Generalities and Symptoms
Cradle cap, known as neonatal seborrheic dermatitis or pityriasis capitis, is a disorder that affects the scalp of many newborns and infants. It manifests itself with evident signs of skin desquamation, accompanied by scaly and unctuous yellowish crusts, located mostly on the scalp, but also in other parts of the body, where the skin is "simply" reddened.
Cradle cap in a nenonato - Image from wikipedia.org
The eruption associated with milk crust tends to be prominent around the ear, eyebrows or eyelids, and often also affects the forehead, chin and perigenital area.
The milky crust affects about half of newborns - infants, and then disappears on its own without the need for special treatments, however useful to facilitate healing. Fortunately, it is a condition that is usually not itchy, which does not cause particular trouble to the newborn - suckling; only in the most serious cases is medical intervention necessary.
Causes
The causes of the origin of the milk crust have not yet been clearly identified. We know for example that it is the consequence of a slight overproduction of sebum by the sebaceous glands of the scalp, but the trigger is not yet clear. Some authors suggest a possible role of maternal androgens, which remain in the child's bloodstream for a few months after birth, while others call into question the most remote and repeated hypothesis of food intolerances and allergies, for example to milk proteins or to lactose. In the latter case the association between milk crust and gas colic and diarrhea would be common.
The differential diagnosis must be made with fungal infections, such as ringworm (tinea capitis) and scabies, which can mimic the symptoms normally attributable to the milk crust.
Care and prevention
See also: Milky Crust - Medicines for the treatment of the Milky Crust
Although the disorder tends to spontaneous resolution, with possible relapses during early childhood, it can accelerate its healing by softening the crusts with vegetable oils (rice, walnut, olive, borage, marigold, etc.), let it act on the leather scalp for a few minutes before washing with a mild shampoo for children. In the presence of milk crust, creams based on animal fats should be avoided, which could favor the growth of the Malassezia furfur fungus.
The hair should be combed with a soft brush, avoiding rubbing the crusts to accelerate removal. In the most severe cases, where inflammation is important and the child complains of a certain itching, it is good to use the appropriate preparations recommended by the pediatrician.
Often, the milk crust, under the name of seborrheic dermatitis, recurs during puberty, where once again the hyperproduction of sebum is linked to the particular hormonal situation.
