Sweating in infants is irritation on the skin that causes increased sweating. It is a red rash that occurs in different parts of the body. How to treat prickly heat? This will be discussed in this article.
What is it - prickly heat?
The disease is specific, the nature of the rashes resembles eczema or allergies. Sweating can occur both throughout the body and in certain places. The rash covers the body with whitish vesicles.
This condition is not considered dangerous if parents take appropriate preventive and therapeutic measures. If the child combes the skin, then the likelihood of infection.
Why prickly heat occurs in infants
Children's skin is very special and is exposed to negative environmental factors. What characteristics does it have:
- Sensitive - amenable to irritation and inflamed if a rough touch or friction occurs.
- Overheating occurs due to blood vessels located on the surface.
- Active sweat glands, which occurs on the 21st day of life of the baby. This is accompanied by the formation of ducts, which contributes to the violation of sweating.
- Children's skin contains a lot of water.
The main reasons for the occurrence of sweating in an infant are not fully formed thermoregulation and overheating of the body.
Types of rash
What does prickly heat look like in infants? Depending on various factors, the following types of condition exist:
- Red prickly heat. It is characterized by an area of redness around the vesicles. It occurs on the neck, under the armpits and in the groin. This type of pruritus in infants causes pain and severe itching when touched. May be observed on the skin for up to 2 weeks.
- Crystalline. Rashes in this case are white or silver bubbles. They occur on the face, body and neck. Bubbles combine and turn into large spots. This type of rash causes pain and gives an unpleasant sensation to the baby within 2-3 days.
- Papular. Occurs with increased sweating in a child. It is observed on the body, arms and legs. After a few hours, it disappears completely.
- Infected. It appears in a child if therapy has not started on time, and microbes get inside the vesicles. As a result, skin infection occurs. Bubbles appear, filled with a yellow-gray liquid. The temperature of the newborn rises, which confirms the infection process.
Regardless of the type of sweating in infants, treatment should be correct and timely. It should be prescribed by a specialist after examining the baby.
How to rule out an allergy?
A rash with a disease has similar symptoms with some pathologies. How to distinguish sweating from allergies in infants and determine the nature of rashes? An allergy is diagnosed if:
- itching on the skin bothers the child;
- rashes do not decrease even after water procedures;
- with allergies, they most resemble scales and are located on the cheeks and limbs;
- the amount of rash decreases after taking antihistamines.
To clearly determine the correct diagnosis of a child, you need to show a specialist who will accurately establish the disease.
Causes of rash
Sweating occurs in places where it is most difficult to get air. Thick and worn off-season clothing or tight swaddling become the main causes of rashes. Sweat glands produce a secret that does not evaporate without air. Its accumulation irritates the skin. The following causes of this condition are known:
- The likelihood of sweating increases if the room is stuffy and humid.
- The baby rarely takes water treatments.
- The skin is treated with a greasy cream that clogs the pores and reduces its ability to breathe.
- Rashes occur with poor-quality or too tight diapers.
- Increased sweating provokes high temperature.
- Parents do not have air baths for the newborn.
- Baby clothes are tight or sewn from synthetic fabrics.
At risk are premature babies, as well as newborns with a large body weight or suffering from diabetes. Most often, prickly heat occurs in the summer, so parents at this time need to pay attention to hygiene procedures.
Signs of the disease
Sweating can be located on the neck at the baby, and throughout the body. Often a rash is noticed in the groin. Added to this is moodiness and sleep disturbance in the newborn. In its manifestations, prickly heat is similar to measles, rubella or allergies. Therefore, the disease is easy to confuse.
Photos can distinguish prickly heat in infants, they are presented in the article. Frequent places of its accumulation include:
- if there is a rash on the neck, insufficient hygiene and heat are to blame;
- if sweating is noticeable on the upper back - overheating and unnatural clothing materials;
- when using a fat cream, the rash is localized on the buttocks;
- the appearance of vesicles on the face indicates an allergy or spread of sweating from the neck;
- with a regular headgear, a rash may be located on the head.
Treatment of sweating is quick, but it takes a long time to treat allergies or infections.
When to see a doctor
If the parents noticed pustules and cracks on the child’s body, as well as itching and fever, it is urgent to show it to a specialist. And also when such signs occur:
- The appearance of edema.
- Bad breath coming from the bubbles.
- Itching and burning, pain in contact with skin.
- Elevated body temperature.
All these symptoms can characterize an infectious disease that has joined the primary condition. The main thing is a timely visit to a pediatrician who, after examination and additional tests, will be able to accurately diagnose.
Treatment of sweating
Initially, it is necessary to get rid of the causes of the disease. How to treat prickly heat in infants? In the house you need to lower the temperature to 20-22 degrees. Instead of clothes made of synthetic fabrics, use cotton or other natural materials.
During the day, hold the baby air baths. At a comfortable temperature, it will not freeze. Refuse fatty creams, go to the use of powders.
Effective treatments for sweating include:
- In the bathtub for bathing a baby, you can add decoctions of herbs (succession, chamomile, oak bark). They can be used individually or in combination. For cooking, use three tablespoons per liter of water. This infusion treats sweating on the face of the baby, as well as on other parts of the body. In bathing water, you can add previously diluted potassium permanganate solution. Its drying properties have a positive effect on rashes.
- After water procedures, the baby’s skin is easy to get wet, giving special attention to inaccessible places. After drying, apply powder. This is best done with a cotton swab. It is not recommended to use a powder in wet places, because a tangible effect will not be achieved.
To treat sweating, a specialist can prescribe ointments that help reduce the rash. It is applied in a thin layer. A diaper is worn when the product is absorbed into the skin.
Remedies
For the treatment of sweating in infants (photo is presented below), a specialist can prescribe the following ointments:
- Bepanten. The cream has regenerative properties and moisturizes the skin well. It does not have an anti-inflammatory effect, therefore it is rarely used to treat prickly heat.
- Sudokrem. It is able to dry the rash and has antibacterial properties. Effective in treating sweating. Due to the greasy consistency, the cream is best applied on the skin pointly.
- "Zinc ointment" is highly effective and eliminates sweating in a few days.
There are many recipes for traditional medicine that reduce skin rashes in infants. For 200 ml of boiling water take 7 leaves of laurel. They are allowed to infuse and wipe the affected area with the resulting product.
In some cases, there is no effect in the treatment with various drugs. Parents need to show the baby to a dermatologist to establish an accurate diagnosis. This is necessary to exclude bacterial infection.
Preventative measures
Sweating occurs for certain reasons. To avoid its occurrence, it is necessary to take some action. Preventive measures include:
- For newborns, it is necessary to purchase clothes that are sewn from natural fabrics and are suitable for him in size. Parents should not forget about the quality of bedding. It should be soft and pleasant to the touch.
- Diapers need to choose high-quality and from natural materials.
- The air temperature in the room should not exceed 20-22 degrees. It must be constantly aired.
- Parents must strictly observe hygiene rules. This includes a constant change of diapers, daily water treatments.
- Cosmetics should be selected non-greasy so that they do not clog the pores of the skin.
- To prevent the appearance of sweating on the head of the baby, you should refuse to wear hats in a stuffy room.
- To wash the clothes of a newborn, you need to use hypoallergenic powders.
All of the above recommendations will create comfortable conditions for the child and will avoid the appearance of rashes on the skin.
Komarovsky about sweating
A well-known children's doctor says about the need to establish the cause of the rashes, and then about their complete elimination. The rash can occur as a result of infectious diseases, mechanical damage, allergic reactions, and other conditions. It is important to establish whether it is dangerous. In the absence of other symptoms, a good mood and a baby’s sleep are most likely talking about prickly heat or an insect bite. Mom should remember in detail the day preceding the appearance of the rash. What the baby ate, what clothes he wore, etc.
Dr. Komarovsky confirms that with the onset of the hot season, cases of prickly heat in infants increase. It can be localized in separate areas (neck, head, behind the ears, back) or throughout the body. He advises to undress the child often during the day. It must be freed from tight clothing and diapers. In this case, the skin will breathe.
Here are the main recommendations of the doctor:
- In hot weather, excess clothing should be avoided. It is best for parents to abandon tight swaddling.
- Maintain a comfortable room temperature (18-20 degrees).
- Soap should not be used often. It is best used once a week.
By following the simple recommendations of a renowned pediatrician, prickly heat can be prevented.
Morbidity in infants is not a serious disease. Rather, it refers to the errors of caring for a baby. When eliminating negative factors, sweating disappears on the skin after 2-3 days. The danger of the condition is the attachment of a bacterial infection, which will require proper and timely treatment.