Infant Heat Rash
Infant Heat Rash
Heat rash is most common in babies and young infants when they become overheated, either because it is too warm outside or they are simply overdressed or have a fever. Although having an infant heat rash is common, it is likely not as common as many parents believe. It is typical to call any red rash kids may have when it is hot outside a heat rash.
Learning to distinguish heat rash from other common skin rashes, such as impetigo, eczema, folliculitis, and poison ivy, can be helpful so that you can properly treat and prevent this common rash. Though heat rash can affect anyone, newborns are most susceptible. As the name implies, infant heat rash is triggered in certain children when they become overheated, either because they are overdressed or because it is simply too hot outside. As they become hot and sweat, their sweat ducts become blocked and rupture.
Because a newborn’s sweat ducts aren’t fully developed, they rupture easily, trapping perspiration beneath the skin. This happens most often in hot weather, but it can occur anytime infants are dressed too warmly. Newborns who have high fevers or are in incubators can also develop blocked sweat ducts. The inflamed sweat ducts look like small bumps with a red halo around them and can usually be found grouped together under a child’s clothing and inside the folds of his skin, such as his neck, armpits, and groin. Infants who wear a hat may also get a heat rash on their forehead and scalp. Most often, heat rash goes away on its own. Severe forms of heat rash may need medical care, but the best way to relieve symptoms is to cool your skin and prevent sweating.
Mild heat rash doesn’t require any other treatment, but more severe forms may need topical therapies to relieve discomfort and prevent complications. Topical treatments may include things like calamine lotion to soothe itching or lanolin, which may help prevent duct blockage and stop new lesions from forming. Topical steroids are often used in the most serious cases. Some anecdotal evidence supports the use of oral vitamin C supplements to help relieve heat rash also. However you should contact your health care provider if your child experiencing any of the following symptoms:
* A fever or other unexplained symptoms associated with the rash
* Any areas that look wet, oozing, or red, which are signs of infection
* A rash that extends beyond the diaper area
* A rash that is worse in the skin creases
* A rash, spots, blister, or discoloration and is younger than 3 months
* Blisters
* No improvement after 3 days of home treatment
* Significant scratching
Prickly Heat Rash
Prickly Heat Rash
Prickly heat rash or miliaria rubra is the most common type of heat rash. In this form of heat rash, the sweat duct becomes red and inflamed, and may cause a ‘prickling’ or stinging sensation. This type of heat rash may also cause mild itching. There are three types of miliaria, which are classified according to where the sweat ducts are blocked.
§ Miliaria rubra. Occurring deeper in the outer layer of skin, miliaria rubra causes red bumps that are intensely itchy or prickly, giving rise to its common name, prickly heat rash. There is often little or no sweating in the affected areas. Adults can develop miliaria rubra shortly after they’re exposed to hot weather, but the rash more often appears after several months of exposure. Infants usually develop this type of heat rash between the first and third weeks of life.
§ Miliaria crystallina. The mildest form of heat rash, this affects the sweat ducts in the stratum corneum, the topmost layer of skin. Miliaria crystallina is marked by tiny, clear, superficial blisters and bumps (papules) that break easily but aren’t itchy or painful. It usually clears on its own in a few days but can come back if hot, humid weather persists. And though it’s most common in newborns, adults can develop it, too, especially if they’ve recently moved from a temperate climate to the tropics.
§ Miliaria profunda. A less common form of heat rash, miliaria profunda occurs mainly in adults who have had repeat bouts of miliaria rubra. It affects the dermis, a deeper layer of skin, and appears soon after exercise or any activity that causes sweating. The lesions are firm and flesh-colored, much like goose bumps. Though it’s not uncomfortable, miliaria profunda can cause a widespread lack of perspiration, leading to symptoms of heat exhaustion, such as dizziness, nausea and a rapid pulse.
The best treatment for any form of heat rash is to reduce sweating by staying in air-conditioned buildings or, when that’s not possible, using fans to circulate the air, wearing lightweight clothing made of fabrics that breathe and limiting physical activity. Once skin is cool, heat rash tends to clear quickly.
Occasionally, heat rash becomes infected with bacteria, causing inflamed and itchy pustules. This is especially common in children in diapers but shouldn’t be confused with diaper rash, which results from irritation to tender skin, not from blocked pores. In hot weather, people with miliaria profunda are at risk of heat exhaustion, which can cause low blood pressure, nausea, headache and a rapid pulse. Untreated heat exhaustion can lead to heatstroke, a life-threatening condition.
