What Is Cradle Cap?

By christine

Reviewed: dr. vanta

Article Sources

Article Sources

• 1. 'Cradle Cap: What It Is, Symptoms & Treatment.' Cleveland Clinic, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15786-cradle-cap-seborrheic-dermatitis-in-infants.
• 2. 'Cradle Cap (Seborrheic Dermatitis) in Infants (for Parents) - Nemours KidsHealth.' Edited by Mary L. Gavin, KidsHealth, The Nemours Foundation, Feb. 2019, kidshealth.org/en/parents/cradle-cap.html.
• 3. 'Cradle Cap.' Seattle Children's Hospital, www.seattlechildrens.org/conditions/a-z/cradle-cap/.
• 4. 'Seborrheic Dermatitis (Cradle Cap).' Symptoms, Causes and Treatment, www.nationwidechildrens.org/conditions/cradle-cap.
• 5. 'Seborrheic Dermatitis (Cradle Cap).' Johns Hopkins Medicine, www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/seborrheic-dermatitis-cradle-cap.
• 6. 'Cradle Cap.' Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 27 Oct. 2020, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cradle-cap/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20350400.

Medical Expert

More About Us

2. Cradle Cap Causes

Medical professionals don’t know the exact reason cradle cap occurs. Experts speculate the skin condition happens when there is an overproduction of sebum oil by the sebaceous glands. This excess oil may mix with a type of yeast found on the surface of the newborn’s skin.

Before birth, the mother’s hormones traveled freely through the placenta into the fetus.³‘Cradle Cap.’ Seattle Children’s Hospital, www.seattlechildrens.org/conditions/a-z/cradle-cap/. These hormones may be responsible for the overproduction of sebum oil after birth. The good news is it’s not contagious, usually resolves itself, and rarely causes babies discomfort.