When a baby is born, parents frequently find that certain areas of their newborn’s body are covered in tiny, fine hairs. We call this downy, soft hair lanugo. It’s entirely normal and contributes to the developing child in the womb.
Typically, lanugo covers the baby’s ears, back, shoulders, and forehead. While this may seem unexpected at first, don’t worry—lanugo has a purpose during pregnancy and is a transient characteristic that usually goes away soon after birth.
Knowing what lanugo is and why it occurs can help parents feel more at ease knowing that their baby’s fragile hair is a typical aspect of their early development.
| Aspect | Explanation |
| What is Lanugo? | Lanugo is soft, fine hair that covers a newborn"s body. It helps protect their skin in the womb. |
| When does it appear? | Lanugo typically starts to grow around the 4th or 5th month of pregnancy. |
| When does it disappear? | Most of the lanugo sheds before birth or shortly after, usually within the first few weeks of life. |
| Is it normal? | Yes, lanugo is completely normal and a part of fetal development. |
What is it?
A child’s life within the womb follows the principles of evolution. The baby experiences each stage of development at a faster rate during the months it spends in the mother’s womb; instead of taking several millennia, each one only takes a few weeks.
The baby has gills and a tail when it is still an embryo, and later on, hair grows all over its body.
Around 12 weeks into the first trimester of pregnancy, when hair follicles begin to form, is when these first hairs emerge. The initial result of hair follicle activity is extremely thin, colorless hair that is totally devoid of pigmentation. We refer to them as Lanugo.
By roughly week 28 of pregnancy, the child reaches full hair over, but by weeks 38–40, the hair covering the body typically falls out. This is a result of the child’s development.
He is necessary to shield Lanugo’s delicate skin from the liquid’s constant exposure because the infant swims in amniotic fluid. A thick layer of the original lubricant covers a layer of thin skin. It is only because of Lanugo that it doesn’t wash off or disappear from the skin. Up until it’s needed, hair holds it precisely.
As the fetus grows older and develops multiple layers of skin, including a rapidly growing layer of subcutaneous fat in the third trimester when the baby is less vulnerable than before, this need diminishes.
Lanugo drops out and the lubricant vanishes. It is only preserved at the time of birth in areas where there is naturally occurring mechanical friction, such as the folds in the neck, under the arms, and in the groin.
Knowing where Lanugo travels is not difficult to understand. When the baby swallows water, the fallen hairs enter his digestive tract along with epithelial cells and the naturally occurring suspension of water.
The baby will then poop during the first two days after birth, a dark green, nearly black mass formed by the epithelial cells, lanugo, and bile in the intestines.
Most newborns have skin that is smooth and free of lanugo. There are, however, some exceptions. Let’s get this straight: you just need to take good care of the child and there is nothing wrong with this.
The fine, soft hair known as "lanugo" that covers a newborn’s body while it is still in the womb usually falls out before or soon after birth. It’s a transient, natural feature that protects a baby’s skin and shouldn’t be concerning.
Why it is observed after birth?
Many questions remain unanswered, even with precise understanding of the mechanism underlying lanugo formation. First of all, since lanugo typically disappears before childbirth, a new mother of a baby who was born with hair on his body is curious as to how this happened.
Prematurity is the most obvious explanation. Obstetricians may not necessarily view a child born before the anticipated date of birth as premature, but they may notice symptoms of "immaturity." Such indications on the body are remnants of lanugo.
The baby’s lanugo is found to be more abundant the earlier the birth.
If the baby is delivered on schedule but the lanugo remains visible, this is regarded as a deviation from the physiological norm and typically goes away in the first one to two weeks of life.
Newborn lanugo is commonly referred to as "bristles" or "poker" in colloquial language. Mysterious theories have been created around this ostensibly benign and physiological phenomenon since ancient times. For instance, if a woman gave birth to a child with lanugo during the Middle Ages, she might be executed at the stake for allegedly engaging in witchcraft and magic.
And in Rus’, a hairy child was considered the product of lust and sin until the end of the 18th century. As a result, the husband was entitled to question his wife preferentially, spank her, and have the child baptized as soon as possible to prevent evil spirits from taking possession of his soul.
The fluff on the body has nothing to do with magic or sin, as is now abundantly clear.
Although the exact causes of the first hairs remaining intact and not falling out in the womb are unknown, medical professionals and scientists tend to view this as an atavism—a temporary sign inherent in distant ancestors—in the case of the first hairs.
Is it dangerous?
Little children are not bothered by or uncomfortable with the thin, colorless lanugo hairs themselves. They should be distinguished in this from darker, more prickly, denser hairs called "bristles," which resemble dark dots on the shoulders, back, sides, and pubic region.
Pigmented bristles that are rougher and harder are also an atavism, but thankfully they are transient. However, it can be highly inconvenient: the child may exhibit nervousness and touch sensitive areas such as clothing, bedding, or diapers. The "brush" frequently turns into the cause of the infant’s incessant crying.
The main risk is this brief inconvenience, and parents who are tired of their screaming child and are searching for the source of the child’s cries while also searching for signs of various illnesses are more at risk from a rough brush.
After birth, lanugo does not present any risks to the infant. During the first few weeks of life, hair growth will cease.
You should definitely take the child to see a pediatrician and endocrinologist if the lanugo does not go away after two or three weeks and new areas with abnormal hair growth appear. It’s possible that the body hair is not lanugo at all, but rather a symptom of hypertrichosis, a rare genetic illness also known as werewolf syndrome.
Excessive hairiness in children can also be a symptom of certain hormonal disorders in their body. An endocrinologist’s prompt and appropriate treatment will help to eradicate the anomaly.
What to do?
There is a straightforward response to this query: nothing. Lanugo and the "brush" will naturally fall out and be replaced by common vellus hairs that grow on the skin of every member of the human race, even if you do nothing at all.
This is scheduled to occur in a few weeks. However, inaction is not a parental mandate, so the question of how to get rid of lanugo without having to wait two or three weeks frequently comes up.
The baby’s skin needs to be taken care of first; only use a soft, gentle sponge to bathe him. The recommendation to wash lanugo more frequently is harmful and unscientific; it dries out the baby’s skin and sets the stage for the emergence of infections, microcracks, and contact allergies.
Any pediatrician you speak with about removing lanugo from the forehead or back is familiar with a traditional technique that has been passed down through the generations and has nothing to do with medicine.
All you need for it is the crumb from recently baked bread. A ball of this crumb is "rolled out" over areas that are overly hairy or rough after washing.
The same method applies to a ball of prepared warm dough, which just needs a small amount of flour, warm water, and a spoonful of sunflower oil. The skin is softly massaged by the taut dough, and the hairs stay on the ball.
Another popular thing to do with a boiled egg is roll out. Using the palm of your hand, roll a warm, boiled egg clockwise over the baby’s oil- or cream-greased skin for three to five minutes. The most important factor is that the egg should not be hot; otherwise, the baby could burn.
Applying a honey mask to clean, steam-exfoliated skin following a bath is also mentioned, but this seems like a dubious method given that honey in any form is forbidden for children under three. This is a potent allergen that can cause significant harm to a newborn even when applied externally.
The delicate, fine hair known as lanugo that covers a newborn’s body is a normal aspect of fetal development. Although it may come as a surprise to expectant parents, it has a function in the womb, protecting and regulating the developing skin of the child.
Lanugo typically falls out on its own as your baby grows and is frequently replaced by more normal baby hair. Each baby goes through this process differently; some shed it prior to birth, while others keep it for a few weeks following. It is a perfectly normal process.
You should not be concerned if your newborn has lanugo. It’s just your baby’s development at this stage. Savor these early moments while keeping in mind that this special quality is only one of the many marvels of a newborn’s introduction to the outside world.
