Why does my 5 year old daughter have acne?!
Question:
Why does my 5 year old daughter have acne?
She has little white heads and black heads on her nose and cheeks. It is barely noticable unless you are face to face with her but I'm sure it will get worse as she gets older. Is there anything that I can use to help make it go away? The normal face washes and treatments all say not to use on people under the age of 12.
Answers:
I doubt it's true acne. It could simply be she isn't getting her face clean often enough. If you live in a city, the air alone in some places can do a number on your skin. Clean her face with a cotton pad and witch hazel, you will probably discover this is the trouble. Wipe your own face, and you will see what I mean. What gets on your face, from the pollution, gets on hers as well. And little ones have more tender skin. Witch hazel is the major component of most acne facial washes anyway, and it's a good mild rinse for anybodys skin. One or two wipedowns a day should do it for her. It won't necessarily miraculously remove the spots she has, but it will discourage more forming and her body can take care of the rest. You can use the pore cleaning strips on her nose safely enough, but not much else. If it doesn't show signs of improving, you might ask the pediatrician about it. Little ones do get breakouts that aren't serious, and aren't acne, but the pediatrician would be the best one to ask about a solution if it's needed.