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My 9.5 month old son has large dry patches on his face. He's got pretty sensitive skin, and we think the spots on his face are due to a combination of drooling, sleeping on one cheek, and the dry winter air. It's gotten so bad in the last week that there are actually some cracks that bleed when he scratches at them. Poor guy.

We asked the pediatrician about it, and he recommended coating his face with Aquaphor, which we've been doing (alternating with hydro-cortisone). This has helped, but I'm wondering if there's anything else we could try. I've seen this post, but didn't see anything about using moisturizing oils.

My MIL has been using almond oil on her skin, and wondered if that would help our guy, but I wasn't sure about putting it on his face where some of it is sure to be ingested. Has anyone else tried anything like this?

flag	asked Dec 30 at 18:30 BetsyB 1,089●1●11

Emi · Accepted Answer · 2009-12-30 22:12:52Z UTC

I have used small amounts of olive oil on my daughters skin when she was very young, during summer and winter months.

This was actually recommended and explained to me by my mother, and although the smell is not too pleasant it did do the trick.

My mother told me that olive oil would hydrate and protect the skin, and suggested that I should apply it at night time. I would apply the tepid olive oil* in the evenings just before bedtime by dipping my fingers into the olive oil and then rubbing it in with a very gentle massage movement using my index finger, making sure it was fully absorbed.

I also believe that this could be a cultural thing with Mediterranean people, but in my experience as a mother I have found that olive oil does help and has healing properties.

I have used and still continue to use Sudocream or Olive oil primarily to treat minor skin ailments.

*For tepid olive oil I hold a table spoon of olive oil over the stove for a couple of seconds.

Hope this helps a little.

Phil · Answer 2 · 2010-01-20 03:50:02Z UTC

I'd probably avoid putting almond oil on a baby's skin for fear that it may result in a nut allergy. Of course, peanut oil would be a much bigger concern. "Analysis of interview data showed a significant independent relation of peanut allergy with the use of skin preparations containing peanut oil" according to the study "Factors Associated with the Development of Peanut Allergy in Childhood", which is likely the study alluded to in the blog post that brought this issue to my attention.

We tend to use Aquaphor (as your pediatrician recommended) or petroleum jelly (i.e. Vaseline) on our baby's face, especially in the winter.

twaltari · Answer 3 · 2010-01-02 13:46:16Z UTC

I'd also recommend using natural oils such as olive or coconut.

You could also try treat it pre-emptively via nutrition. Add vegetable oils and greasy fish to her diet. Try find out whether she has any allergies. You could also try doubling her vitamin D intake during winter.

Oil on baby’s face

3 Answers