One mother came up with a clever way to treat her baby’s acne, and now her ingenious skincare hack has gone viral on social media.
Sharing with her 1,579 TikTok followers, Linh Ta (known as @ahlingaling on the platform) posted a video last week showing how she made a breastmilk face mask for her baby. Since then, the video has been viewed over 4 million times and has amassed half a million likes.
In the clip, Linh demonstrated how she cut a dry wipe to fit the infant’s face, making sure to cut out holes for the eye and mouth. Then, she soaked the face mask in a cup of breast milk before placing it on the sleeping baby. Energetic music played in the background as Linh went through the steps.
Many TikTok users commented on how cute the hack was, and asked Linh if it actually worked to clear the baby’s acne. Some said that breast milk has been used throughout history to help treat skin conditions, adding that their own mothers would use it on them in childhood.
However, not all of the comments were positive. Some people expressed concern about performing a cosmetic treatment on a baby, even if it seems to be all in fun. A few people added that it’s unnecessary since baby acne often clears up on its own.
“This rubs me the wrong way idk,” one person wrote. “I think since it’s a cosmetic thing on a baby idk. Babies are fine the way they are yk?”
In the comments, Linh explained that she made the mask “purely out of boredom,” and wanted to see if it would soothe her baby’s acne.
Baby acne is a common skin condition and usually goes away on its own. In some cases, it resolves itself within a matter of weeks or months, but in others, it can last until the child is 2-years old. Baby acne is characterized by tiny red or white bumps and pimples.
Research by the Australasian College of Dermatologists found that it occurs in 20% of all newborns. It’s believed to be caused by maternal or infant hormones, although the full reasons are not understood.
Healthline explains that breast milk has long been believed to soothe skin conditions, including baby acne, though not enough research has been done to confirm its efficacy with certainty. It’s believed that since breast milk contains antimicrobial properties, it may reduce or destroy the bacteria that causes acne. Breast milk also works to reduce inflammation.
Linh’s breastmilk face mask clip is the first video she has on her TikTok profile, but she’s continued posting content in the week that has followed.
was the first video she posted to TikTok after joining, and she’s continued posting content in the week that’s followed. This includes a video opening up about her son Levi’s experiencing surviving Alpha Thalassemia Major, which required a stem cell transplant and 5 in utero transfusions. Linh welcomed her first child last year in May.
Sources: TikTok @ahlingaling, Australasian College of Dermatologists, Healthline, Newshub,