability of the baby's skin and help the baby grow faster.

Babies who are just a few months old will have a thick layer of dandruff with crusts that may be black, yellow or brown on the top of their heads. Sometimes it will even spread to the baby's face, body, or diaper area, resulting in a red, scaly rash that is rough, ugly and difficult to remove. Especially at the baby's front fontanelle, parents dare not touch it easily. In fact, why do babies have dandruff?

This is mainly because the epidermal flora of the parents proliferates abnormally in the baby. We know that everyone's skin surface carries a large number of microorganisms. These microorganisms are our normal flora. The epidermis of a newborn baby has not yet formed its own microbial flora. At this time, they can be transmitted to the baby through daily kisses from parents.

Seborrheic dermatitis: When gray-yellow or yellowish-brown greasy scabs and scales of varying thickness appear on the baby's head, we call it "seborrheic dermatitis". Severe cases may affect the eyebrows, nasolabial folds, behind the ears, etc. Sometimes many small red rashes the size of rice grains can be seen on the scalp, and then yellow-red patches form. If it is stained with dust, a thick layer of yellow scabs may form, which may turn black over time and cause itching.

Improper care by parents: Many parents think that newborn babies are still very small and their heads are relatively soft, especially the fontanelle. They are afraid to wash their babies’ heads and dare not do head care, which results in dandruff over time.

High-fat diet: Because "dandruff" is a product of the baby's metabolism, if the fat content in the diet of breastfeeding mothers and babies is too high, "dandruff" problems are likely to occur.

If the baby's dandruff is severe or accumulates for a long time, it will affect the growth and development of the scalp. In severe cases, it may cause hair loss, ringworm, eczema, etc.