My baby's skin colour is changing. What affects his complexion?

Your baby's skin colour, whether dark or fair, is determined by his genes at the time of conception. Nothing you did during pregnancy or do now will change your baby's natural complexion.

Genetics determine the amount of melanin in your baby's skin. Melanin is the pigmentation that colours skin. The more melanin your baby's skin has, the darker his complexion will be. Melanin protects skin from the harmful rays of the sun, the rays that cause sunburns and skin cancer.

The skin can adapt melanin production to sunlight exposure. So if your baby is exposed to sunlight regularly, his skin will get darker, and if he hardly gets any direct sunlight for long, he might appear fairer. But he will never get fairer than his natural skin colour, which sets in soon after birth.

Newborns often look fair at birth with skin that sometimes has a pinkish tone. The pink tint comes from the red blood vessels which show through your newborn's thin skin. Most parents assume that this is their baby's actual skin colour. But a newborn's skin darkens slightly as more of the natural pigment that gives it colour - melanin - is produced. So it's normal for your baby's complexion to change a bit on it's own at first.

Newborn skin varies in appearance according to how many weeks pregnant you were when your baby was born. Premature babies have thin, transparent-looking skin and may be covered with lanugo, a fine, downy hair. They may also still be covered with vernix, a greasy white substance that protects skin from the amniotic fluid.

Full-term and late babies will have only a few traces of vernix in the folds of their skin. Late babies may also have a slightly wrinkly appearance and very little, if any, lanugo.

Try not to put your preference of skin colour onto your baby and appreciate him for how nature made him. Mostly parents try to lighten their baby's complexion, but the things done to get lighter skin tones are often not healthy. Keeping your baby away from sunlight to ensure a fair complexion is not healthy in the same way that exposing him to too much sun can be harmful.

If your baby was born with newborn jaundice, your doctor might ask you to expose him to the sun in the mornings for 10 to 15 minutes a day. This is an important part of his treatment and should not be skipped out of concern for your baby's skin colour. Any change in your baby's skin colour due to exposure to the sun is temporary.

As your baby grows, outdoor play is very important for his developing eyesight and his overall health and physical development. Your child needs to spend time playing in the sun to produce vitamin D, which is important for healthy bones.

Your baby's skin colour will vary over time as he grows. At times when your child spends more time playing outdoors in the sun, his skin gets slightly darker. In the months when outdoor play is not always possible, he might seem to get fairer. But no matter the colour of his skin, your child will be just as adorable and mean as much to you and to all those who love him. So try not to worry about his skin colour, fairer skin does not mean more beautiful skin.

Many mothers try to change their baby's complexion by applying homemade pastes, ubtan or creams. These are unlikely to have an effect on your baby's complexion and may even prove harmful for your baby.

Homemade pastes or ubtan
A paste of raw milk, fresh cream, gram flour (besan) and turmeric (haldi) is often made and applied to a baby during his massage. Raw milk can carry bacteria which cause diarrhoea, or infections like TB. Fresh cream tends to make the skin greasy and may cause rashes in the summer heat or even in winter if it's not washed off properly. Also, the coarse nature of gram flour and turmeric may cause slight scratches or rashes on a baby's sensitive skin.

Talcum powder
Some mothers apply lots of talcum powder on their babies to make them look fair. Not only will this not work, but using talcum powder on the face is not recommended as your baby can breathe in the small talc particles. Read more on how to use talcum powder safely.

Fairness creams
It is not advisable to use any fairness creams on your baby. These are expensive, they are unlikely to work, and if they do work, they may not be safe or suitable for a baby's delicate skin.

They may contain steroids and other chemicals, such as mercury and hydroquinone that are unsafe. These chemicals may not be listed in the ingredients list. Creams containing steroids should also never be used on the face. Using fairness creams on your baby can cause rashes, allergies and even skin burns on his delicate skin.

Some also choose to use ayurvedic or natural skin lightening creams; however, there aren’t enough studies on the safety and effectiveness of these preparations. Some of these creams may also contain unlisted ingredients that may cause unpleasant side-effects.

It is important for your baby's self-esteem later in life that you accept your baby as he is. Once you do, you will realise how beautiful your baby is no matter what complexion he has.

That said, it's a good idea to be aware of any skin or complexion variations. Your baby's skin may look red or flushed when he has a high temperature. Or he may have a slight bluish tinge on his hands and feet due to the cold. Some babies even turn red or purple when they cry a lot. All these variations in colour are normal and temporary.

Some complexion changes, on the other hand, may signal a health problem and need medical attention. If the bluish tinge does not go away after a crying fit, or if your baby has a bluish tint to the skin, lips, and fingernails, it may be a sign of a breathing problem or an immature blood circulation system.

In some babies, a heart defect causes a change in skin colour (cyanosis) because the oxygen levels in their blood are lower than they should be. Light-skinned babies develop a bluish tinge. Dark-skinned babies look grey or whitish around the mouth and may have a blue-coloured, triangular shape on and around their forehead, nose and lips. Olive-skinned babies may have a greyish-greenish tinge to their skin.

If you notice any of these or are unsure what the changes in skin tone mean, you should talk to your doctor right away.


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