Why do newborns have a poker (bristle) and how can it be removed?

Something unexpected may catch you off guard when you first bring your newborn home: they have tiny bodies covered in fine, bristly hair. This is called lanugo, and it is a typical and natural occurrence in newborns. The downy, soft hair that covers a baby’s body while they are still in the womb is called lanugo. It plays a crucial role in the development of the fetus, protecting its tender skin and assisting in controlling body temperature.

Lanugo typically starts shedding on its own as your child gets older. The majority of it disappears either before or soon after birth, though some remnants may continue to exist for a little while longer. Although new parents may find this surprising, there’s no reason to be concerned. Temporary lanugo does not suggest any underlying medical conditions.

There are gentle methods to assist if you’re worried about the bristly hair or want to get rid of it faster. Moisturizing and cleaning your baby’s skin can promote normal shedding. You can get guidance and assurance from your pediatrician if you are unsure or if the hair appears to be persistent.

Often referred to as "poker," newborn bristle is a common but benign condition in which a baby may experience discomfort from stiff, short hairs that develop on their shoulders or back. Although the condition usually goes away on its own, mild treatments like warm baths and gentle massages can help calm the infant and gradually get rid of the bristles.

What is it?

"Bristle," "bristle," "poker," and "tickler" are terms used to describe an enigmatic illness about which humanity is still unsure. There are proponents of the belief that this illness is imaginary and does not exist, even among the representatives of this very group. However, there are also proponents of the theory that newborns have pokers, and they fiercely defend their position.

A newborn that has a condition known as "poker" is agitated, has trouble sleeping, cries a lot, and, for no apparent reason, arches his back while lying down. Grandmothers and great-grandmothers frequently comment that the infant has a "poker" and start offering new parents what they believe to be practical advice on how to ease the baby’s suffering. This exact bristle, though, is not always visible.

In this instance, healers and traditional healers assert that the baby’s short, hard, prickly hairs grow in between the dermis and epidermis, the two layers of skin. The child also worries because it is impossible for the hair to grow to the skin’s surface.

At times, the bristles become extremely visible as dark patches on the skin. These patches are usually found on the shoulders, back, sides, arms, legs, and, less frequently, the ears. Folk "advisers" say that if you lightly run a damp hand over the baby’s skin, you can tell who the "poker" is.

Children who had visible bristles were viewed differently at different times. Therefore, the mother of such a child was thought to be practicing witchcraft in medieval Europe, and the poor woman typically perished at the stake. In Russia, it was thought that if a mother had a child with a "poker" in lust, she had sinned and should be punished with whippings. They also tried to take the child to the bathhouse, steam him, and baptize him as soon as possible to prevent evil spirits from taking his pure soul. This belief persisted until the end of the 18th century.

All these superstitions seem ridiculous and comical now, but many doubts remain regarding the reality of a phenomenon like bristles.

What doctors say?

Traditional medicine vehemently denies the existence of a "poker," and no reliable medical source uses the term. However, everyone is aware of it and can probably guess what we are discussing. From a medical perspective, the term refers to lanugo, or the fetus’s initial hairs that emerge during intrauterine development.

The hair follicles start to grow thin, bleached hair as soon as they are formed. Lanugo growth starts at 12 weeks of pregnancy and lasts for about 28 weeks. The baby’s body is nearly entirely covered in hair at this point.

A kind of atavism, limbigo is a genetic memory from distant ancestors. However, if you closely examine the baby’s development, beginning with the fertilized egg, you will see that, in a matter of months, he will travel along an evolutionary path that has been followed by humans for hundreds of thousands of years. During intrauterine development, a human baby is born with a tail, gills, and fur.

The baby needs lanugo for protection. Lanugo is capable of holding onto the layer of vernix caseosa that covers its body, even though its skin is extremely thin and subcutaneous fat has not yet developed. The need for lanugo vanishes as subcutaneous fat increases, and the elimination process starts. In the womb, hair usually stops growing two to three weeks before delivery. However, it occasionally occurs that the infant is born with lanugo remnants; this is particularly typical of premature babies.

After roughly two weeks, there is no longer any evidence of the light lanugo hair, and the child is not bothered by it nor does it affect its condition or development. However, this is the point at which the growth of real hair, which covers every square inch of skin on every human, may begin to interfere with the process of replacing vellus hair. Sometimes the natural loss of lanugo occurs slowly and excessively, which can interfere with hair follicle function. This is the only fairly plausible explanation for why infants develop "bristles."

There is no suggested treatment for this condition, which is not regarded as a disease.

Opinion of Dr. Komarovsky

Thousands of mothers worldwide seek the advice of a well-known pediatrician, who feels that widespread gossip somewhat exaggerates the dangers of baby bristles. Not all newborns with lanugo will develop bristles later in life, and not all cases will result in the bristles interfering in some way with the child’s development. Both lanugo and bristles will naturally disappear if nothing is done.

A trait known as atavism is not typical for a particular generation, but it was common for distant ancestors. The appearance of hair is a throwback to a time when thick hair covered the human body to protect it from the elements, insects, and animal bites.

You shouldn’t be concerned because congenital cases of total hairiness are typically rare genetic syndromes that only happen in a few cases. Parents often claim that excessive hair on a baby’s body is unrelated to these illnesses.

The question of whether or not to remove the bristles is unclear. From a medical perspective, it’s not necessary—and in some cases, even harmful—because parents’ irrational behavior can cause more harm to the child than the bristles symptoms they report.

Parents are free to remove dark spots from their baby’s skin if they so choose, provided they follow the reasonableness principle. Parents must first ensure that there are no other reasons for their child’s agitated behavior, such as hunger, pain, cold, or heat.

You can attempt to remove the bristles even if the baby’s symptoms do not show up if he is well-fed, well-groomed, the room is not too hot or cold, he is wearing underwear made of natural fabrics, nothing irritates or causes discomfort, and the crying persists despite the pediatrician you have called being unable to determine the cause. The child won’t be harmed by reasonable actions, and parents will feel much calmer and more at ease right away.

How to get rid of?

As there are no drugs for a phenomenon like "poker," it is customary to treat a child’s hair "thorns" with folk remedies only. Folk healers advise performing diagnostics first, though, by bathing the infant and then blotting the skin in the bathroom with a soft towel before dripping on a few drops of breast milk. After this, it’s thought that the infant with "poker" will undoubtedly start to get dark dots and thorns (they will be noticeable).

Folk healers disagree about whether or not the bristles need to be treated. Although conventional medicine disputes the necessity of this, they feel that it must be done without fail.

When a child cries, stretches, or demands something that is incomprehensible, the new parent’s psyche is wired to "break down" quickly. Therefore, we don’t operate that way. Even if they are unaware of what the baby’s "bristles" look like, parents who have chosen to address it are advised to use the safest approaches and strategies.

Bread is one of these techniques. Mom has to make her own bread, take the still-warm crumb, roll it into a ball the size of an egg, and then gently roll it in a circle over the skin of the baby’s arms, legs, shoulders, and clean, steamed after an evening bath. This will be a very light, gentle massage for the baby. Mom uses it as an excuse to settle down.

The second popular way to get rid of the "tickler" is dough. In the first case, you need to prepare a steep and thick dough from flour, vegetable oil and warm water, roll a ball and massage it in the above-mentioned places after bathing. In the second case, the dough will need to be liquid, but its composition will remain the same: flour, warm water, a spoonful of vegetable oil. The baby is coated with liquid, almost "pancake" dough, wrapped in a diaper and left for 15 minutes. It is believed that after this time, not only the dough will remain in the diaper, but also the hard hairs that have left the skin.

A boiled chicken egg is another tried-and-true remedy that is safe for the child to use from both an alternative medicine and traditional medicine perspective. Move a warm egg in circular motions to "roll out" the baby’s trouble spots. The most important thing is to avoid overdoing it and burning the baby’s skin by not applying an egg that is too hot.

A lot of folk "advisers" strongly advise putting the child through a steam room and liberally lubricating his skin with honey. Parents need to be aware that you cannot take a baby to a sauna or bath because of his poor thermoregulation, which makes him prone to overheating. Furthermore, honey is a potent allergen and should not be used on children younger than three years old, even externally.

Use dough and egg to treat if you truly want to; they won’t lead to allergies or overheating.

You must bathe your child every day to remove the "bristles," but you shouldn’t use soap on a daily basis as this dries out the skin, leaving it even thinner and more delicate. Using a gentle sponge, give your child a bath in warm water.

What is prohibited?

The warnings made by Komarovsky and his fellow pediatricians about reasonableness are not without merit. Regretfully, parents can hurt their child when they treat them by following folk wisdom too much.

In "poker," you cannot attempt to mechanically remove the hairs if dark spots have already become apparent. Use the same creams and peels your mother uses to remove hair from them—you cannot cut or shave them. Injuries to the hair follicles, the development of wounds, and bacterial infections can all result from mechanical actions.

Resins and wax are also not the ideal options. Serious allergic reactions, including chemical burns, may result from them.

Any attempt by parents to trim, pluck, or remove hair from a baby’s skin is considered child abuse, as it inflicts pain, instills fear, and jeopardizes the future health of the child’s skin.

Applying oil and covering the child with a film for thirty minutes is the worst advise a new mother can hear. Due to their poor thermoregulation, babies can easily overheat and give off heat. Because hyperthermia can set in before the "therapeutic session" even ends, these "treatment" techniques have the potential to be lethal.

One common problem that many parents may notice on their baby’s skin is a newborn’s poker, or bristle. Despite being safe, it can make the baby uncomfortable and make them agitated. Fortunately, this condition can be safely and gently managed at home.

Easy fixes like applying a baby-safe oil, giving gentle massages, and taking warm baths can help soften and eventually remove the bristles. Never forget that your baby’s skin is sensitive, and stay away from harsh treatments. Being patient is essential because this illness will frequently go away on its own with time.

Ultimately, it’s best to speak with a pediatrician if you have any concerns about your baby’s health or skin. They can reassure you that what your baby is going through is entirely normal and just temporary, as well as offer professional advice.

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