Cradle Cap Vs Dry Skin: How Can I Tell the Difference?

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Babies have soft, delicate skin, which means they’re more susceptible to irritation and dryness. Luckily, most dry skin conditions are easy for you to treat at home, so you can help your baby’s skin feel healthy and comfortable.

If your baby has dry, flaking skin, you may be wondering how to tell if it’s cradle cap vs dry skin or another condition. These conditions are pretty similar, so it can be difficult to tell them apart, but there are a few key differences between the two.

Before jumping to the differences between these conditions it’s important that you first understand the condition itself. It can help you in diagnosing which condition your little one is experiencing.

What Is Cradle Cap?

Cradle cap is a common inflammatory skin condition, which also goes by the name of seborrheic dermatitis when it appears in adults. It can cause itchy, greasy scales on your baby’s scalp.

Even though this condition is not harmful to your baby’s health, its thick yellow flakes may look bothersome, and you may want to get rid of them as fast as you can.

Symptoms of Cradle Cap

Crusty scales and flakes are the most prominent symptoms that you will notice on your baby’s skin. However, some other common cradle cap symptoms are:

Oily skin
Thick greasy scales
Redness
Irritation
Itchy skin

Even though cradle cap usually appears on the scalp and forehead, it can also cause redness and inflammation around the nose, behind the ears, in the skin folds, and around the diaper area.

What Causes Cradle Cap?

For understanding the difference between dry skin and cradle cap it is essential that you understand the root cause for each condition. Cradle cap is a common inflammatory skin condition caused by a combination of factors. There is no exact cause for it.

The following factors work together to cause those scales on your baby’s scalp. Babies under the age of 1 year experience hormonal changes in their bodies after birth. These changes can trigger the sebaceous glands to produce excess sebum.

The presence of sebum on the skin provides a breeding ground and leads to the overgrowth of Malassezia yeast on the skin. When this yeast and sebum combine, they create a byproduct that causes a reaction on the skin and leads to inflammation, redness, and scaling associated with seborrheic dermatitis or cradle cap.

Cradle Cap VS Dry Skin Pictures

Understanding Dry Skin

Babies have sensitive skin which means it is more prone to becoming dry. Even the most simple things like over-washing or the dry air of an air conditioner can cause dry skin.

The dryness can lead to skin flaking and cracking. Making it difficult for you to distinguish it from other common skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and cradle cap.

Symptoms of Dry skin

These symptoms can help you identify if your baby is experiencing dry skin:

Flaky skin
Skin peeling and cracking
Redness
Itching
Irritation
Yellow, brown, or pinkish discoloration of skin
Baby becoming fussy

These symptoms may vary depending on the severity of the condition. The discoloration of skin depends on your baby’s skin tone. Pink or red skin appears in people with lighter skin tones and brownish in babies with darker skin.

What Causes Dry Skin

Dry skin is caused when skin is lacking the essential moisture to keep it hydrated. However, there are various factors that can trigger dry skin in babies, such as:

Extreme weather conditions
Fragrances
Chemicals in baby skin products
Genetics
Sun exposure
Dehydration
Excessive washing
Dry air

Even though it is difficult to pinpoint what might be causing your baby’s dry skin, you can improve it at home.

Difference Between Dry Skin vs Cradle Cap?

The symptoms of cradle cap vs dry skin are quite similar. The flaking, scaling, redness, and irritation may make it difficult for you to distinguish them. Here are the key differences that can help you.

If you notice small white flakes on your baby’s head, this could be dry skin or dry scalp. Or it is most likely the beginning of baby dandruff, a.k.a.cradle cap, and you can treat it much the same way as you would treat adult dandruff.

On the other hand, cradle cap usually causes thick, greasy scales that are larger in size than those caused by a dry scalp. You may notice some flakes coming off your baby’s scalp.

The flakes and scales may feel slightly greasy to the touch and usually occur around the scalp and frequently involve the eyebrows.

So as you can see, there is only a slight difference between seborrheic dermatitis vs dry skin. So it’s not your fault if you can’t distinguish them.

How to Treat Cradle Cap vs Dry Skin

Both cradle cap and dry skin can usually be treated at home. Dry skin is uncomfortable and itchy. Mild cradle cap is not thought to cause much discomfort.

Both of these conditions can be addressed by changing your shampoo, and bath time routines and making a few lifestyle changes.

Cradle Cap Treatment

To treat cradle cap use a medicated shampoo for cradle cap 2 to 3 times a week or on a daily basis when the scaling is severe.

Cleaning the scalp with a specially formulated cradle cap shampoo for a baby’s sensitive skin can help reduce scaling, redness, and inflammation.

While shampooing consider the use of a cradle cap brush to gently massage the scalp in soft circular motions. It can help you remove loose scales and can prevent future buildups.

Dry Skin Treatment

If your baby has dry skin, you don’t want to shampoo too often, since it can strip the hair of its natural oils and worsen the condition.

The best way to moisturize your baby’s scalp is by cleaning it with a gentle daily shampoo and body wash that is free from any harsh chemicals.

A shampoo that contains soothing natural ingredients will be most suitable for your baby’s irritated skin. You should also moisturize your baby’s skin 2 to 3 times daily with a baby moisturizing cream.

Preventing Cradle Cap and Dry Skin

Apart from the above-mentioned treatments a few things that you can do to soothe and prevent both these conditions are:

Bath your baby regularly to keep their skin clean.
Keep the bath time short, under 5 minutes.
Use lukewarm water to bath the baby instead of hot water.
Choose baby skincare products that are free from fragrances, parabens, phthalates, and sulfate.
Keep the baby’s skin moisturized as much as possible.
Use a humidifier if you suspect the air inside the room is getting dry.
Protect baby from direct sunlight by covering their body; sunscreen can be used after 6 months of age
Make sure that you leave no shampoo or body wash residue behind on the baby’s skin after a bath.
Pat dry their skin instead of rubbing it.

If the symptoms don’t go away, or if it starts to look like your baby is uncomfortable or the condition is getting worse, then you should consult your baby’s pediatrician.

Keeping Your Baby’s Skin Healthy with Happy Cappy

Both of these scalp conditions in your baby are common—there’s nothing you did to cause them, and usually, they can’t be prevented either.

Luckily, they’re both manageable at home with pediatrician-created and dermatologist-tested shampoos and moisturizers like Happy Cappy products. Using hypoallergenic skincare products will help your baby’s skin stay soft and smooth.

Conclusion

Dry skin and cradle cap are two very common skin conditions in babies. Both conditions can cause similar symptoms like redness, irritation, flaking, and scaling which may make it difficult for you to distinguish both.

However, the flakes caused by dry skin are white in color and are of small size. The skin will also feel dry to the touch. But if your baby has a cradle cap the scales will be thicker, bigger, and oilier than those with dry scalps.

You can manage both the conditions at home. Use a cradle cap shampoo to get rid of flaking, scaling, and redness associated with seborrheic dermatitis.

And for dry skin use a daily shampoo to keep the skin clean and hydrated. You should also consider using a baby cream to moisturize the skin.

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Dr. Eddie Valenzuela

Dr. Eddie Valenzuela is an award winning pediatrician and the founder and CEO of Pediatric Solutions, LLC.

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How do I know if my baby has cradle cap or dry skin?

The best way to tell both conditions apart is by touching if you suspect that the flakes feel greasy and are thick and sticky then your baby is experiencing cradle cap and if the flakes are thin and dry to touch it may be because of dry skin.

What is the best thing for dry skin on a baby’s head?

The best thing you can do to moisturize your baby’s scalp is to use a gentle daily shampoo that contains skin-hydrating natural ingredients. You can apply baby oil but you never know how your baby’s skin will react to natural oils so its best to use a specially formulated shampoo for sensitive, dry skin.

What can be mistaken for cradle cap?

There are other common skin conditions that may cause similar symptoms to cradle cap and are often confused with each other. The most common ones are dry skin and eczema (atopic dermatitis).

Is dry scalp normal for babies?

Yes, it is very common for babies to have dry scalp. It's because their skin’s natural barrier is still developing, due to which the skin loses moisture and gets irritated by outside irritants more easily leading to dryness.