Children (especially very little ones) are prone to various diseases, so if red spots and rashes appear on the body, you should immediately pay attention to this symptom to determine a possible pathology. There are many questions. Why did the rash appear, how to treat red spots, how to protect the child from complications and serious consequences? You can understand what is happening even before going to the doctor. So why do red spots appear on the body of an infant? The reasons and description of the treatment methods are listed below.
Allergic reaction
Red spots on the body of a baby (photo below) immediately suggest a food allergy. In most cases, the cause of the rash is really the wrong food: a mixture or something in the diet of a nursing mother. Sometimes a small rash signals an allergy to household chemicals. The main allergens are eggs, dairy products, seafood, citrus fruits, chocolate, mushrooms, honey. By the way, Komarovsky calls allergy the most common cause of red spots on the body of an infant.
It is necessary to avoid prolonged contact of the baby's skin with synthetics or chemical detergents. But an allergic reaction is an extremely individual concept, so you need to monitor the body's reaction when introducing new foods into the diet, buying household chemicals that have not been used before.
Allergic reactions include eczema and urticaria. If red rough spots appeared on the body of the baby, then, most likely, we are talking about eczema. The foci expand because the bubbles burst. Such sites bake, itch and cause severe discomfort in the child. With urticaria, blisters appear that itch. When pressed, small white dots are visible.
Infectious diseases
Another type of red spots on the body of an infant can be triggered by infectious diseases that are very specific, requiring special treatment and care for a sick child. Diseases of this type include chickenpox, scarlet fever, rubella, measles.
With chickenpox, red spots on the body of the baby are large, subsequently they turn into bursting blisters. Then red dots appear, bursting blisters, severe itching, weakness, sometimes there may be temperature. Often spots appear on the cheeks, in between the fingers and armpits. Chickenpox is easier to tolerate in childhood, but treatment should be started on time.
The development of streptococcal infection is accompanied by red spots on the body of the baby in the armpits, groin and face (except for the nasolabial area). Scarlet fever is characterized by severe peeling in the affected areas, sore throat. The skin begins to peel off two days after the appearance of the first signs of the disease. Treatment is with antibiotics. The disease is transmitted, so if there is still a child in the family, then you need to isolate him from contact with the infected. Scarlet fever is transmitted by airborne droplets or is provoked by non-compliance with personal hygiene rules. The carriers of the disease can be dirty toys, household items or clothing, unwashed vegetables and fruits.
Measles is transmitted through touch, that is, in a tactile way. Dry red spots on the body of the baby appear after a runny nose, cough and fever. Skin reactions can be detected only on the 3-4th day of the disease. At the same time, there is a fear of light and direct sunlight. The rash turns from red to brown, then begins to peel off and disappears. Affected areas are irregular in shape. The rash may appear on different parts of the body. Treatment on average takes about two weeks.
Rubies can be the cause of red spots on the baby’s body. In a normal course, the disease does not last long. The infection is transmitted by airborne droplets. Headache, conjunctivitis, sore throat appear. Typical lesions: chest, face, back. The child will become irritable and tearful, may refuse to eat, experience problems with sleep. Pink spots appear a week after infection.
Sweating and diaper rash
Red spots on the body of the baby after bathing can be especially clearly visible. If there are no other signs of deterioration in health, then most likely this is ordinary prickly heat. During the hot season or with intense sweating, a small red rash may appear in the folds. To avoid this unpleasant symptom, bathing should be done more often. The child should buy clothes made from natural materials, refuse to use oily skin care products, and often leave the baby naked so that the skin can “breathe”.
Diaper rash can appear in the form of red patches that resemble dropsy. They can occur due to sweat and high ambient temperatures. Red spots appear on the body of the baby (without temperature, only general weakness is characteristic), usually they can be seen in the buttocks, neck and chin, skin folds. With sweating and diaper rash, it is necessary to constantly maintain cleanliness and freshness of the skin, conduct air baths and observe hygiene rules.
Insect bites
Red spots on the body of a baby can appear due to insect bites, such as mosquitoes. Bites are like an allergic reaction. The affected areas are very itchy, become the cause of increased irritability and anxiety of the child, can be hot compared to other areas of the skin. Severe itching can be removed with special ointments, gels or creams labeled 0+. Older children often comb bites, so the affected area must be treated with brilliant green. To prevent an allergic reaction, you need to give your child an antihistamine.
Dermatological diseases
Dermatoses, or pustular lesions, are accompanied by itching and red spots on the body of the baby. The photo is difficult to diagnose even for a professional, not like people far from medicine, therefore, to determine the pathogen, you need to undergo tests. Viral dermatosis is usually diagnosed in children five to eight years old. Dermatosis is caused by intracellular viruses, which manifest in the form of herpes, warts, warts, and molluscum contagiosum. The disease is accompanied by general weakness, fever, peeling of the skin, itching. For babies with dermatosis, proper nutrition and hygiene are very important. Exact causes of the disease will show examinations and analyzes.
If the red spots on the body of the baby turn into purulent vesicles, this indicates infant pyoderma. There are dry lichen, diaper dermatitis and streptococcal pyoderma. Treatment is prescribed only by a doctor. Timely and adequate therapy will help get rid of the consequences, because such diseases have a negative effect on the body as a whole.
With itching and peeling
What to do if the rashes peel and itch? An older child may complain of itching, but the baby will simply behave anxiously, fidget in the bed, may cry or refuse to eat. Constant combing annoys the baby, which affects his general well-being. In this case, you can try to do soothing compresses. For compresses, decoctions of chamomile and calendula, celandine are used. In a cooled broth, a cotton swab, a piece of gauze or a clean cloth is moistened, and then applied to the affected areas. Means for newborns should not include alcohol and drying components that will only enhance peeling. In addition, you can not rub the affected areas.
When to see a doctor
In the presence of any rashes of the baby, it is necessary to examine in the hospital. In some cases, you will need to visit a dermatologist who will prescribe the necessary tests and conduct all diagnostic procedures. In mild cases, a visit to the pediatrician is sufficient. Any medicine should be prescribed only by a doctor, otherwise the situation may not improve, but only worsen. An unpleasant symptom not only causes discomfort, but also generally negatively affects the body, so the child needs to be treated under the supervision of experienced doctors.
A doctor should be consulted immediately if chest pain, shortness of breath, increased body temperature that does not get off with antipyretic drugs, fainting, drowsiness, speech disorders in older children, confusion, runny nose and inability to breathe are observed at the same time as rashes , anaphylactic shock. This may indicate a severe allergy or a complicated course of an infectious disease.
What can not be done
Before a visit to the doctor, you should not apply coloring agents to the rashes, because this will complicate the diagnosis. You can not take the child to the hospital if there is a suspicion that the disease has an infectious nature. Such diseases are transmitted by airborne droplets, so there is a risk of infecting other children. Therefore, you need to call an ambulance or a doctor at home. Any rashes on the body can not be combed. This is especially true of infectious diseases, which are accompanied by severe itching. Do not give your child any medications without consulting a doctor. It is allowed to use only antihistamines in case of an allergic reaction, but only those that the child has already taken before.
Methods and rules of treatment
Red rough spots on the body of the baby and any other rashes should be treated only under the supervision of a doctor. In case of an allergic reaction, it is necessary to identify the allergen and quickly carry out antihistamine therapy, and chickenpox is treated mainly symptomatically. With measles, bed rest is indicated, you need to rinse your eyes several times a day, if necessary, give the child an antipyretic, if you have a strong cough, use mucolytics, and if you have a cold, rinse your nose with sprays of sea salt.
Urticaria is treated with medication. Light laxatives and diuretics, small-volume cleansing enemas, and antihistamines are prescribed. To normalize metabolic processes, it is advisable to use B vitamins and iron preparations. In chronic urticaria, it is important to identify and cure foci of infection. To relieve itching, baths based on chamomile, string, creams and ointments based on glucocorticosteroids are actively used.
With dermatosis, you must first eliminate the primary source of the disease, and then begin medical treatment. After contact with the suspected allergen, you need to treat the skin with an antiseptic or just wash it with soap and water. To relieve itching, swelling and prevent the inflammatory process, you will need an antihistamine. For the first time, only a doctor should prescribe the medicine, in the future (if there was no adverse reaction), you can give the same remedy for allergies. To stop the local inflammatory process, ointments are used, and with wetting rashes, drying agents are needed. Infectious dermatoses are treated with antibacterial, antifungal or antiviral drugs.
Folk recipes
If the baby is covered with red spots (the whole body or individual areas), you need to show the child to the doctor, because at such a tender age, inexperienced parents can only harm, using folk recipes. Any alternative medicine is allowed to be used only after consulting a pediatrician. In this case, you need to carefully monitor the condition of the child. In the event of an adverse reaction, treatment should be discontinued and the hospital should be returned to the doctor to correct the treatment regimen.
Yarrow and celandine decoctions are quite effective. It is necessary to mix dry raw materials in equal parts (one tablespoon each is enough), pour a glass of water and leave for two hours. The finished product needs to be filtered and cooled, and then the slurry is applied to the areas with a rash. Lotions need to be carried out several times a day. One procedure lasts at least twenty minutes. Inflammation and redness are well managed by the infusion of birch buds. A tablespoon of dry raw materials should be poured with one glass of boiling water, left for thirty minutes, and then moistened with gauze and applied to the spots on the child’s body.
Preventive measures
Each parent has a rash in the child. It is quite difficult to prevent the appearance of red spots on the skin of the baby, because it is difficult to protect the child from adverse factors. It is necessary to strengthen the immune system, from time to time give multivitamin preparations, temper the baby. A strong immune system will help the body cope with infections and quickly overcome diseases.
In addition, children are advised to buy clothes only from natural materials, use special children's detergents for washing and bathing. For a frequent allergic rash, you need to limit contact with allergens, maintain cleanliness at home (daily wet cleaning and airing), get rid of objects that attract dust, carefully care for pets so that there is no wool on the floor, observe hygiene requirements for caring for children.
The appearance of a rash is in most cases a signal of malfunctions in the immune system. A negative reaction may occur due to the fault of parents who do not pay enough attention to the baby's hygiene or cleanliness in the house, offer the child products with an allergic effect. Especially careful should be with children who are predisposed to an adverse reaction to food, medicine, animal hair, house dust, plant pollen and so on.