What common skin conditions can a newborn have?

Often newborns can have peeling skin in the first or second week — this is particularly common on the hands, feet and tummy, especially with postdates babies. There’s the very common seborrhoea called cradle cap (also known as scurfy scalp), which is caused by an overactivity of the sebaceous oil glands. It starts as pink, raised patches of skin on the scalp that become a yellow-brown crust resembling a dry, scaly eczema — not pretty at all. Seborrhoeic dermatitis can occur in the creases under the neck or top of the legs or under the arms — or as a red rash on the face. It usually starts to improve at a month old and is normally gone by a year old — although a good homeopath could probably eradicate it sooner. Erythema toxicum, nicknamed hormone pimples, are the very common tiny, red, pinhead, flat pimples that usually join in clusters, arriving at around 2–4 weeks of age, predominantly on the face and chest, and most are gone by about 6–8 weeks. Dry skin can also be a problem (rough, chapped cheeks are particularly common). Some say to treat this after bathing with a glycerine-sorbolene cream. Another recommendation is to massage the dry skin with a coldpressed oil — but whatever you do, don’t wash baby with regular soap.