Miliaria in children occurs at any time of the year, but in summer, when it is hot outside, its manifestations can be especially intense. Prickly sweat is quite painful and causes noticeable discomfort to toddlers. It is widespread in childhood, and therefore it is difficult to find a person who has never suffered from prickly heat in childhood. We will tell you about how it manifests itself and how to help the child in this material.
Definition
Prickly heat is one of the most common types of dermatological problems that are common in childhood. It manifests itself as a rash on the skin. So violently delicate and thin skin of babies reacts to the violation of the ratio of the processes of sweat separation and its evaporation.
The glands that produce sweat are formed during fetal development. They begin to function almost immediately after birth. Young children sweat less, but already at school age, the glands begin to work more intensively, reaching a peak of activity during puberty.
Increased secretion would not be a big problem for your child's body if sweat had somewhere to evaporate. If possible, no rash will form. But if evaporation is difficult, the aggressive salty environment of the sweat causes local skin irritation. The stronger and longer the aggressive effect, the stronger the irritation.
Children of absolutely all age categories can face this problem. However, more often than others at any time of the year (but more often in the summer), babies suffer from the disease. The skin of newborns, its individual layers are arranged in such a way that they are initially many times thinner than the skin of adults or older children. At the same time, the center of thermoregulation in the cerebral cortex in the newly born is not yet functioning as it should. Therefore, newborns can become overcooled or overheated faster.
The ducts of the sweat-secreting glands in babies are narrow. They have yet to form. Usually this process ends by 4-5 years. And while the process is underway, prickly heat is more than likely at 1 year and 2-3 years. Through the narrowed ducts, a large amount of sweat cannot leave in a timely manner, severe prickly heat with the development of inflammatory processes in the ducts and glands themselves is not excluded.
In this case, miliary develops - a blockage of the ducts. If at this stage you do not take measures and do not help the baby, diaper rash will begin. Their depth and area of damage can be significant. But even small diaper rash is dangerous for a child in the first place because they are a hospitable "gateway" for pathogenic bacteria that surround us practically everywhere.
Bacterial skin inflammations are more severe and run the risk of complicating systemic bacterial infection. To prevent this from happening, parents must respond in time to the signs of prickly heat and treat it correctly.
Views - what does it look like?
There are several types of prickly heat, they differ in the type, nature of the rash, the duration of the pathological effects of sweat, the degree of miliary. Parents may well encounter any of these species. It should be understood that the specific name of the type of prickly heat gives little in deciding the question of treatment - for almost all types of ailment, the therapy is almost identical.
We will talk about it below, but for now let's figure out what kind of prickly heat struck your baby.
- Crystalline. The classic version, the simplest and most harmless. Small blisters appear in places where sweat is exposed, which are not accompanied by signs of inflammation or infection. Small bubbles are most often seen in the hair growth zone on the head, neck, behind the ears, but other locations are very likely. Crystalline miliary disease often occurs in children after an illness with a high fever. After the temperature, in a day, it is this small and medium-sized rash that may already appear.
- Red. With this type of prickly heat, it can be assumed that the destructive effect of sweat on the child's vulnerable skin was longer. The rash is red, around small inflamed eminences (in the area of the ducts), the skin swells a little. Separate elevations - tubercles, do not merge with each other, they are clearly distinguishable.
- White. With miliary with this name, the blisters on the skin contain a whitish or slightly yellowish liquid. If such a bubble bursts, a light "plaque" remains in its place. Such prickly heat itches and causes inconvenience to the baby.
- Deep. In most cases, the inflammation is superficial. And only with a deep lesion occurs in the deeper layers of the skin. Blisters with light-colored contents appear on the baby's skin. They quickly burst or dissolve spontaneously. After that, nothing is completely invisible at the site of the blister.
Any type of prickly heat can become complicated and turn into diaper rash or an infected type of miliary. With diaper rash, the inflammation is deep and rather diffuse in the area of the lesion. Quite often, the skin that surrounds the site of exposure to sweat becomes inflamed. Often, diaper rash is represented by weeping and very painful eczema.
Infected miliary occurs when pathogenic bacteria or fungal flora enter the affected skin (for any type of lesion listed above).
Most often in childhood, prickly heat is diagnosed, complicated by the joined staphylococcus. Complicated prickly heat looks like an inflammatory lesion with pustules.
Clinical picture
The main symptom is simple and obvious: the toddler has a rash. Most often it can be seen in the folds, as well as on the head, on the back and chest, under the arm or groin, between the buttocks. On the bottom, on the back and on the abdomen, signs of local irritation usually appear in children whose parents practice tight swaddling.
There may be no other symptoms. It all depends on the temperament of the child, on the degree of miliary, on his individual sensitivity. Some children tolerate the situation quite calmly, while others demonstrate the full spectrum of childhood "suffering" - impaired appetite, whims and unstable sleep. When touching the affected skin area, the child feels pain, itching, discomfort.
Infected types of prickly heat manifest themselves in a clearer clinical picture:
- the temperature rises (up to 37.0-37.8 degrees);
- a light bloom, bleeding cracks, abscesses appear on the affected skin;
- the general condition worsens.
When assessing symptoms, it is important for parents to understand that they can cope with most types of miliary disease on their own, without resorting to the help of doctors.
However, eczema, diaper rash and infected miliary require mandatory consultation with a pediatrician or pediatric dermatologist, since the treatment will differ from the usual scheme just as much as the bacteria that affect the skin, fungi or the depth of the eczema lesion can be.
Causes of occurrence
To understand why prickly heat has appeared for a baby, you need to know that sweat is released not just like that, but in order to cool the body when overheating. If the child is hot, the sweat glands work more intensively, and the sweat is formed many times more. It gets on the skin and evaporates, releasing part of the heat that is superfluous for the child's body into the environment.
But we already know that the ducts of the sweat glands of children are narrow, profuse sweating leads to their blockage. Inflammation begins. Sweat that gets on the inflamed areas from adjacent ducts, which are still passable for fluid, leads to a deterioration of the former.
What factors can cause such pathological processes:
- non-observance of the temperature regime (the room is hot);
- the wrong choice of clothes (the child is cramped in it or too hot);
- uncomfortable shoes (tight shoes or sandals made of "non-breathing" materials cause inflammation on the legs, on the feet, between the toes);
- excessive use of cosmetics and detergents for the skin (the acid balance is disturbed, the skin becomes more vulnerable, and even a small blockage of several ducts can lead to extensive and deep prickly heat);
- violation of hygiene rules (rare diaper change, insufficient child care);
- viral and other diseases (at high temperatures, the body is forced to "give off" excess heat in order to exclude the development of hyperthermia).
Parents of children who are tied up, protected from any draft, as well as children who are bathed with soap every day, often turn to doctors with complaints of prickly heat. In the risk group for the greatest susceptibility to miliary disease are children suffering from allergies (with local manifestation), chubby children with overweight or obesity, babies with congenital or acquired diabetes mellitus. More often than others, prickly heat develops in children with rickets, frequent diarrhea, seborrheic dermatitis.
Prickly heat "plagues" premature babies and babies, for some reason deprived of breast milk and are artificially fed.
There are also reasons that can be safely attributed to the category of common parenting mistakes and mistakes:
- the use of fatty creams and products ("Baby cream", oils used for massage, if used very often, cause mechanical forced closure of the ducts and the development of miliary);
- the use of warming lotions and compresses (wraps, cans, and other methods of heating, for example, for a cold, quite often cause increased sweating in a certain area of the skin, which is exposed to intense heat);
- things made of synthetic and semi-synthetic fabric (in which the skin is unable to ensure normal evaporation of sweat);
- a poor quality diaper that does not fit.
The most important thing to remember is that a child who is dressed for the weather, who grows up in an apartment where parents monitor the required air temperature, will rarely suffer from prickly heat in particular and other ailments associated with a violation of heat metabolism in general.
Difference from allergies and other diseases
The biggest problem that parents face is the difficulty of differential diagnosis of prickly heat and allergies. Indeed, sometimes it is quite difficult to figure out why the rash appeared - because of overheating or because of the complementary foods that mother gave the little one the day before. And it is necessary to find out.
Look at the child carefully. Miliaria is most often "based" where sweat separation can be difficult - folds of the skin, hairline, the area under the diaper, places where clothes, shoes, diapers touch (rub).
On open and "ventilated" areas of the skin, prickly heat practically does not happen. While allergy does not choose a location, it can manifest itself on absolutely any part of the body.
Thus, if the baby woke up with a reddish rash on the face, forehead, arms (open part), legs (not on the feet), then with a high degree of probability we are talking about an allergic reaction to something. A rash and redness on the bottom or shoulders (if swaddling is used) is miliary.
But what if a rash appears on the body where it can theoretically occur both with allergies and with prickly heat? Do a simple home test. It is called airy. A child covered with a questionable rash, undress and leave alone for several hours. Without clothes and a diaper, with constant access to air, prickly heat quickly passes, after a couple of hours the inflammation decreases. If the rash is of an allergic nature, no visible changes will occur to them.
From chickenpox, measles and other viral diseases, in which a rash also appears, prickly heat differs in the number of symptoms. With miliary skin rashes are practically the only symptom. With infectious ailments, the temperature will rise, symptoms of intoxication will appear, the rash will spread very quickly throughout the body.
Call a doctor at home if you suspect an infectious disease, go to see him - if you suspect an allergy. It also makes sense to invite a pediatric doctor to a newborn for any rash. If the child is not even a month old, it is not recommended to do diagnostics on his own at home. This is the task of specialists.
If you can't tell the difference, you should call a doctor, this is especially important when it comes to the appearance of a rash in a newborn - a child from birth to 28 days.
Therapy - general rules
Getting rid of prickly heat is completely easy, it is only important to follow the basic rules for treating this unpleasant ailment. In all cases, if there is no talk of prickly heat in infants complicated by infections, treatment is allowed at home. This means that proper care will fall entirely on the shoulders of parents or other relatives.
To begin with, parents will have to reconsider their attitude to the concept of "warmth". The comfortable and optimal air temperature in the room should not exceed 21-22 degrees. The air humidity in the children's room should not deviate from the basic parameters by 50-70%. Such a climate may seem too cold.
Don't trust your adult perception - your thermoregulation is completely different. Baby's skin and baby's immunity in general will benefit from just such a climate.
This means that in winter, you should lower the heating temperature, and it will not hurt to purchase a humidifier that will maintain the set humidity. If prickly heat happened in the summer, again you need to check whether the microclimate parameters in your apartment correspond to the specified norm. If not, ventilate, moisturize, and after a couple of days there will be no trace of prickly heat.
Pay attention to how the child is dressed. All synthetic and semi-synthetic items should be removed from the children's wardrobe and replaced with clothes made from natural fabrics. Try not to tangle your baby. This also applies to being in the house and walking on the street. He will sweat if he has more clothes on than the situation requires. If the child is very young, buy him undershirts and romper pants, which are sewn out with seams to eliminate friction and aggravation of miliary disease.
Don't be afraid to leave your toddler naked more often. Air baths have not hurt anyone yet. This is an effective "recipe" for prickly heat and an excellent way to boost immunity. Bathing should be a daily procedure, keep your skin clean, but refuse the regular use of detergents - foams and gels, soaps, even if the packaging says that the product is child-friendly and hypoallergenic.
With prickly heat, sunbathing is also useful for a child - sunbathe in the country in some panties, feel free to go to bathe your baby on the sea or in the river. This is also an important element in strengthening the immune system, including local, skin.
You can remove rashes and cure miliary disease with an ointment or cream approved by a pediatrician. You are required to use them correctly, strictly in accordance with the attached instructions.All products, which we will discuss below, should be applied to clean skin.
Preparations for children
The main thing that parents should remember is that the remedy for prickly heat should not have a greasy moisturizing base. When you apply baby cream, which mothers and grandmothers love so much, the inflammation will only intensify.
Prickly heat is treated exclusively by means that have a drying effect. It is not bad if the drug has an additional effect and creates a thin protective film on the affected surface.
Our list will help you choose the right drug:
- "Sudokrem" - a product based on zinc oxide. Dries and protects the affected area on the skin from bacteria and fungi. Has a water-repellent base. It is absolutely harmless and non-toxic, and therefore should be in the family's first aid kit, in which children of any age grow up.
- "Chlorophyllipt" - a tool that will help you quickly cope with even significant diaper rash. For children, you should choose a drug in the form of an oil substance or an external spray. Eucalyptus leaf extract promotes rapid healing and resists bacteria. If the baby is prone to allergies, use it with caution and only after consulting a doctor.
- "Bepanten" - a popular and beloved product by parents. Can be used at any age. The composition contains dexpanthenol and vitamins of group B. The cream quickly heals dry elements of prickly heat, but is categorically contraindicated for weeping eczema, since it has a slight moisturizing effect.
- "Zinc ointment" - an inexpensive, but very effective tool, the composition of which can be guessed by the name. It is applied in a thin layer, while it is imperative to lubricate not only the elements of the rash, but also the adjacent skin integuments in order to enhance the effect and prevent infectious infection.
- "Dexpanthenol" - a product that comes in the form of a gel, cream and external solution. You can choose absolutely any of the pharmacological forms for your baby. They are well tolerated by children of all ages.
- "Desitin" - a remedy that is useful in the presence of diaper rash and eczema. In addition to zinc oxide, the product contains cod liver oil for the early restoration of damaged skin layers. The tool has a powerful drying effect, it is considered not the best choice for treating a child under the age of 12 months.
- "Tsindol" - an ointment that can be ordered at any pharmacy with its own prescription department. It is made to order. The tool belongs to the category of drying, anti-inflammatory, anti-itching. For young children, be sure to consult a doctor before using.
All these drugs will perfectly cope with any form of prickly heat and even diaper rash. Their use does not require special special medical skills. But if pustules have already formed on the baby's skin and we are talking about complicated miliary disease, then other drugs will be needed. More powerful "artillery" is needed to destroy bacteria that thrive on damaged skin.
In this case, you need to keep drugs with antibiotics for external use in the first-aid kit and other means:
- ointment "Levomekol";
- "Erythromycin" ointment;
- powder "Baneocin";
- brilliant green solution;
- Fukortsin.
How and what to use from this list, the doctor will tell. Parents should remember that it is strictly forbidden to apply all these aniline dyes to mucous membranes, and when using antibacterial ointments, the frequency of application should be taken into account and the mode of use should be observed without exceeding the dosage.
Try to avoid baby powder if your baby has weeping diaper rash or pustules. For other forms of miliary disease, use a reasonable amount of powder, infrequently, to prevent excessive dryness of the skin.
Prevention
It doesn't take much to save your baby from prickly heat. It is important not to overheat the child - not to dress too warmly, not to cover with a warm blanket at night, if it is June. Tight swaddling with a "soldier" or "column" is an ambiguous question. If there are no special medical recommendations to swaddle the baby in this way, it is better to refuse him. This will reduce the incidence of prickly heat.
Dress your child in things made from natural fabrics, and this wish is relevant even if your teenager is growing up - during puberty, under the influence of hormones, sweating becomes more intense. In summer, the child can be bathed up to 2-4 times a day, the main thing is not to use soap with each bath.
The timely reaction of parents to the initial elements of prickly heat will help to avoid complications.
Do not disregard them - any manifestation of miliary is easier to treat at the initial stage. Sometimes it is enough just to rinse well once and treat the affected skin area with one of the above drugs, so that the miliary disease stops and disappears.
Reviews
On the Internet there are many informative and useful reviews of mothers who prefer to treat prickly sweat to their children with folk remedies. So, good and quick results are obtained by bathing in a bath with the addition of a decoction of a string or an infusion of bay leaves. You can also use chamomile decoction for bathing.
You should avoid celandine and other herbs that contain substances dangerous to babies. These herbs are more suitable for adolescents and middle school children. Moms emphasize that Before using herbs, you should make sure that your child is not allergic to them. For this, a small drop of the prepared broth or infusion is applied to the back of the child's palm. If after an hour there is no redness or swelling, you can take phytovanna.
It is important not to overdo it - not every bathing should be carried out with phyto-remedies, and the general course of phyto-baths should not exceed 10 days (when used every 2-3 days).
In order not to confuse the child and dress him correctly, experienced mothers advise to adhere to the "+1" rule. This means that the child should be wearing the same amount of clothing as you are, but one more item. It is best to be guided by your own feelings - if it is hot for you outside in a light sundress, then it is absolutely merciless to insist that the child has a second undershirt.
For advice from a dermatologist on treating prickly heat in babies, see the video below.
