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Cradle cap is a harmless skin condition that appears as oily, yellow or reddish scales or patches of skin flakes on a baby's scalp. In more severe cases, the condition can spread to other areas of the body including the eyelids and eyebrows, behind the ears and skin creases, the forehead and around the nappy area. This condition is then called ‘seborrhoeic dermatitis’ of infancy.
The condition commonly occurs in babies younger than three months and is not part of any illness. Cradle cap is not contagious and it is not caused by poor hygiene or inadequate washing.
Cradle cap is very common in babies. It usually appears during the first couple of weeks of the infant's life and usually clears up spontaneously before the age of 6 months.
In adults, seborrhoeic dermatitis appears to run in families.
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Reviewed by Dr Rowan Dunkley, Paediatrician, Red Cross Children’s Hospital, Cape Town February 2015.
Previously reviewed by Prof Eugene Weinberg, Paediatrician, February 2011
