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Symptoms

Thin, whitish, flaky scales. Or thick, yellow, greasy crusts. Sometimes it spreads to the eyelids, external ear canal, and nose.

Causes

Cradle cap is the most common scalp disorder of infants. About 50% have it at some time. There is an overproduction of sebum, a waxy oil substance that may plug the sebaceous glands, leading to inflammation and acne formation. The entire scalp can become covered with a thick mat of sebum and dead skin cells.

Possible causes include food allergies. Of 187 infants which had it, in later years 67% later had an allergy (whereas 20% have allergies in the general population).

The problem most frequently develops within the first 3 months and usually 3-4 weeks after introduction of a new food. When that food was withdrawn, cradle cap cleared up. Most likely to cause problems: milk, wheat, eggs, oranges, beans, peas, and sometimes oatmeal.

A deficiency of vitamin B6 and zinc may be involved.

Treatments

• Gently remove the crusts. Shampoo 2-4 times a week with a mild soap. Massage the scalp gently, but firmly enough to remove the flakes. Do not break the inflamed skin underneath.

• Massage vegetable oil into still-adhering flake areas; let set for a few minutes, then shampoo it off.

• Repeat 1-3 times a week until the condition is gone.

• Include vitamin B6 (10-25 mg daily) and zinc (15-25 mg daily) in the infant's diet. Check for food allergies (see "Pulse Test").

This page was last modified on 2 December 2010, at 21:08.

URL: http://naturalencyclopedia.com/Cradle_Cap

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