When a new mother noticed that her baby was struggling with acne, she decided to get crafty. Instead of rushing to the store to buy a miracle product, she used resources already available to her to create a breast milk face mask for her son.
The mother and TikToker, Linh Ta, shared the creation with her followers, and as it turns out, the mask is cheap and easy to make. It’s also extremely cute.
Linh Ta uploaded the video to her TikTok page over the weekend and has already collected more than 4 million views.
“When your baby has acne so you make a breastmilk face mask for him,” she captioned the video, which shows her son looking relaxed with a sheet mask over his face.
In the video, Linh Ta takes the face mask, dips it into a container of breast milk and places it atop her sleeping child’s face. She shares photos of him resting with the mask on, as well as one photo without the mask to show the acne bumps covering his face.
“I made the mask purely out of boredom and just to have a little fun,” she said in the post’s comments. “I’m a first time mom so I’m learning things as I go.”
Many commenters loved the mask, but a couple of commenters wanted to know how she found one that was both scent-free and small enough to fit the baby’s face.
“Wait, you can just buy blank face masks?” a TikToker asked.
“Where did you find the teeny tiny baby mask??” asked another.
Linh Ta responded: “I just cut down a dry wipe I got from the hospital to fit his face.”
The video spurred a discussion about baby acne. Some weren’t aware that babies could even get acne. Others were but had disagreements over how to treat it. But, babies can and do get acne, and while there are a variety of remedies, many mothers swear by breast milk.
The mask was for funsies vs. using a cotton ball to wipe milk on him. Great bonding moment for us, too.
Acne affects “as many as 20 percent of infants younger than six weeks old,” according to Healthline. Though the site claims that the cause of baby acne is unknown, some theories suggest that maternal hormones can play a role in the onset of acne. Other theories suggest that, like with adults, a baby’s pores can get clogged, causing an acne flare, or that yeast living on the skin can trigger a breakout.
Though acne is nothing to be too worried about, there are various methods a parent can use to help calm a flare-up, including bathing the baby with warm water and mild baby soap.
Healthline reports that while there is no research to support the claim that breast milk can effectively treat baby acne, the site also says that breast milk does contain antimicrobial properties that could reduce or destroy bacteria. If bacteria is the culprit behind a baby’s breakout, cleansing the skin with breast milk could help. The site says that many swear by this home remedy.
Breast milk could also help soothe ear infections, eczema and teething pain, among other common conditions, Healthline says.
In a follow-up video, Linh Ta shared that her son still has bumps on his face, but she says that the face mask reduced his redness.
As commenters continued to debate over whether or not the baby had acne or if treating it was the right thing to do, Linh Ta shared one more video, saying: “This momma knows it’s not real acne … it’s just a way to describe the bumps. It’s very common in newborns and we know it will go away on its own. The mask was for funsies vs. using a cotton ball to wipe milk on him. Great bonding moment for us, too.”
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