A newborn is considered to be an infant from birth to 28 days of age. Outwardly, he looks small, fragile and helpless. When a rash appears on the face and head of a newborn, the mother is completely capable of losing night peace.
Newborn rash
Causes of rash in children
The rash can have a variety of origins. Most rashes in newborns are accompanied by a mandatory diet for a nursing mother. If this does not help, the baby may be switched to artificial feeding with a split cow protein formula. In fact, allergic reactions are rare in infants. It is they who require a diet from a mother or a switch to a hypoallergenic milk formula.
The most common rash is neonatal toxic erythema. It may appear immediately after birth or on the second day. Neonatologists explain it by the reaction of the skin to the colonization of the intestines with beneficial bacteria. This rash does not require any special care and treatment, because it goes away on its own after a few days. Rarely, the rash persists for up to 3 weeks.
Infectious pathologies in infants
Children, like adults, are susceptible to infections that affect their skin condition. Among them:
- herpes;
- staphylococcal pemphigus;
- candidiasis;
- scarlet fever.
The herpes virus can be in the body and not manifest itself in any way until the immunity is significantly reduced. Staphylococcal pemphigus and candidiasis are most often acquired by the newborn from the mother during the passage through the birth canal.
Atopic dermatitis
This skin lesion is due to a genetic predisposition. The skin loses its barrier function, dries and itches. More than 30% of cases of atopic dermatitis are closely related to food allergies, which manifests itself after eating a certain set of foods, these are:
- cow's milk;
- egg white;
- nuts;
- wheat.
A distinctive feature of this type of dermatitis is the absence of lesions in the folds - it appears on convex surfaces. Most often, a rash occurs on the forehead in a child.
Atopic dermatitis
Attention! Atopic dermatitis is very rare in newborns and infants less than three months of age.
Diaper dermatitis
From the name of the type of inflammation, it follows that a skin problem occurs where the baby is in contact with the diapers. Modern babies come into contact with diapers. Hygiene items have changed, but the name of the disease remains the same. The essence of skin inflammation lies in:
- skin contact with an overfilled or poor-quality diaper;
- poor rinsing of bed linen and baby clothes;
- coarse synthetic fabrics from which children's clothes are sewn.
Treatment most often comes down to teaching parents to change a diaper on time, wash baby skin with clean water and lubricate it with a simple baby cream based on petroleum jelly or with zinc content.
Rash due to microclimate
A rash on the face and head of a month-old baby often appears not due to some special bacteria or fungi, but due to the fact that parents do not observe the cool and humid air regime. The baby's head, especially when it is covered with thick hair from birth, sweats intensely if the room where the baby sleeps is hot and dry.
Additional Information! You can observe an exacerbation of rashes on the face or back of the head immediately after sleep. When a child sleeps in a hot and unventilated room, the sweat glands work actively, the skin rubs against the bedding, which leads to irritation.
Food allergy
The liver of a small child is still immature, so not all foods can be added to complementary foods. Pediatricians and nutritionists have a special relationship with sugar. They do not recommend that parents additionally sweeten cereals and compotes, and also ask them not to rush into the introduction of juices and sweets into the diet.
Every adult has seen in his life a baby with a rash on the forehead, nose, cheeks and chin. This is a common manifestation of food allergies.
Diathesis
Symptoms and types of rashes
In order to understand why a rash appeared on the head or body of a baby, one should recall all the events preceding this, among which may be:
- using a new detergent;
- buying new synthetic clothing;
- a walk with a child in the hot season using a synthetic carrier;
- the child's mother on GW ate three oranges with pleasure;
- grandmother made delicious tea with condensed milk for the baby.
These are all common causes of rashes in children. In addition, if the rash has clear boundaries, each pimple contains a white head that pours every day and then dries, it is most likely a bacterial infection.
Important! Pediatricians distinguish a bacterial infection from an allergic reaction by the appearance of the rash. As a rule, the presence of a white head in pimples indicates the presence of pus under the skin, which most often occurs as a result of the development of a staphylococcal infection.
A rash behind the ears of a child that spreads over the scalp, accompanied by severe flaking, may be seborrheic dermatitis. This condition is similar to dandruff in adults. With the help of the analysis of the fallen off crusts, the doctor will make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe treatment.
What to do if a rash appears
Sane parents will consult a doctor when a newborn rash first occurs on the face and head. If they are sure that the rash appeared after sleep, when mom was afraid in the evening to open the window and ventilate the room, you can do without medical help. It will be possible to bring the skin back to normal with water procedures and the establishment of the microclimate of the room.
Prohibited actions when caring for a baby
If a mother decides to treat her baby on her own, she should not forget about that there are actions that cannot be performed:
- squeeze out acne;
- try to remove flaky skin with special hard washcloths;
- experiment with hormonal ointments and antibiotic-based products without a doctor's recommendation.
Attention! Touching an infant's damaged skin with dirty hands can lead to secondary infection.
How to help a baby
When your baby's skin is itchy and flaky, special care should be taken to control the indoor climate.
Microclimate parameters
| Parameters | Minimum value | Maximum allowable value |
|---|---|---|
| Air temperature | 16˚C | 22˚C |
| Air humidity | 55% | 70% |
Along with putting in order the air of the children's room, you need to pay attention to food. Children under three years of age should not be given the following:
- chocolate and other sweets;
- the juice;
- citrus;
- nuts;
- honey;
- protein-rich seafood (shrimp, crayfish tails);
- spicy and canned foods.
An allergic child does not need to introduce ready-made meat processing products into the diet: sausages, sausages and smoked meat. Boiled rabbit or turkey meat is suitable for such a baby.
Diet table
Should I see a doctor
There are situations when the parents were sure of the causes of the rash, eliminated all possible factors, but the rash still does not disappear. This is a reason to see a doctor. Other signs indicating the need to involve professional medicine include:
- increased body temperature;
- the appearance of the rash resembles a hemorrhage;
- the child has a sore throat or cough at the same time as the rash appears;
- the rash affects the mucous membranes and is seen on the inside of the lips and cheeks.
Important! Parents of a baby in any incomprehensible situation should consult a doctor as soon as possible.
Diet for mom
When a mom feeds a healthy baby that is not prone to allergies, there is no need for a special diet. She should eat variedly in order to provide herself and her baby with a complete set of essential vitamins and minerals. Obviously unacceptable foods should be excluded from the diet: everything is fried, spicy, pickled.
When the doctors informed the mother that the child was prone to food allergies, she should develop some eating habits for the year while feeding the baby:
- give preference to boiled white poultry meat;
- boil vegetables, steam or bake, not fry;
- exclude semi-finished products;
- cook soups without frying.
Diagnostics
In order for the doctor to establish that the rash on the head of an infant is the result of infection with a bacterial infection, he must conduct an analysis. Feces, blood, or scrapings from an inflamed area can serve as biomaterials for study. Fungal infections are detected in the same way.
Blood for analysis
Most often, it is enough for the doctor to interview the parents and examine the baby to make an accurate diagnosis.
Dr. Komarovsky on rash in babies
There is a particular type of rash that affects babies 6 months to 2 years old. At first, the child is found to have an elevated body temperature, the range of which ranges from 37.5˚C to 38.5˚C. It persists for 3-4 days and is not accompanied by other symptoms characteristic of ARVI: there is no cough, runny nose and weakness. On the day when the temperature returns to normal without any treatment, a small red rash appears on the back, shoulders and neck. It does not itch and does not cause anxiety. The reason for this condition is a type of herpes - sudden exanthema.
Yevgeny Komarovsky, sharing his experience, reports that, despite the obviousness of the detection, this diagnosis is rarely made to children. The reason for the phenomenon lies in the parents - the average mother cannot just look at a child with a fever and not use antipyretic drugs. Therefore, according to the mother, the following picture is obtained: the baby's temperature increased, from which the mother gave antipyretic syrup, after which a rash appeared on the body. There is an allergic reaction to the components of the drug. It is this record that is most often found in children's medical records.
Dangerous consequences
Neglected cases of inflammation of the skin of babies can lead to scars that will remain for a lifetime. A hives-like rash that gets worse after each meal and is accompanied by itching may indicate fermentopathy. This phenomenon occurs when the liver and pancreas produce an insufficient amount of enzymes, as a result of which any food becomes the cause of rashes, because it cannot be digested. With this nature of the rash, it is necessary to examine the digestive organs in detail in order to begin the restoration of the functions of important internal organs as early as possible.
The most dangerous rash is one that does not look like acne, but rather small hemorrhages. If you press on such redness with your finger, it will not lighten. This is a sign of meningococcal infection, which is very dangerous in its consequences for the brain and the life of the child. As soon as a similar rash appears, you need to rush to the hospital, the bill goes on hours.
Preventive measures
Any disease is easier to prevent than to cure. Therefore, preventive measures can be considered:
- keeping the children's room in order;
- daily hygiene procedures;
- using items of clothing and bedding for the child only from natural and breathable materials;
- using only high-quality diapers;
- treatment of the child's skin, especially the priests, after each bathing with a cream without dyes and fragrances;
- careful attitude to complementary foods, following the recommendations of the World Health Organization.
Healthy baby
An attentive attitude to the child will allow you to detect in time the causes of changes in the skin. For example, a rash localized only on the ears of a child most likely indicates that the baby is teething - children often grab their ears when they experience discomfort due to pain in the jaw. Dangerous skin problems are rare, but redness from a child sweating or eating an adult product is not uncommon. The conscientiousness of the parents is able to eliminate most of the rashes.
