Cradle cap usually looks like a pale yellow, oily or waxy scale or crust at the back or on the top of your baby's head. Sometimes the scale can spread to your baby's eyebrows and behind their ears. Some babies even get it on their torsos. The scale or crust is difficult to peel off.
A baby with cradle cap will have slightly red scaly or crusty yellow patches on the scalp. It may also start on the face or diaper area and spread to other parts of the body. Seborrhea looks: red and moist in skin creases and folds (like the neck and behind the ears)
In infants, a rash behind the ear is more likely to be due to cradle cap or intertrigo. Any rash that occurs along with fever and other systemic symptoms, does not resolve on its own in a few days, or causes significant distress requires medical attention.
Cradle cap usually doesn't require medical treatment, as it usually goes away on its own. In the meantime, wash your baby's hair once a day with mild baby shampoo. If the scaling is heavy, apply mineral oil to the scalp for a couple of hours before shampooing.
Cause of Cradle Cap
Cradle cap is probably caused by hormones from the mother. These hormones cross the placenta before birth. The hormones cause the oil glands in the skin to become overactive. They then release more oil than normal.
To alleviate the itching, you can apply a topical cream like hydrocortisone. Atopic, asteatotic, and seborrhoeic eczema may require the application of a medical-grade moisturizer to relieve dryness and itching. Your doctor may prescribe you a topical steroid to apply to eczema behind the ear or on the folds.
Q: Does cradle cap have a smell? A: In some cases, cradle cap may have a slight oily smell. This is due to the buildup of oil/sebum from sebaceous glands that causes cradle cap. However, cradle cap should not have an unpleasant smell.
Causes of Dry Skin Behind Ears
“Dryness behind the ears is fairly common. It is often due to the usual culprits.” She lists changes in temperature or humidity, sunburn, or eczema, and then in other cases, it can be a sign of an allergy or even a fungal infection.
Petroleum jelly (Vaseline™) or skin care ointments (Aquaphor™) can help treat your ear eczema. These products moisturize and protect your affected skin. They're hypoallergenic and have antibacterial and antifungal characteristics that help heal your skin. Gently wash your ears with warm running water and mild soap.
If your baby's scalp has yellow or brown flaky, crusty, or scaly skin that looks like dandruff, it's probably cradle cap. You might notice the same condition in other areas where the skin produces oil, such as around your baby's ears or eyebrows, on his eyelids, or even in his armpits and other skin creases.
Home treatment is usually all that is needed for cradle cap. An hour before shampooing, rub your baby's scalp with baby oil, mineral oil, or petroleum jelly to help lift the crusts and loosen scales.
The ears and skin behind the ears are frequently affected in people with atopic eczema. As with other areas of the body, the eczematous skin here is dry, itchy and red or darker than a person's usual skin colour, depending on skin tone. It can easily become infected, especially if the skin is scratched and breaks.
Seborrheic dermatitis is a rash that appears in patches of redness and scaling around the eyebrows, eyelids, mouth, nose, trunk, and behind the ears.
If your baby has dry, scaling, thickened skin over the forehead, cheeks and behind the ears, this is called seborrheic dermatitis. An unscented moisturizer can be used 2 to 3 times a day on the skin. A mild hydrocortisone cream (0.5%) is safe and usually effective. If this doesn't help, see your health care provider.
Gently massage away the scale when shampooing.
You can also carefully use a baby brush during your baby's bath to help remove the scale in their hair. You can also use a baby comb. Never scratch or pick at cradle cap, as this could cause an infection.
Use of coconut oil in your baby's hair, massaging it gently into their scalp will help clear up cradle cap near instantaneously. It treats hair right at the scalp, washes out fine and softens up hardened and crusty caps quickly.
Seborrheic dermatitis (cradle cap) often causes cracking and scaling in the crease behind the ear as well as involving the face and scalp.
Eczema usually appears in the folds of the elbows and/or knees. Sometimes, it's only on a child's hands — at least 70% of people have had hand eczema at some time in their life. Redness and itchy patches behind your child's ears, on their feet or scalp, may also be a sign of atopic dermatitis.
Cradle cap is harmless and usually clears within two weeks of treatment, but can last for months without treatment. Unless the cradle cap is bothersome to you, it is perfectly okay to leave it alone.
Vitamin H (biotin) deficiency: it has suggested that low levels of Vitamin H or 'Biotin' is responsible for cradle cap. This vitamin is part of the Vitamin B group and is vital for healthy hair and skin. This deficiency affects few babies and can be treated with supplementation.
Causes of cradle cap
It is not clear what causes cradle cap, but it is not caused by allergy, bacterial infection, or bad hygiene. It may stem from overactive sebaceous glands, a fungal infection, or both. The sebaceous glands are found in the skin and produce an oil-like substance, known as sebum.
When Aspergillus causes a fungal ear infection, you may see yellow or black dots and fuzzy white patches in your ear canal. If Candida is the culprit, you might see a thick and creamy white discharge coming from your ear. If you develop any of the above symptoms, call a healthcare provider.
Most fungal ear infections are caused by two types of fungus: aspergillus (the most likely cause) and candida. As fungi prefer a warm, moist environment, there are certain activities that can increase your likelihood of developing a fungal ear infection, including water sports such as swimming or SCUBA diving.