Doctor Komarovsky about why crusts appear on the baby's head and what to do with them. Seborrheic dermatitis - removing the crust on the child's head And we caught seborrhea

A fairly common problem is crusts on the head of a child 2 years of age. The first thing to do in such a situation is to eliminate the panic. This phenomenon in children under three years old is not dangerous, but it occurs quite often.

If the baby has crusts on its head, then this is the norm. They are also called generic.

A common cause of the appearance of yellowish crusts on the scalp is overactive work of the sebaceous glands. That is, discharge cannot be easily removed from the newborn during normal bathing. Drying of the liquid and the accumulation of a layer - a crust. Naturally, outwardly they look ugly, but you should not be very upset, because the baby does not feel discomfort.

In the language of pediatricians, yellow crusts are called seborrheic dermatitis. If this phenomenon is treated correctly and competently, then it will disappear without a trace over time. This usually takes 1 to 3 months.

Causes of crust formation

Back in the 19th century, it was known about seborrheic dermatitis. Then this ailment was called xerosis. The active development of the sebaceous glands has been described. Seborrhea as an ailment is most typical for the age of newborns, however, there are cases when children under 14 years of age also suffer from this form of dermatitis.

Until today, there are no scientifically proven causes of the disease.

Among the factors affecting the appearance of crusts on the head are:

changes in hormonal levels, its sharp imbalance;
violation of the formation and development of the sebaceous glands (the reasons are the presence of infections or other diseases during pregnancy);
genetic predisposition, that is, susceptibility to allergens can be transmitted from parents;
insufficient content of vitamin B in the body, namely biotin (it is a metabolic control lever);
older children (from two years old) may suffer from the appearance of seborrheic dermatitis due to a malfunction of the thyroid gland or pathologies of the nervous system.

According to statistics, the most frequent cases of crusts are observed during the cool season.

Clinical manifestations of seborrheic dermatitis

Most often, in babies of infancy (2 weeks - 4 months of age) or in children under 14 years of age, crusts may appear on the head. They cover the hairy part, as a rule, unevenly. Sometimes, layered formations can occur. The scales develop as a result of mass reproduction of the fungus.

As for the localization of the lesion, it is the scalp, eyebrows, sometimes the auricles, the groin area, the wings of the nose or the armpits of the child. Therefore, it can be seen that it depends on the location of the sebaceous glands.

As a rule, seborrheic crusts do not provoke severe discomfort in the baby. However, if there is a place of pathogenic infection, then the consequences cannot be avoided. If its penetration occurs, then the skin will be inflamed, there is an increase in temperature in the focus of redness.

If you find symptoms in a baby, you should immediately consult a doctor and begin an examination.

Classification of seborrheic dermatitis in children

According to clinical manifestations, seborrhea is divided into various forms:

fatty;
dry;
combined;
physiological.

The appearance of the oily form is caused by overactive sebaceous glands. As a result, close-up scales begin to form, which stick together into a strong layer. The increased fat content of the skin becomes a provocateur for the vital activity of pathogenic microbes. The development of this type of dermatitis in children during puberty contributes to the appearance of acne and acne.

If the ailment is caused by a dry form of seborrhea, then this happens as a result of a lack of activity of the sebaceous glands. This variety is typical for babies in the first year of life. The appearing scales form a film on the head, but they are quite easily separated from the skin surface. The crusts range in color from yellow-whitish to white-grayish. At that time, the baby's hair becomes thinner, breaks, and may fall out. The appearance of bald spots on a child's head is a common occurrence with seborrheic dermatitis.

In dry form, pinkish-reddish spots may appear.

The combined type of seborrhea is the result of the confluence of the symptoms of several types of ailment. Clinically, the disease can look like dry scales on the child's head, and an oily surface on the face, behind the ears.

The physiological form of seborrheic crusts is characterized by acne and other skin lesions. This is due to the fact that there is a restructuring of the usual work of the sebaceous glands.

Treatment of the disease

In many cases, the manifestations of seborrheic dermatitis disappear without consequences. However, some of them may carry symptoms of quite serious diseases. Examples are exudative diathesis, atopic dermatitis, or psoriasis.

Seborrheic lesion, coupled with the underweight of the baby according to age, is a symptom of the manifestation and development of Leiner's erythroderma.

Due to the fact that the mother will quickly notice the changes, as well as consult a doctor, it will be possible to make the correct diagnosis and carry out competent treatment.

The first decision is to convince the child that the child has seborrheic dermatitis. You should carefully observe the scalp of the baby during water procedures and the toilet. When combing the scales, it is important not to injure the skin. So, damage can lead to the multiplication of a pathogenic infection. Sometimes there is redness on the skin and increased discharge.

During a complex treatment, one of the most important actions is to thoroughly rinse the hair and scalp. For this, only a specialized and completely hypoallergenic shampoo or detergent is used. The seborrheic crusts themselves should be carefully removed from the skin. It is impossible to just pick up and tear off the scales, as this can provoke damage to the epithelium. It should be understood that the penetration of infection into the affected areas occurs quickly, and treatment will be difficult.

First, you should take sterile petroleum jelly or other cosmetic oil and apply to the scalp. For the best absorption and softening of the crusts, put on a hat for 15-20 minutes. Then you should thoroughly wash your hair using a special shampoo. Brush your hair with a soft brush. With such simple actions, it is possible to get rid of the crusts on the baby's head, without damage.

It is important to understand that seborrheic dermatitis can proceed both without a trace and with consequences. The disease is capable of progressing. Therefore, it is important to thoroughly rinse the baby's head. There is no need to be afraid that you can easily harm your hair and skin. This is not true. Insufficient combing and shampooing may not get rid of crusts. It is important to clear the ducts from the secretions of the sebaceous glands.

Most children suffering from seborrheic dermatitis at the age of 2 weeks to 4 months, by the beginning of 5 months of life, completely get rid of the pathology.

Prevention

Relaxing after the disease has receded is not worth it. Parents need to be clear about what is better to prevent than to cure. Therefore, in the arsenal of baby care products, there should be a place for an anti-seborrheic shampoo. Using this remedy, you can reduce the risk of skin inflammation and minimize the activity of yeast-like fungi.

After taking a bath, be sure to apply a cream with a drying effect to the baby's hair. Head observation is a must. In case of discomfort, allergic reactions, itching, peeling and other signs, you should immediately stop using the cream. The pediatrician will be able to advise on alternative treatments for your baby's skin and hair.

For prevention purposes, it is worth not only strictly observing hygiene rules, but also eating right, since the appearance of dermatitis can be caused by allergies. It is better to exclude from the baby's diet foods that can provoke it. It is important that the diet of a child (or a nursing mother) contains food with a high content of vitamins such as A and C. Also, a daily intake of elements of group B is mandatory.

Timely detection of the disease, referral to a specialist and competent therapy will be the key to a quick recovery and exclusion of relapse.

Already in the first weeks of a newborn's life, on its head or in the area of the upper part of the face, you can see small yellow crusts, oily to the touch and completely unaesthetic from a visual point of view. This is a seborrheic crust, also called a "milk crust" or "lullaby".

This phenomenon, characteristic of every third baby, is practically harmless and in no way connected with the child's health or with insufficient hygiene.
Even if you don't do anything with them, in the vast majority of babies, the crusts completely disappear on their own by 9-12 months ... However, the main problem with seborrheic crust is that it is not aesthetically pleasing. In addition, it can contain bacteria or fungus.

Therefore, most parents prefer to get rid of them as soon as possible.

Why do crusts appear?

Seborrheic scabs on babies' heads are common, whether or not the baby has hair.

The main reason for their appearance is a natural process that proceeds by itself. The point is in the very delicate and sensitive skin of newborns, in the unsettled process of thermoregulation and in the peculiarities of the work of such glands as sebaceous and sweat , the normal work of which will begin by the age of 5-7. In the meantime, this has not happened and the processes are not regulated, these pale yellow crusts form on the head of babies.

In addition, some actions of hyper caring parents can favor the formation and development of seborrheic crusts.

What are these actions?

Excessive wrapping of babies ... If in a warm room the child is constantly wrapped up and endlessly put on caps and hats, the sweat glands begin to work more actively, as a result, the formation of crusts is inevitable.
Washing too often with household chemicals ... Even the safest baby care cosmetics, if used too often, can exacerbate the situation rather than eliminate the problem.

Get rid of seborrheic crusts

Despite the fact that the presence of seborrheic crusts on the head of a newborn is not a disease, they still do not need to be ignored.

The first thing to do in the fight against them is to exclude an allergic reaction that may be associated with food. For example, it may be a reaction to an adapted formula or if the baby is breastfed. This means that mom should exclude allergically dangerous foods from her diet.

If parents know for sure that an ugly crust that has sprinkled on a child's head is not a consequence of an allergy, then a number of measures can be taken to combat it.

Stop wrapping up the baby ... If the room is warm and the air temperature does not drop below 24 degrees, there is no need to dress the child warmly. In the same way as there is no need to keep the baby in hats and caps all the time.
Minimize or stop using any cosmetic care products ... If you really want to wash your child's hair, then there is no better remedy than ordinary baby soap, and then this should be done no more than once a week.
If the baby is lucky and he was born with lush hair, then you will have to start using a comb ... It should be special - for children, so that the bristles are only from natural materials.

How do you get rid of the problem in most cases?

Step 1 - soften the crust before bathing

To do this, use ordinary vegetable, olive or baby cosmetic oil, petroleum jelly or salicylic ointment. One of these products is applied to the scalp, then a cotton cap is put on and left on the scalp for about one hour.

After this time, the cap is removed, and the head is very carefully combed or smoothed with a brush-comb with a soft bristle, without rubbing or pressing on the comb.

Step 2 - wash your hair using soap or baby shampoo

There is no need to try to get rid of the crusts in one procedure. In the same way as you do not need to lather your hair several times in one bath.

Fighting seborrheic crusts is a case where any rush is useless, and patience and systematicity will lead to a good result.

Step 3 - the final step in the procedure

At this stage, the baby's head is gently and carefully combed after the hair dries. First, with a comb with blunt teeth (they will “scrape off” a few crusts), then with a brush (and she will “sweep” loose scales from the hair).

As already mentioned, there is no need to be very zealous in an effort to get rid of ugly growths on the child's head. It is recommended to carry out such a procedure no more than once a week.

In most cases, these measures are sufficient for the crusts to gradually disappear.

If this did not happen and the situation only worsened, this may already be a reason for contacting a doctor who can clearly determine the true cause of their occurrence and give recommendations on how to get rid of the crusts once and for all.

Forbidden tricks

There is still no consensus among doctors about whether it is necessary to specifically remove seborrheic neoplasms from the baby's head, or whether it is enough to simply observe the child's hygiene and wait until all the crusts "fall off" by themselves.

Restrictions in reality are few, and they are connected with the prohibition on "scraping" the crusts from the head of the child with any hard objects or nails. These actions can harm the baby, injure the skin, and hurt the baby.

Parents need to learn once and for all that, no matter how much they want to speed up the process of getting rid of unaesthetic growths, it is forbidden to make any mechanical efforts.

Special remedies for the fight against seborrheic crusts

The simplest and most affordable means of dealing with crusts are vegetable, olive, burdock or baby cosmetic oils and ordinary baby soap. It is they who have established themselves as the most reliable and safe.

However, if parents prefer to use only modern cosmetics to care for their baby, you need to pay attention to a number of products.

Mustela brand creams and shampoos for children.
Children's shampoo "Biolane".
Special baby oil "BabyBorn" designed to remove seborrheic peels of any degree of complexity.

For example, among the cosmetics brand "Mustela" STELAKER cream is especially popular. The manufacturer assures that this product is designed to remove seborrheic crusts, due to which it is possible to remove a defect on the skin as soon as possible.

Shampoo "Biolane" very popular among modern parents, it moisturizes the baby's skin, softens the crusts and makes it easier to remove them.

BabyBorn oil - a special cosmetic product with a highly specialized spectrum of action. It is positioned as a remedy that has no analogues in the domestic cosmetic market, and is intended to combat seborrheic crusts in newborns. The oil contains components that not only help to remove crusts, but also prevent them from reappearing.

As you already know, seborrheic crust on the skin of babies is a widespread phenomenon and it is not a disease. With proper attention and care, in most cases, any parent can cope with this problem.

The main thing is to take all the necessary measures on time, and there will be less one problem in the difficult matter of caring for a newborn baby!

Surely most parents have come across milk crusts on the head of a newborn - these are manifestations of seborrhea. Why pathology develops, what other symptoms are manifested and how to remove a crust on a child's head - we'll talk in this article.

Enemy information
Why do crusts appear
Is it contagious?
Symptoms at different ages
If not milk crusts, then what?
Treatment

Greetings, dear readers, skin problems in children are far from uncommon. They are explained by the immaturity of all organs and systems of the body. Hormonal and defense mechanisms still do not fully work, the gastrointestinal tract is only "getting used" to the new world. There are quite a few nosological units (diseases), but seborrheic dermatitis is one of the most common. This disease occurs not only in children, but also in adults. However, it is unusual that three-year-old toddlers already develop its "adult" form.

reference Information

First of all, in order to solve this or that problem, it is necessary to collect as much information as possible about it. Seborrhea is a chronic inflammatory process that develops in the structures of the skin, near the sebaceous glands. The skin is unevenly equipped with sebaceous glands. For example, there are none at all on the soles and palms. But in the hair, on the forehead and wings of the nose, behind the ears, on the neck - a lot. The glands are located next to the hair follicles, in the natural folds of the skin, actively working and producing a secret - sebum. The cells that are responsible for this process are called sebocytes, hence the name of the disease.

The pathology is fungal in nature, its culprit is the yeast-like fungus Malassezia furfur. There are two forms of this microorganism, "participating" in the development of the disease - oval and round. The first causes inflammation of the scalp, the second lives mainly on the trunk. The fact is that these organisms use the fatty acids that make up sebum as a source of nutrients.

In the course of their vital activity, among other things, they secrete unsaturated fatty acids. These ingredients are irritating to the skin, causing inflammation and flaking. Due to the fact that the skin "feels" not very well, its barrier, protective function is significantly weakened. As a result, oleic acid, which is a component of its own secretion, also becomes an irritant.
However, why are all these mechanisms suddenly triggered?

The reasons for the development of seborrhea

A disease such as seborrheic dermatitis has a variety of causes. However, most of them are united by a single "stigma" - reduced immunity.

First of all, we will find out what factors can provoke seborrheic dermatitis in infants and newborns:

infectious processes in the mother's body during pregnancy or the baby itself;
non-infectious chronic diseases (including oncology), congenital malformations;
pathology of the gastrointestinal tract;
violation of the feeding regime, deviation from the rules for the introduction of complementary foods;
the presence of allergies, especially food or contact;
insufficient or, on the contrary, excessive hygiene;
treatment with drugs of the glucocorticosteroid series (for example, ointments with corticosteroids for contact allergies), antibiotics;
taking medication by the mother (during pregnancy and breastfeeding);
hereditary hyperfunction of the sebaceous glands (and then we can talk about the congenital form of seborrhea);
serious stress (transition to artificial feeding, especially abrupt, moving, illness).

Crusts on the head of a 3-year-old child appear, in general, for the same reasons: malnutrition, illness, stress, drug use. There is only specificity - for example, the issues of complementary feeding and the type of feeding are no longer relevant. But the weight is acquired by insufficient hygiene in combination with high physical activity (babies are already running, jumping and do not sit still for a second). In addition, from the age of three, they usually transfer toddlers to a common table, which can also cause the development of dermatitis.

But children in adolescence have much more "opportunities" to get sick with seborrhea. The previously listed diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, stress and allergies are joined by:

activation of the endocrine system, causing incredible activity of the sebaceous glands (hence the "teenage acne");
hormonal disruption (hormones are the most unstable category in puberty);
improper nutrition (pocket money appears, and, consequently, all sorts of "harmfulness");
bad habits;
psychological instability.

Another group of causes that are relevant for all ages is induced, i.e. artificially induced activity of sebocytes. This includes excessive “warming” of a son or daughter - clothes that are not suitable for the weather, a fur hat at a temperature of -2 ° C, here - synthetic bedding, low-quality pillows, etc.

Therefore, thinking about how to remove the crust on the child's head, one must not forget that it is possible to correct not only any processes in the crumbs' body, but also their own actions.

But heredity does not play a role in the development of seborrheic dermatitis. Even if both parents suffer from allergic diseases, the crumbs from this do not increase the risk of developing seborrhea.

And we caught seborrhea!

Is this statement correct, seborrheic dermatitis: contagious or not? No, not contagious! The fact is that the fungi that cause the development of the disease live on the skin all the time. These are the so-called saprophytes - they do not cause any harm under "normal conditions" and everyone has them. Roughly speaking, the baby is "infected" from birth, as soon as the first interaction with the skin of another person - the mother - occurs.

The skin of the crumbs is populated by a very different flora, and innate immunity does not allow pathology to develop. In the future, with the development of the defense system, the immune mechanisms restrain the growth and reproduction of microorganisms, preventing the latter from violating the skin barrier. However, as soon as immunity decreases, the secretion of the sebaceous glands increases - a great time for fungi. The activity of their vital activity increases several times, and the person cannot cope with their pressure. As a result, the disease develops.

Symptoms of the disease

How to remove a crust on a child's head - this question arises from parents as soon as they see what is happening to the child's skin. The manifestations of the disease, although unpleasant in appearance, do not cause much concern to the child. No general symptoms like weakness, fever, etc. not visible. Therefore, a sore cannot be called heavy. However, there are quite obvious differences between seborrhea in newborns and infants from the same pathology in older children and adults.

Manifestations of the disease in newborns and infants

Babies are primarily concerned about, of course, seborrheic crusts. They are also called milk crusts, but there is no such term in pediatrics. They appear already on the 14-21th day of the baby's life.

The pathology debuts with a rash in the ears (in the folds behind the auricles), on the scalp. Rarely, changes affect the skin of the forehead and cheeks.

Why there? In small sebaceous glands, they are not yet active, because the endocrine system as a whole does not practically function. But they have maternal hormones in their blood. These substances have a tropism (i.e., have the most significant effects in terms of strength) to the sebocytes of the head, located near the hair follicles.

A very rapid desquamation of epithelial cells begins (due to the toxic effect of fatty acids). Exfoliated cells are impregnated with fat, which is actively produced by sebocytes. As a result, gneiss forms on top of the rash - the very crusts.

In extremely rare cases, the disease spreads throughout the body, affecting the groin, knee and elbow bends, and tummy. Usually, all symptoms go away on their own within a few (4-5) weeks. In extreme cases, manifestations may disappear and reappear before the child is one year old. Then they disappear altogether.

Almost never, gneiss is not accompanied by itching or pain, usually does not cause any concern to the baby. Oozing also does not occur - the rash sweats with tissue fluid. This increases the feeling of dryness and tightness of the skin.

However, because the rashes do not "open up", the risk of infection is not reduced. If an infection joins, pyoderma develops - a purulent inflammation of the skin, provoked by staphylococci and streptococci. Exudate (oozing), itching, painful sensations appear, the child becomes restless and capricious.

Often parents, not knowing how to remove the crust on the child's head, begin to "pick" it, trying to remove it with a fingernail. This cannot be done - the risk of infection increases several times!

Dermatologists distinguish two stages of the disease:

Lightweight. The rash and gneiss covering it are found only on the scalp (sometimes - the ears, cheeks, rarely - the forehead), do not spread. The general condition is not disturbed;
Medium severity. Rashes and crusts spread to the body and limbs.

But if diarrhea, vomiting join the symptoms of seborrhea, and there is also a delay in physical development (weight loss) - it's time to sound the alarm! Perhaps the baby developed Leiner's desquamative erythroderma, and this is a very serious pathology that requires urgent medical attention.

Seborrhea in children 3 years of age and older

The disease occurs in children both at one year and at 2 years old. Often, parents who coped with the pathology when their child was in infancy practically do not pay attention to the newly emerging symptoms. Their answer to the question of how to remove a crust on a child's head is a simple advice: wait, it will pass by itself. In most cases, it proceeds in the same way as in infants - peeling gneiss appears on top of the papular rash. The skin does not itch, nothing hurts, babies do not worry.

Crusts on the head of a 3-year-old child are quite common. Perhaps this is due to the serious stress of a three-year-old man - enrolling in a kindergarten. However, they look slightly different from the "baby" ones. There are rare cases when a child of 3-4 years old has "milk" crusts. The formations, firstly, are less dense, usually there are fewer of them, and more and more they become like dandruff in the usual sense.

In children of this age, "scales" begin to appear on the eyebrows and on the wings of the nose. The skin peels off not only on the head, but also on the body - in the elbow and knee folds, on the chest and back. The crusts are formed by the same mechanism as in infants.

If crusts appear on the head of a child 5 years old and older, most likely, a chronic form of pathology has developed. This means that there are periods of remission ("health") and exacerbations, which are determined by the general state of the body. It is likely that any disease (common ARI) will cause the appearance of a new "portion" of crusts.

Differential diagnosis

Differential diagnosis is the choice of one disease from a list of similar diseases. This stage is extremely important (both in evidence-based medicine and in self-medication, even more so). After all, if you make the wrong conclusion, start treatment "from the wrong", you can aggravate the situation.

First of all, let's talk about psoriasis. It is necessary to understand how it differs from seborrheic dermatitis. Despite the fact that outwardly these diseases may resemble each other (especially in the eyes of the layman), there is a difference:

with seborrhea, lesions are almost always only on the scalp, psoriatic eruptions are common throughout the body;
psoriasis looks like a large-focal rash - there are white scales on bright red papules, but seborrheic dermatitis is precisely the crusts on the surface of the skin;
with psoriasis, the peripheral part of the rash is not covered with white scales;
the scales themselves with dermatitis are oily, yellowish, and with psoriasis - white, dry;
when trying to remove the crust, seborrheic pains go away, usually painlessly. But with the second pathology, this "number" will not work - the process causes discomfort, the skin under the scales begins to bleed.

The second disease is atopic dermatitis. It is allergic in nature, hereditary and does not go away on its own.

Atopic dermatitis:

starts in children over 3 months of age;
characterized by intense itching;
manifests itself as a rash on the face, in the elbow and knee bends, rarely in the head;
the rash tends to weep.

So, now all the necessary information about seborrheic dermatitis has been collected, and you can start treatment. Of course, it is best to consult a pediatrician (and if we are talking about a newborn or a baby, this is absolutely a prerequisite). The specialist, firstly, will clarify the diagnosis, and, secondly, he will recommend the treatment that is right for your baby. But if you are sure of the diagnosis and decide to treat yourself, how to remove the crust on the child's head?

Seborrhea treatment

In fact, the big question is: if seborrheic dermatitis develops in children, is treatment necessary, at least at home? In infants, this disease goes away on its own by 6-8, maximum 10 weeks of life. It is extremely rare when it is "delayed" for up to a year. Dr. Komarovsky seborrheic dermatitis, for example, does not consider it a serious problem and mentions that it goes away on its own without causing any particular inconvenience to children.

However, if the baby becomes more and more crusts, they give him anxiety, itch, get wet, the skin turns red significantly, it is better to start treatment. "Prophylactic therapy" is also necessary if the baby is prone to allergies, skin pustular infections, pain.

The "first line" of treatment is the use of specialized shampoos and combing, ie. a combination of therapy with pharmaceutical preparations and folk remedies.

Mustel's line of products for children can boast of excellent recommendations. These are Mustela Bebe Pena-shampoo for crusts on the head of a newborn and a baby, as well as Friderm Tar for older children. You can use a combination of Mustela Stelaker cream (applying it to the head at night) and anti-seborrheic shampoos.

If “simple” exfoliating shampoos do not help, resort to antifungal agents.

One of the most effective is the Nizoral shampoo, which is based on the antimycotic substance ketoconazole. Shampoo "Kelyal D. S." is effective against Malassezia furfur fungi.

Usually, anti-seborrheic drugs are used 1-2 times a week. If you need to wash your hair more often, you can use a regular hypoallergenic baby shampoo.

After shampooing, you can mechanically remove the manifestations of seborrhea. How to comb out a crust on a child's head? Firstly, it is to comb it out, but not to remove it with a fingernail - you can injure the skin, and a scar will remain. Secondly, you need to do this with a comb, extremely carefully. And if the baby breaks loose, screams and resists - do not insist.

You can use oil to soften the scales. Any baby product (for example, "Johnsons Baby"), to which the baby is not allergic, will do, as well as ordinary olive or burdock oil.

Tar soap for seborrheic dermatitis, judging by the reviews, helps no worse than the products of the Mustela line. In principle, there are no prohibitions on its use, however, in combination with it, be sure to use oil or cream. Bioderma Sensibio D. S. is considered an effective remedy. As an emollient used ointment "Tsinokap", which is an analogue of the famous "Skin-cap".

It is permissible to use special medicinal ointments containing antifungal, hormonal and antibiotic components. For example, "Pimafukort" treats seborrheic dermatitis in both adults and children over 1 year old. But metronidazole is not recommended for use as the drug of choice.

The question of whether fluconazole is used for seborrheic dermatitis - is it used on children? - has a fairly clear answer: only from the age of four. Tablets for seborrheic dermatitis are prescribed extremely rarely, only in the presence of complications or in adulthood.

Thus, no matter how frightening and unpleasant outwardly the symptoms of seborrhea may be, it should not be considered a really serious disease. In a newborn, therapy for this pathology is not necessary if the baby is feeling well. But in general, knowing how to remove a crust on a child's head is important and necessary in order to quickly navigate and help your child.

But it is almost impossible to prevent this disease. Only general advice will be relevant:

do not dress the baby too warmly;
use high-quality, natural bedding;
prevent the development of allergies;
timely and efficiently treat emerging diseases, paying special attention to the state of the gastrointestinal tract.

Dear readers, I hope you received answers to your questions from this article. If it turned out to be useful to you, please share it with your friends in social. networks using the buttons below.

It's important to know! An effective remedy for sores on the head exist! Follow the link and find out what the doctors recommend ... ...

If the baby has crusts on its head, then this is the norm. They are also called generic.

A common cause of the appearance of yellowish crusts on the scalp is the overactive work of the sebaceous glands. That is, discharge cannot be easily removed from the newborn during normal bathing. Drying of the liquid and the accumulation of a layer - a crust. Naturally, outwardly they look ugly, but you should not be very upset, because the baby does not feel discomfort.

1 Causes of crust formation

Scalp problems?

SERGEY RYKOV: "To get rid of acne, red spots, dandruff, lichen and other scalp problems, first of all you need ..." >>

Until today, there are no scientifically proven causes of the disease.

Among the factors affecting the appearance of crusts on the head are:

changes in hormonal levels, its sharp imbalance;
violation of the formation and development of the sebaceous glands (the reasons are the presence of infections or other diseases during pregnancy);
genetic predisposition, that is, susceptibility to allergens can be transmitted from parents;
insufficient content of vitamin B in the body, namely biotin (it is a metabolic control lever);
older children (from two years old) may suffer from the appearance of seborrheic dermatitis due to a malfunction of the thyroid gland or pathologies of the nervous system.

According to statistics, the most frequent cases of crusts are observed during the cool season.

2 Clinical manifestations of seborrheic dermatitis

If you find symptoms in a baby, you should immediately consult a doctor and begin an examination.

3 Classification of seborrheic dermatitis in children

According to clinical manifestations, seborrhea is divided into various forms:

fatty;
dry;
combined;
physiological.

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Warts and papillomas on the head are a very frequent phenomenon. A simple way, without surgery and pain, will help get rid of warts anywhere, very effective! The chief oncologist shared the secret ...

In dry form, pinkish-reddish spots may appear.

The physiological form of seborrheic crusts is characterized by acne and other skin lesions. This is due to the fact that there is a restructuring of the usual work of the sebaceous glands.

4 Treatment of the disease

Seborrheic lesion, coupled with the underweight of the baby according to age, is a symptom of the manifestation and development of Leiner's erythroderma.

Due to the fact that the mother will quickly notice the changes, as well as consult a doctor, it will be possible to make the correct diagnosis and carry out competent treatment.

Most children suffering from seborrheic dermatitis at the age of 2 weeks to 4 months, by the beginning of 5 months of life, completely get rid of the pathology.

5 Prevention

Timely detection of the disease, referral to a specialist and competent therapy will be the key to a quick recovery and exclusion of relapse.

And a little about secrets ...

You may have already tried some remedies for scalp problems:

oils
vitamins
shampoos

All of them fight only with external manifestations on the skin, but do not eliminate the cause, in order to get rid of crusts, acne, red spots, lichen and dandruff on the head, read an interview with Dr. Sergey Rykov, where he explains in detail the cause of these skin problems, read HERE!

Scabs and milky crusts on a child's head are always a concern for the parent. This problem is widespread - to one degree or another, almost half of babies have it. These cutaneous manifestations are not a disease in infants under 4 months of age. If seborrhea manifests itself later, this is already a variant of dermatitis that needs treatment.

Features of the disease

Seborrhea is an inflammatory process involving the sebaceous glands. It can be of allergic or non-allergic origin. Sebaceous gland cells sebocytes produce sebum - sebum. The appearance of crusts is due to the fact that yeast-like fungi from the Malassezia furfur family settle on the surface of the skin, which actively feeds on the production of the sebaceous glands. One of the varieties causes seborrhea of the scalp, the other causes the rest of the skin.

Photo of seborrhea in children on the head

In infants, the epidermis is still poorly developed, and the work of the sweat and sebaceous glands is only being adjusted. Most often, the sebaceous glands work too actively, and the sweat glands are not enough. As a result, the skin becomes easily vulnerable to any factors, including infections and various fungi.

Reasons for the appearance of crusts

Finally, experts have not yet decided what causes seborrheic dermatitis in infants. However, the main reasons are believed to be:

non-observance of nutritional rules;
overheating of the skin;
sweating;
reaction to hygiene products;
non-compliance with hygiene rules.

One of the versions says that the activation of the sebaceous glands in the first weeks of life is caused by the hormones androgens, which entered the child's body during pregnancy. The process of removing hormones and, accordingly, normalizing the work of the sebaceous glands, takes some time. During it, the baby has milk crusts on the skin.

Overheating of the scalp due to improperly selected clothing and increased sweating leads to the fact that pathogens of fungi begin to multiply on the baby's skin, which cause inflammation. The colonization of the skin occurs immediately after the birth of the child. Normally, however, fungi do not cause skin damage. And only when it is weakened do crusts appear.

The immaturity of the digestive system also provokes the development of dermatitis. Until the body produces the proper amount of enzymes, new foods can cause skin rashes. A lack of vitamins of groups B, PP in breast milk can lead to the fact that the baby will suffer from the appearance of milk crusts.

Using shampoos that are not age-appropriate can also cause skin inflammation. Some parents are too zealous to begin to observe hygiene, washing the head of the child every day. In this case, even using the most gentle means will cause seborrhea. Rare washing is also unhelpful and causes exactly the same symptoms.

Sometimes seborrhea of infants is provoked by infectious diseases suffered by the mother during pregnancy, various congenital anomalies, pathologies and immaturity of the gastrointestinal tract.

In children over 2-3 years old, crusts on the head can cause:

allergic reactions;
stress;
medications;
eating disorders;
dysbiosis and malabsorption of nutrients in the intestine;
rare shampooing or the use of detergents not for age.

In adolescence, scalp seborrhea is caused by:

Hormonal adjustment.
Stress.
Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Improper nutrition.

At any age, overheating of the skin causes the activation of the sebaceous glands. This inevitably leads to the appearance of crusts.

Heredity practically does not matter. Numerous studies have shown that the appearance of crusts in a newborn has nothing to do with whether his parents had similar phenomena in childhood.

Symptoms

In the photo there are crusts on the baby's head

The leading symptom is the appearance of yellowish or whitish greasy crusts on the scalp. They can be located in foci or cover the entire surface of the hairy part. The scab consists of a large number of dandruff-like scales. Sometimes seborrheic dermatitis can affect the folds of the limbs, abdomen, eyebrows, groin.

A scab can appear as early as 2-3 weeks of a child's life. Sometimes they spread to the eyebrows, forehead, behind the ear, and cheeks. The scales are easily detached from the skin. In children over 3 years old, seborrhea can occur in a greasy, dry and mixed type. With the oily type, the scales form crusts around the hair follicles. When dry, they are scattered over the entire surface of the head, forming grayish crusts. In this case, the hair under them breaks and falls out. In adolescence, these two forms are combined with each other, forming a mixed one.

Important: Unlike other types of skin lesions, seborrheic dermatitis does not cause itching, discomfort, soreness or irritation.

If the scales are separated with difficulty, and after them wounds remain, then there is a completely different skin lesion that requires special treatment. Since seborrheic dermatitis in babies does not cause itching, there should be no scratching. If present, it is most likely a seborrheic type of atopic or allergic dermatitis. Seborrheic dermatitis differs from psoriasis in that psoriasis has a rash that is not covered with scales.

With a mild course, there are only crusts on the head. With moderate severity, lesions appear on other parts of the body. In severe severe cases, desquamatic erythroderma may develop, in which developmental delays and diarrhea will be noted.

Diagnostics

Seborrheic dermatitis must be differentiated from atopic and allergic dermatitis. In adolescence, it can be confused with psoriasis. Diagnosis is by physical examination. A blood test does not show the presence of antibodies and immunoglobulin E.

Treatment of seborrheic crusts in children

The crusts on the head look untidy and scare the parents, but they are completely harmless to the child's health. There is an opinion among the people that if the scab is not removed, then the child will not grow hair. This is not true. Seborrheic dermatitis does not damage the hair follicles in any way.

Classic seborrheic dermatitis in infants goes away by itself by three months, in extreme cases by six months or a year. However, this does not mean that there is no need to deal with the crusts, because the untidy appearance of the head does not paint the child. Moreover, in large quantities, crusts can already cause discomfort.

Do not pick out the crusts and comb them out with sharp combs. This can damage the skin and cause infection.

The easiest and most effective way is to comb out. To do this, two hours before the expected bathing time, the crusts are abundantly greased with oil. It can be a special oil for baby skin care or any vegetable oil, preferably olive or almond oil. Next, a hat is put on the baby's head. The crusts become soft in 2 hours.

During bathing, the hair is washed as usual. Then the skin is soaked and the crusts are gently combed out with a comb with blunt rounded clogs. You can use special anti-crust shampoos to wash your hair. Mustela and other manufacturers have such lines. If there are a lot of crusts, then the procedure will have to be repeated the next time. Hair of older children can be washed with antiseborrheic agents such as Nizoral, Kelyual. From folk, but very effective means, tar soap can be advised.

Usually, no medication is required. Only in severe cases after four years can fluconazole or metronidazole be used. No pills are prescribed in preschool age. With a protracted course, older children can be helped by Tsinocap, Pimafukort ointments.

Prevention

In order to get rid of seborrheic dermatitis or prevent its development, you must follow some rules. First of all, there is no need to wrap up the child and put on clothes that are out of season. Secondly, walks and air baths will be useful. Thirdly, bed linen should be cotton or linen, pillows made of natural materials.

Antihistamines and antibacterial drugs, antifungal ointments, together with vitamin complexes, are used for chronic forms of seborrheic dermatitis in children over 4-5 years old and in adolescents.

Diet for children

Eating the right diet will help you get rid of the crusts faster. For infants, it is important to follow the complementary feeding schedule and exclude foods that can cause allergies. Older children are recommended to exclude from the diet:

carbonated drinks;
sweets;
nuts;
smoked meats, pickles, marinades;
fast food;
chocolate;

Forecast

Seborrheic dermatitis in infants, as a rule, goes away without a trace and does not lead to allergic diseases in the future. If it is found in children over 7 years old, then it can then be complicated by atopic dermatitis, allergic reactions or erythroderma. But in most cases, with adequate therapy, skin problems disappear completely to an adult state.

Scalp problems occur frequently in children. You should not be afraid of this: these layers look unsightly, but babies do not cause much discomfort. However, it is necessary to treat them in order to prevent the development of the disease. To do this, you first need to find out the reasons for the appearance of crusts on the head.

Crusts on a child's head: reasons

The main cause of crust formation is the so-called seborrheic dermatitis. Children's skin is very delicate, so it is prone to skin disorders. In young children, the sebaceous glands are actively working and there is not enough sweat, but with the growth of the baby, the situation will return to normal.
Seborrhea often occurs in infants, but sometimes children under 14 also suffer from it. It can be caused by various factors:

Fluctuations in hormonal levels.
Hereditary predisposition (sometimes this ailment can be transmitted from parents).
Lack of vitamins in the body, especially vitamin B.
Disorders of the nervous system or thyroid gland (in older children).
Overheating of the head or, conversely, hypothermia.

The reasons for the development of seborrhea should also be looked for among the products that are used to wash the child: they may contain allergic additives.

As for the lesions, they can occur in different ways, since they depend on the location of the sebaceous glands. Depending on the form of seborrheic dermatitis, the baby may also have bald patches or red spots.

Crusts on the head of a child at 5 years old

It also happens that children do not have crusts in infancy, and later, for example, at the age of five, they appear. Such peeling is very frightening for caring parents, but they can occur for natural reasons.

Their appearance can be caused by inadequate hygiene, disruption in the work of the sebaceous glands caused by infectious diseases of the mother during pregnancy, or problems with hormones. Usually the crust is very dense and has a gray or yellowish tint. You should not try to remove it, so as not to damage the skin.

The best way to cope with the trouble will help a well-sterilized oil, which you need to carefully lubricate the affected areas, after which, put on a hat and leave for 15-20 minutes. Vaseline or salicylic ointment is also suitable for this purpose. At the end of the procedure, you need to wash your child's head well and remove the remaining crusts. For combing, a comb made of natural material with rare teeth is suitable, and you can remove the remnants of the crusts with a soft brush.

How to remove crusts on a child's head

The main method, which you cannot do without in the fight against crusts, is combing. You will also need a special product, such as a baby exfoliating cream. The child's head should be washed well, blotted with a towel and applied to the entire surface of the head. The cream should be left on the head overnight under a cap made of natural material. In the morning, you should comb out all the crusts well, rinse and dry your head.

If this does not help, it is better to consult a doctor who will examine the child and prescribe therapeutic treatment.

To avoid relapse, great attention should be paid to the prevention of dermatitis. Try an anti-seborrheic shampoo that can help reduce fungal activity and reduce skin inflammation.

In addition, too frequent shampooing should be avoided. This causes dry skin, which activates the sebaceous glands and can cause hardening of the crusts.

Do not wrap children too much in warm clothes when this is not necessary: sweating can provoke the development of seborrhea.

It is very important to regularly examine the child's head for peeling, itching, and allergic reactions. Together with the pediatrician, a good drying cream should be selected for the child.

Since the onset of dermatitis is sometimes associated with allergies, it is recommended that a special diet be prepared. It is necessary to exclude from the menu foods that cause a negative reaction of the body: fatty foods, sweets, flour. It is imperative to increase the consumption of foods containing vitamins A, B and C.

Timely treatment and regular prophylaxis will help the baby get rid of this ailment.