Cradle cap is a very common and very characteristic condition in young children.
Lesions are typical and easily recognizable, and fortunately they are not serious for children.
Summary
Cradle cap refers to mild to moderate infant seborrheic dermatitis. It generally appears between the ages of two weeks and three months in newborn babies. It is benign and does not cause any discomfort but is sometimes unattractive to parents.
Cradle cap tends to disappear naturally over time, but there are solutions to take care of it and promote its removal, preventing it from persisting or spreading.
It is easy to recognize cradle cap. In the majority of cases, the lesions are very characteristic and your family physician will make the diagnosis very quickly.
The lesions are characterized by erythematous plaques (redness) on the top of the head and across the fontanel (area above the anterior skull). These plaques are covered with thick, greasy, white or yellow scales, or dead cells, which adhere strongly to the scalp and stick to the hair.
These lesions may be surrounded by redness. They first appear on the top of the skull and then may spread and in some cases meet each other. They may even extend from the scalp to the back of the ears, the roots of the eyelashes and the eyebrows.
In rare cases, an associated bright red diaper rash may be observed, in which case it is referred to as a "bipolar" condition. Cradle cap is also often referred to as milk crusts because of the resemblance to milk that has dried on a hotplate. The condition has, however, nothing to do with milk or a baby's diet. Fortunately, cradle cap does not cause any inconvenience or discomfort to young children and disappears of its own accord within a few weeks or months in most cases.
Symptoms of cradle cap usually allow an easy and obvious diagnosis. However, in rare cases, especially when the buttocks or face are affected, it can be difficult to distinguish it from atopic dermatitis or early-onset psoriasis.
Your treating physician or pediatrician will use certain criteria, including family history, to differentiate between them and make the correct diagnosis.
There is also a particular, extremely rare form of cradle cap called Leiner’s disease.
It is an extensive form of the disease, occurring in the first few months of life. The rash affects the buttocks, scalp, and folds of the neck, ear and arms. The lesions are scaly and yellowish but there is no alteration of the general condition or itching. The condition generally consists simply in an extension of lesions to other parts of the body.
The origin of this condition is still unknown, but it remains extremely rare, and tends to improve of its own accord.
