Why do yellow crusts appear on a child's head? Getting rid of seborrheic crusts

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Often parents are faced with such a problem as yellow crusts on the head of a child who is 2 years old or 6 years old. This phenomenon is called seborrheic dermatitis, it occurs in both infants and adolescents. Let's figure out why seborrhea appears and how to get rid of it.

Forms of the disease

Seborrheic crusts (gneiss) are a common phenomenon among infants. As the baby grows, this problem disappears on its own. But it happens that gneiss bothers older children, and such situations require special attention.

Let's look at how seborrhea manifests itself. There are three forms of the disease:

Mild - when only the top of the head is affected, sometimes the ears. The children's general health is normal.
The moderate form is when the entire face and neck become red and peel, and the body and limbs are partially affected by dermatitis. The scales on the head are large, children become capricious, diarrhea appears, and regurgitation becomes more frequent.
The severe stage is accompanied by the appearance of a continuous plaque on the head or “baby cap.” An infection occurs, causing suppuration. The baby loses his appetite, is lethargic and does not gain weight well.

Reasons for appearance

There is no definite answer to the question of why children have a crust on their heads. Doctors identify only possible provoking factors, which include:

Development of the endocrine system. In the newborn period, endocrine functions malfunction - the sebaceous glands begin to secrete intensely. This leads to the formation of gneiss.
Poor hygiene. Scales on the head appear after prolonged wearing of hats. Sweaty skin, too frequent washing, inappropriate washing gels and shampoos - all this provokes the formation of the disease.
Inappropriate diet. Seborrhea occurs due to poorly tolerated formula or early introduction of complementary foods. Improper nutrition of the mother during breastfeeding can also lead to a malfunction of the baby’s endocrine system.
. The fungus is constantly present in human skin, but hormonal imbalances contribute to its proliferation. This provokes the appearance of yellow scales.
Weakened immunity. When the immune functions of the body are weakened, children experience disruption of the sebaceous glands and proliferation of fungus.

Dermatitis in children and adolescents

“Crusts appeared on the head of a 2-year-old child. What to do?" - parents panic on the forums. First of all, you need to remember that before the age of three, this phenomenon is very common. This affects the increased work of the sebaceous glands.

Perhaps the problem is a lack of vitamin B (biotin), which is responsible for metabolism in the body. The very appearance of the crust does not cause discomfort, and with appropriate treatment and compliance with hygiene rules, they disappear without a trace.

When a crust forms on the head of a 3-year-old child, this fact should alert parents. There may be several reasons for this:

improper hair care;
overheating in the headdress, when the head begins to sweat;
use of unnatural cosmetics that cause irritation;
dry scalp from frequent bathing;
allergies to new foods.

If all these factors are excluded, and seborrhea in 3-year-old children does not go away, then the reasons may be much more serious, for example, disturbances in the functioning of the thyroid gland or the central nervous system. In this case, you should immediately contact your pediatrician.

There are situations when, at a young age, the child’s parents do not face such a problem, but first learn about dermatitis when their child is 5-6 years old. A crust on the head of a 5-year-old child is quite rare, just like in teenagers. But it still happens. This phenomenon is often associated with a bacterial infection. It is treated with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory therapy.

If the onset of the disease is accompanied by increased weight gain, doctors suspect Leiner's disease in a young patient. In addition, scales on the skin in children 5-6 years of age and older may be symptoms of diathesis, psoriasis or atopic dermatitis.

How to get rid of crusts

Parents are wondering how to remove crusts on their child’s head, and whether this can be done. It is necessary to remove them, because with careless movement you can accidentally tear off the crust. This will lead to infection of the resulting wound on the skin.

To get rid of crusts on a child’s head, you should:

wash your hair with baby shampoo;
blot with a towel;
moisten a cotton pad with sunflower or olive oil and gently rub the crusts;
put the baby to sleep in a cotton bonnet or cap;
In the morning, comb out the crusts with a soft comb or brush;
wash your hair, comb it.

These actions should not be carried out more than twice a week. The procedure is also repeated for seborrhea behind the ears and on the eyebrows.

There is also another method in which an hour (or at least 20 minutes) before taking a bath, slightly heated oil (burdock, baby, olive) is rubbed onto the baby’s head. Then they put on a hat.

While bathing, wash your hair with shampoo and remove flakes. Then comb out the remaining scabs.

Let's take a closer look at how to comb out the crust. Use a blunt-tooth comb and comb your hair from front to back. After this, go over with a soft brush. The fontanel area requires special attention; crusts must be removed from it, only with caution. When combing, the scales may become separated from the hair.

If seborrheic dermatitis appears regularly, the presence of diathesis or other allergies is suspected. In this situation, you should contact a dermatologist and allergist.

Medicines

In general, gneiss does not require drug treatment, with the exception of the severe stage. In this case, children are prescribed antibiotics (for skin infection) and antihistamines to reduce itching.

Since the reasons for the appearance of scales differ in each case, treatment is selected individually.

To eliminate various forms of the disease, use:

antifungal ointments (Lamisil, Mycospor and others);
anti-fungal shampoo (Nizorex, Sebazol, Dermazol);
corticosteroid ointments (“Ecolom”);
zinc ointment to relieve inflammation;
preparations for diseased skin (“Topicrem”, “Bioderma Sensibio”);
vitamin complexes;
antihistamines (Citrine, Diazolin).

Mustela shampoo or foam helps get rid of yellow crusts. Its composition is hypoallergenic, the shampoo softens scales, and also has an antibacterial effect.

Prevention

After eliminating the unpleasant symptoms of seborrhea, parents need to think about how to prevent the situation from reoccurring. To do this, you should protect your child from allergens.

“The young mother’s concerns about her child’s intolerance to certain foods are in vain; allergic manifestations hide reactions to washing powder, dry air or other factors,” says Dr. Komarovsky.

Therefore, in addition to establishing a balanced diet for a nursing mother, the following measures are recommended:

install a humidifier in the room;
After bathing, treat your baby’s head and ears with baby moisturizers;
if itching and redness appear, contact an allergist who will prescribe a special diet;
Do not overheat your baby by dressing too warmly. If your baby's feet and crown are hot, dress him lighter.

Take these measures as a rule to prevent the appearance of seborrheic dermatitis.

Already in the first weeks of a newborn’s life, small yellow crusts can be seen on his head or in the upper part of his face, greasy to the touch and completely unaesthetic from a visual point of view. This is a seborrheic crust, also called “milk crust” or “cradle cap”.

This phenomenon, characteristic of every third baby, is practically harmless and is in no way related to the child’s health or lack of 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 may contain bacteria or fungus.

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

Why do crusts appear?

The appearance of a seborrheic crust on the head of infants is a common phenomenon, regardless of whether the child has hair or not yet.

The main reason for their appearance is a natural process that occurs by itself. The point is the very delicate and sensitive skin of newborns, the unregulated process of thermoregulation and the peculiarities of the functioning of glands such as sebaceous and sweat glands , the normal operation of which will begin by 5-7 years. Until this happens and the processes are not regulated, these pale yellow crusts form on the babies’ heads.

In addition, some actions of overly caring parents can contribute to the formation and development of seborrheic crusts.

What are these actions?

Excessive wrapping of infants . If you constantly wrap up a child in a warm room and put caps and caps on him endlessly, the sweat glands begin to work more actively, as a result, the formation of crusts is inevitable.
Excessive washing with household chemicals . Even the safest cosmetics for the care of infants, if used too often, can aggravate the situation rather than eliminate the problem.

Getting 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 should not be ignored.

The first thing that needs to be done in the fight against them is to rule out an allergic reaction that may be related to nutrition. For example, this may be a reaction to an adapted milk formula or if the child is breastfed. This means that mother should exclude allergic foods from her diet.

If parents know for sure that an unsightly crust covering the child’s head is not a consequence of an allergy, then a number of measures can be taken to combat it.

Stop wrapping up your child . If the room is warm and the air temperature does not drop below 24 degrees, there is no need to dress the child warmly. Just like there is no need to constantly keep your baby in hats and caps.
Minimize or completely stop using any cosmetic care products . If you really want to wash your child’s hair, then you can’t find a better product than regular baby soap, and then you should do this no more than once a week.
If your baby is lucky and was born with a full head of hair, you will have to start using a comb . It should be special - for children, so that the bristles are made only from natural materials.

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

Step 1 - soften the crusts before bathing

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

After this time, the cap is removed, and the head is very carefully combed or smoothed with a comb-brush with soft bristles, 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 crusts in one procedure. Just like you don’t need to soap your hair several times during one bath.

The fight against seborrheic crusts is a case where any haste is useless, and patience and systematicity will lead to a good result.

Step 3 - the final stage in the procedure

At this stage, after the hair has dried, the baby’s head is carefully and carefully combed. First, with a comb with blunt teeth (they will “scrape off” some crusts), then with a brush (and it will “sweep” the crumbled scales out of the hair).

As already mentioned, there is no need to be too zealous in trying to get rid of ugly growths on a child’s head. It is recommended to carry out this procedure no more than once a week.

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

If this does not happen and the situation only worsens, this may be a reason to consult a doctor, who will be able to clearly determine the true cause of their occurrence and give recommendations on how to get rid of the crusts once and for all.

Prohibited tricks

There is still no consensus among doctors about whether it is necessary to specifically remove seborrheic tumors from the baby’s head or whether it is enough to simply maintain the child’s hygiene and wait until all the crusts “fall off” on their own.

There are actually few restrictions, and they are related to the ban on “scraping” crusts from the child’s head with any hard objects or nails. These actions can harm the baby, injure the skin, and cause pain to the child.

Parents need to learn once and for all that, no matter how much they would like to speed up the process of getting rid of unaesthetic growths, applying any mechanical force is prohibited.

Special products to combat seborrheic crusts

The simplest and most affordable means of combating crusts are vegetable, olive, burdock or baby cosmetic oils and regular baby soap. They have proven themselves to be the most reliable and safe.

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

Baby creams and shampoos of the Mustela brand.
Children's shampoo "Biolane".
Special baby oil “BabyBorn” , designed to remove seborrheic crust of any degree of complexity.

For example, among cosmetic products of the Mustela brand STELAKER cream is especially popular. The manufacturer assures that this product is intended to remove seborrheic crusts, due to which it is possible to remove a defect on the skin in the shortest possible time.

Shampoo "Biolane" It is very popular among modern parents; it moisturizes the baby’s skin, softens the crusts and facilitates the process of removing them.

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

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

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

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

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 protective mechanisms are not yet fully functioning; the gastrointestinal tract is just “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 develop its “adult” form.

reference Information

First of all, in order to solve a particular problem, it is necessary to collect as much information as possible about it. Seborrhea is a chronic inflammatory process that develops in the skin structures 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 there is a lot in the hair, on the forehead and wings of the nose, behind the ears, on the neck. The glands are located next to the hair follicles, in the natural folds of the skin, actively working and producing a secretion - sebum. The cells that are responsible for this process are called sebocytes, hence the name of the disease.

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

In the process of their life, among other things, they release unsaturated fatty acids. These components have an irritating effect on the skin, causing inflammation and peeling. Due to the fact that the skin does not “feel” very well, its barrier and 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 launched?

Reasons for the development of seborrhea

A disease such as seborrheic dermatitis has various causes. However, most of them are united by a single “stigma” - decreased immunity.

First of all, let’s find out what factors can provoke seborrheic dermatitis in infants and newborns:

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

Crusts on the head of a 3-year-old child appear, in general, for the same reasons: malnutrition, illness, stress, use of medications. There are only specifics - for example, the issues of complementary feeding and type of feeding are no longer relevant. But insufficient hygiene combined with high physical activity (kids are already running, jumping and don’t sit still for a second) adds weight. In addition, from the age of three, toddlers are usually transferred to a common table, which can also cause the development of dermatitis.

But children in adolescence have much more “opportunities” to get seborrhea. The previously listed gastrointestinal diseases, stress and allergies include:

activation of the endocrine system, causing incredible activity of the sebaceous glands (hence “teenage acne”);
hormonal imbalance (during puberty, hormones are the most unstable category);
poor nutrition (pocket money appears, and, consequently, all sorts of “harm”);
bad habits;
psychological instability.

Another group of reasons that are relevant for all ages is induced, i.e. artificially induced sebocyte activity. 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, synthetic bedding, low-quality pillows, etc.

Therefore, when thinking about how to remove a crust on a child’s head, we must not forget that you can correct not only any processes in the baby’s body, but also your own actions.

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

And we caught seborrhea!

Is this statement correct, seborrheic dermatitis: is it contagious or not? No, it's not contagious! The fact is that the fungi that cause the development of the disease live on the skin constantly. 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 baby is populated by a wide variety of flora, and innate immunity does not allow the development of pathology. Subsequently, with the development of the protective system, immune mechanisms inhibit the growth and reproduction of microorganisms, preventing the latter from breaking the skin barrier. However, as soon as immunity decreases, the secretion of the sebaceous glands increases - it’s a great time for mushrooms. Their vital activity increases several times, and a person cannot cope with their pressure. As a result, a disease develops.

Symptoms of the disease

How to remove a crust on a child’s head - this question arises in parents as soon as they see what is happening to the child’s skin. 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, the sore cannot be called severe. 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 seborrheic crusts, of course. They are also called milk crusts, but there is no such term in pediatrics. They appear already on the 14-21st day of a baby’s life.

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

Why there? In small children, the sebaceous glands do not yet work actively, because the endocrine system as a whole practically does not function. But they have maternal hormones in their blood. These substances have tropism (i.e., they have the most significant effects) 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 saturated with fat, which is actively produced by sebocytes. As a result, gneiss forms on top of the rash - those same crusts.

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

Gneiss is almost never accompanied by itching or pain and usually does not cause any concern to the baby. There is also no weeping - the rash sweating with tissue fluid. This increases the feeling of dryness and tightness of the skin.

However, just because the rash does not “open” does not reduce the risk of infection. If an infection occurs, pyoderma develops - purulent inflammation of the skin, provoked by staphylococci and streptococci. Exudate (wetting), itching, pain appears, and the child becomes restless and moody.

Often parents, not knowing how to remove a crust on a child’s head, begin to “pick” at it, trying to remove it with their fingernails. This cannot be done - the risk of infection increases several times!

Dermatologists distinguish two stages of the disease:

Easy. The rash and the gneiss covering it are found only on the scalp (sometimes on the ears, cheeks, rarely on the forehead) and do not spread. The general condition is not impaired;
Moderate weight. Rashes and crusts spread to the body and limbs.

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

Seborrhea in children 3 years and older

The disease occurs in children both one and two years old. Often, parents who dealt with the pathology when their child was in infancy practically do not pay attention to the newly appearing symptoms. Their answer to the question of how to remove a crust on a child’s head is simple advice: wait, it will go away on its own. In most cases, it proceeds in the same way as in infants - scaly gneiss appears on top of the papular rash. The skin doesn't itch, nothing hurts, the kids don't worry.

Crusts on the head of a 3-year-old child are a fairly common occurrence. Perhaps this is due to the serious stress of a three-year-old little man - enrollment in kindergarten. However, they look a little different from the “baby” ones. There are rare cases when a 3-4 year old baby develops “milk” crusts. The formations, firstly, are less dense, there are usually fewer of them, and they become more and more similar to 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 not only on the head, but also on the body - in the elbows and knees, on the chest and back. Crusts are formed by the same mechanism as in infants.

If crusts appear on the head of a child 5 years of age or older, a chronic form of the pathology has most likely developed. This means that there are periods of remission (“health”) and exacerbation, determined by the general condition of the body. It is likely that any disease (banal acute respiratory infection) will cause the appearance of a new “portion” of crusts.

Differential diagnosis

Differential diagnosis is the choice of one from a list of diseases that are similar to each other. This stage is extremely important (both in evidence-based medicine and even more so in self-medication). After all, if you draw the wrong conclusion and start treatment for the “wrong reason,” you can worsen 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 to the average person), there is a difference:

with seborrhea, lesions are almost always only on the scalp, psoriatic rashes are spread throughout the body;
psoriasis looks like a large focal rash - there are white scales on bright red papules, but seborrheic dermatitis is just crusts on the surface of the skin;
with psoriasis, the peripheral part of the rash is not covered with white scales;
The scales themselves are oily and yellowish in dermatitis, and white and dry in psoriasis;
When you try to remove the crust, the seborrheic lesions come off, 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, is hereditary and does not go away on its own.

begins in children older than 3 months;
characterized by intense itching;
manifests itself as a rash on the face, in the area of the elbows and knees, rarely in the head area;
the rash tends to ooze.

So, now all the necessary information about seborrheic dermatitis has been collected, and you can begin treatment. Of course, it is best to consult a pediatrician (and if we are talking about a newborn or an infant, this is a mandatory condition). The specialist, firstly, will clarify the diagnosis, and, secondly, will recommend treatment that is suitable for your baby. But if you are confident in the diagnosis and decide to treat yourself, how to remove a crust on a child’s head?

Treatment of seborrhea

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. There are extremely rare cases when it is “delayed” for up to a year. Dr. Komarovsky, for example, does not consider seborrheic dermatitis a serious problem and mentions that it goes away on its own without causing any particular inconvenience to children.

However, if the baby gets more and more crusts, they cause him anxiety, they itch, get wet, the skin turns significantly red, it is better to start treatment. “Preventive therapy” is also necessary if the baby is prone to allergies, skin pustular infections, and pain.

The “first line” of treatment is the use of specialized shampoos and combing, i.e. a combination of therapy with pharmaceutical drugs and folk remedies.

The Mustela line of products for children can boast of excellent recommendations. This is Mustela Bebe Foam-shampoo for crusts on the head of a newborn baby and infant, as well as “Friderm tar” for older children. You can use a combination of Mustela Stelaker cream (applying it to the baby’s head at night) and antiseborrheic shampoos.

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

One of the most effective is Nizoral shampoo, which is based on the antimycotic substance ketoconazole. Shampoo “Kelual D.S.” is effective against the fungus Malassezia furfur.

Typically, antiseborrheic agents are used 1-2 times a week. If you need to wash your hair more often, you can use regular hypoallergenic baby shampoo.

After washing your hair, you can mechanically remove the manifestations of seborrhea. How to comb out a crust on a child's head? Firstly, comb it out, but do not remove it with a fingernail - you can injure the skin and leave a scar. Secondly, this needs to be done with a comb, very carefully. And if the baby breaks out, screams and resists, don’t insist.

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

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

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

The question is, is fluconazole used for seborrheic dermatitis in 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 the symptoms of seborrhea may be, it should not be considered a truly serious disease. In a newborn, therapy for this pathology is not necessary if the baby feels 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 bed linen;
prevent the development of allergies;
Treat emerging diseases promptly and efficiently, paying special attention to the state of the gastrointestinal tract.

Dear readers, I hope you got answers to your questions from this article. If you found it useful, please share it with your friends on social media. networks using the buttons below.

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

If crusts are on the baby's head, then this is normal. 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 a newborn during normal bathing. The liquid dries out and a crust accumulates. Naturally, they look ugly in appearance, but you shouldn’t be too upset, because the baby doesn’t feel any discomfort.

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

Causes of crust formation

Seborrheic dermatitis was known back in the 19th century. Then this disease was called xerosis. Active development of the sebaceous glands has been described. Seborrhea as an ailment is most typical for newborns, but there are cases when children under 14 years of age also suffer from this form of dermatitis.

To this day, there is no scientifically proven cause of the disease.

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

changes in hormonal levels, its sharp imbalance;
disruption of the formation and development of the sebaceous glands (causes include the presence of infections or other diseases during pregnancy);
genetic predisposition, that is, susceptibility to allergens can be passed on from parents;
insufficient content of vitamin B in the body, namely biotin (it is a control lever for metabolism);
Older children (from two years old) may suffer from seborrheic dermatitis due to dysfunction of the thyroid gland or pathologies of the nervous system.

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

Clinical manifestations of seborrheic dermatitis

Most often, crusts may appear on the scalp in infants (2 weeks - 4 months of age) or children under 14 years of age. They cover the scalp, usually unevenly. Sometimes, layered formations may occur. Scales develop as a result of mass reproduction of the fungus.

As for the localization of the lesion, this is the scalp, eyebrows, sometimes the ears, groin area, wings of the nose or the armpits of the child. Therefore, it is clear that it depends on the location of the sebaceous glands.

As a rule, seborrheic crusts do not cause severe discomfort in the baby. However, if there is a place for a pathogenic infection, then the consequences cannot be avoided. If it penetrates, the skin will become inflamed, and there will be an increase in temperature in the area of redness.

If you notice symptoms in your 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:

fat;
dry;
combined;
physiological.

The appearance of the oily form is caused by overactivity of the sebaceous glands. As a result, large scales begin to form, which stick together into a durable layer. Increased oiliness of the skin becomes a provocateur for the activity of pathogenic microbes. The development of this type of dermatitis in children during puberty contributes to the appearance of acne and pimples.

If the disease 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 emerging scales form a film on the head, but they are quite easily separated from the surface of the skin. The crusts range in color from yellow-whitish to white-grayish. At this 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 the dry form, pinkish-reddish spots may appear.

The combined type of seborrhea is the result of a fusion of symptoms of several types of illness. Clinically, the disease may appear as 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 functioning of the sebaceous glands.

Treatment of the disease

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

Seborrheic lesions, coupled with insufficient body weight of the baby according to age, are a symptom of the manifestation and development of Leiner's erythroderma.

Thanks to the fact that the mother quickly notices the changes and also consults a doctor, it will be possible to make the correct diagnosis and carry out competent treatment.

The primary solution is to convince yourself that the child has seborrheic dermatitis. You should carefully monitor the baby's scalp during water procedures and using the toilet. When combing scales, it is important not to injure the skin. Thus, damage can lead to the proliferation of pathogenic infections. Sometimes redness on the skin and increased discharge occur.

During complex treatment, one of the most important actions is thorough washing of the hair and scalp. For this, only specialized and completely hypoallergenic shampoo or detergent is used. Seborrheic crusts themselves should be removed from the skin carefully. You can’t just pick and tear off the scales, as this can cause damage to the epithelium. It is worth understanding that the infection penetrates into the affected areas quickly, and treatment will not be easy.

First, you should take sterile Vaseline or other cosmetic oil and apply it to the scalp. For best absorption and softening of the crusts, put on a cap for 15-20 minutes. After which you should thoroughly wash your hair using a special shampoo. You should comb your hair with a soft brush. With these simple steps you can get rid of crusts on your baby’s head without damage.

It is important to understand that seborrheic dermatitis can occur either without a trace or with consequences. The disease can progress. Therefore, it is important to thoroughly rinse the child’s head. There is no need to be afraid that you can easily harm your hair and skin. This is wrong. Insufficient combing and shampooing may not get rid of the crusts. It is important to clear the ducts of sebaceous gland secretions.

Most children suffering from seborrheic dermatitis between the ages of 2 weeks and 4 months completely get rid of the pathology by the beginning of the 5th month of life.

Prevention

There is no point in relaxing after the disease has subsided. Parents must clearly understand that prevention is better than cure. Therefore, in the arsenal of baby care products there should be a place for antiseborrheic shampoo. Using this remedy, you can reduce the risk of inflammation of the skin and minimize the activity of yeast-like fungi.

After taking a bath, be sure to apply a cream with a drying effect to your baby’s hair. Head monitoring is a must. If discomfort, allergic reactions, itching, peeling and other signs occur, you should immediately stop using the cream. A pediatrician will be able to recommend alternative products for caring for your child’s skin and hair.

For the purpose of prevention, 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 child’s (or nursing mother’s) diet includes foods high in vitamins such as A and C. Daily consumption of B elements is also required.

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

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

reference Information

Reasons for the development of seborrhea

A disease such as seborrheic dermatitis has various causes. However, most of them are united by a single “stigma” - decreased immunity.

First of all, let’s find out what factors can provoke seborrheic dermatitis in infants and newborns:

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

But children in adolescence have much more “opportunities” to get seborrhea. The previously listed gastrointestinal diseases, stress and allergies include:

activation of the endocrine system, causing incredible activity of the sebaceous glands (hence “teenage acne”);
hormonal imbalance (during puberty, hormones are the most unstable category);
poor nutrition (pocket money appears, and, consequently, all sorts of “harm”);
bad habits;
psychological instability.

Therefore, when thinking about how to remove a crust on a child’s head, we must not forget that you can correct not only any processes in the baby’s body, but also your own actions.

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

And we caught seborrhea!

Symptoms of the disease

Manifestations of the disease in newborns and infants

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

Gneiss is almost never accompanied by itching or pain and usually does not cause any concern to the baby. There is also no wetting - the sweating of the rash by tissue fluid. This increases the feeling of dryness and tightness of the skin.

Dermatologists distinguish two stages of the disease:

Easy. The rash and the gneiss covering it are found only on the scalp (sometimes on the ears, cheeks, rarely on the forehead) and do not spread. The general condition is not impaired;
Moderate weight. Rashes and crusts spread to the body and limbs.

Seborrhea in children 3 years and older

Differential diagnosis

with seborrhea, lesions are almost always only on the scalp, psoriatic rashes are spread throughout the body;
psoriasis looks like a large focal rash - there are white scales on bright red papules, but seborrheic dermatitis is just crusts on the surface of the skin;
with psoriasis, the peripheral part of the rash is not covered with white scales;
The scales themselves are oily and yellowish in dermatitis, and white and dry in psoriasis;
When you try to remove the crust, the seborrheic lesions come off, 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, is hereditary and does not go away on its own.

Atopic dermatitis:

begins in children older than 3 months;
characterized by intense itching;
manifests itself as a rash on the face, in the area of the elbows and knees, rarely in the head area;
the rash tends to ooze.

Treatment of seborrhea

The “first line” of treatment is the use of specialized shampoos and combing, i.e. a combination of therapy with pharmaceutical drugs and folk remedies.

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

One of the most effective is Nizoral shampoo, which is based on the antimycotic substance ketoconazole. Shampoo “Kelual D.S.” is effective against the fungus Malassezia furfur.

Typically, antiseborrheic agents are used 1-2 times a week. If you need to wash your hair more often, you can use regular hypoallergenic baby shampoo.

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

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 bed linen;
prevent the development of allergies;
Treat emerging diseases promptly and efficiently, paying special attention to the state of the gastrointestinal tract.

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It is important to know! An effective remedy for There are sores on the head! Follow the link and find out what doctors recommend... ...

If crusts are on the baby's head, then this is normal. They are also called generic.

1 Reasons for crust formation

Scalp problems?

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

To this day, there is no scientifically proven cause of the disease.

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

changes in hormonal levels, its sharp imbalance;
disruption of the formation and development of the sebaceous glands (causes include the presence of infections or other diseases during pregnancy);
genetic predisposition, that is, susceptibility to allergens can be passed on from parents;
insufficient content of vitamin B in the body, namely biotin (it is a control lever for metabolism);
Older children (from two years old) may suffer from seborrheic dermatitis due to dysfunction of the thyroid gland or pathologies of the nervous system.

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

2 Clinical manifestations of seborrheic dermatitis

If you notice symptoms in your 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:

fat;
dry;
combined;
physiological.

HOW TO GET RID OF WARTS ON THE HEAD?

WARTS AND PAPILLOMAS ON THE HEAD ARE VERY COMMON. A simple way, without surgery and pain, will help you get rid of WARTS anywhere, very effectively! The chief oncologist shared his secret...

In the 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 functioning of the sebaceous glands.

4 Treatment of the disease

Seborrheic lesions, coupled with insufficient body weight of the baby according to age, are a symptom of the manifestation and development of Leiner's erythroderma.

Thanks to the fact that the mother quickly notices the changes and also consults a doctor, it will be possible to make the correct diagnosis and carry out competent treatment.

Most children suffering from seborrheic dermatitis between the ages of 2 weeks and 4 months completely get rid of the pathology by the beginning of the 5th month of life.

5 Prevention

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

And a little about secrets...

You may have already tried some remedies to solve scalp problems:

oils
vitamins
shampoos

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

Scabs and milky crusts on a child’s head always cause concern for the parent. This problem is widespread - almost half of babies have it to one degree or another. These skin manifestations are not a disease when it comes to 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 and non-allergic origin. The cells of the sebaceous glands, sebocytes, produce the skin's fatty secretion - lard. 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 products of the sebaceous glands. One of the varieties causes seborrhea of the scalp, the other - 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 just being adjusted. Most often, the sebaceous glands work too actively, and the sweat glands are not yet enough. As a result, the skin becomes easily vulnerable to any factors, including infections and various fungi.

Causes of crusts

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

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

One version says that the activation of the sebaceous glands in the first weeks of life is caused by androgens hormones that entered the child’s body during pregnancy. The process of removing hormones and, accordingly, normalizing the functioning of the sebaceous glands takes some time. During this period, the baby develops milky crusts on the skin.

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

Immaturity of the digestive system also provokes the development of dermatitis. While the body does not produce enough enzymes, new foods can cause skin rashes. A lack of vitamins B and PP in breast milk can lead to the baby suffering from the appearance of milk crusts.

Using shampoos that are not age appropriate can also cause inflammation of the skin. Some parents become overly zealous about hygiene, washing their child’s hair every day. In this case, even the use of the most gentle means will cause seborrhea. Rare washing is also unhealthy and causes exactly the same symptoms.

Sometimes seborrhea in 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 intestines;
Rarely washing your hair or using detergents that are inappropriate for your age.

In adolescence, seborrhea of the scalp is caused by:

Hormonal changes.
Stress.
Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Poor nutrition.

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

Heredity plays virtually no role. Numerous studies have shown that the appearance of crusts in a newborn has no connection 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 greasy yellowish or whitish crusts on the scalp. They can be located in patches or cover the entire surface of the scalp. The scab consists of a large number of scales resembling dandruff. Sometimes seborrheic dermatitis can affect the folds of the limbs, abdomen, eyebrows, and groin area.

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 areas, and cheeks. The scales are easily separated from the skin. In children over 3 years old, seborrhea can occur in oily, dry and mixed types. 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 underneath breaks and falls out. In adolescence, these two forms combine with each other, forming a mixed one.

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

If the scales are difficult to separate, and wounds remain after them, then there is a completely different skin lesion that requires special treatment. Since infant seborrheic dermatitis does not cause itching, there should be no scratching. If they are present, most likely it is a seborrheic type of atopic or allergic dermatitis. Seboric 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. In moderate cases, lesions appear on other parts of the body. In severe cases, desquamative erythroderma may develop, which will cause developmental delays and diarrhea.

Diagnostics

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

Treatment of seborrheic crusts in children

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

Classic seborrheic dermatitis in infants goes away on its own by three months, or in extreme cases by six months to a year. However, this does not mean that there is no need to fight scabs, because an untidy appearance of the head does not make the child beautiful. 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 combing. To do this, two hours before the expected time of bathing, the crusts are generously lubricated with oil. This can be a special oil for baby skin care or any vegetable oil, preferably olive or almond. Next, a cap is put on the baby’s head. In 2 hours the crusts become soft.

During bathing, wash your hair as usual. Then the skin is blotted and the crusts are carefully combed out with a comb with blunt, rounded teeth. To wash your hair, you can use special shampoos to remove crusts. Mustela and other manufacturers have such lines. If there are a lot of crusts, then the next bathing the procedure will have to be repeated. The hair of older children can be washed with antiseborrheic agents such as Nizoral, Quelual. Among the folk remedies, but very effective, we can recommend tar soap.

As a rule, drug treatment is not required. Only in severe cases after four years can fluconazole or metronidazole be used. No pills are prescribed in preschool age. If the course is prolonged, older children may benefit from Zinocap and Pimafucort 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 bundle up your child or put clothes on him that are out of season. Secondly, walks and air baths will be useful. Thirdly, bed linen should be cotton or linen, pillows should be 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 of age and in adolescents.

Diet for children

Proper nutrition will help you get rid of the scabs faster. For infants, it is important to follow the schedule for introducing complementary foods 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 detected in children over 7 years of age, it can then be complicated by atopic dermatitis, allergic reactions or erythroderma. But in most cases, with adequate therapy, skin problems completely disappear by adulthood.

Scalp problems occur frequently in children. You shouldn’t be afraid of this: these layers look unsightly, but do not cause much discomfort to babies. However, they need to be treated to prevent the disease from developing. 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: causes

The main reason for the formation of crusts is the so-called seborrheic dermatitis. Children's skin is very delicate, so they are prone to skin disorders. In young children, the sebaceous glands are actively working and do not sweat enough, but as the baby grows, the situation normalizes.
Seborrhea often occurs in infants, but sometimes children under 14 years of age also suffer from it. It can be caused by various factors:

Fluctuations in hormonal levels.
Hereditary predisposition (sometimes this disease 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, your baby may also develop bald spots or red spots.

Crusts on the head of a 5 year old child

It also happens that children do not have crusts in infancy, but 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 poor hygiene, disruption 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 deal with the problem is to use well-sterilized oil, which you need to carefully lubricate the affected areas, then put on a cap and leave for 15-20 minutes. Vaseline or salicylic ointment are also suitable for this purpose. At the end of the procedure, you need to wash the child’s hair well and remove the remaining crusts. A comb made of natural material with sparse teeth is suitable for combing, and you can remove any remaining crusts with a soft brush.

How to remove crusts on a child's head

The main way you can’t do without in the fight against scabs is combing. In addition, you will need a special product, such as a children's exfoliating cream. The child's head should be washed well, patted 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 hair.

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 using a special antiseborrheic shampoo, it helps reduce the activity of the fungus and relieve skin inflammation.

You should also avoid washing your hair too often. This causes dry skin, which activates the sebaceous glands and can cause thickening of the crusts.

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

It is very important to regularly examine the child’s head for peeling, itching, and allergic reactions. Together with your pediatrician, you should select a good drying cream for your child.

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

Timely treatment and regular prevention will help your child get rid of this disease.