Identify 6 common types of red rashes in children

Distinguish the 6 common types of rashes in children. Red rashes with different appearances often appear on different parts of the baby's skin. Parents who are confused about the situation often feel very nervous and don't know what infection the baby has. I don’t know what the disease is or whether I need to take the baby to see a doctor immediately. This article has specially sorted out 6 common red rashes in babies and their causes, with professional doctors explaining the treatments and care in detail for the reference of dads and moms.

Newborn babies have thin skin and a strong metabolism. Any physical condition can easily show up on the skin. For new parents, it is an introductory topic in childcare and care. "Red rash" is the most common skin condition, and the most common ones are the following six~ When rash appears on the body, it may be... 1. Atopic dermatitis

In the children's clinic, there are often Parents come to see a doctor with a newborn with a rash, worried about whether their child has atopic dermatitis. Dr. Xu Dengqin, the author of "New Parents Easy Parenting with No Worries" believes that in fact, most babies have atopic dermatitis. It will slowly appear after 3 months of age, and parents often worry too early.

Atopic dermatitis with a typical appearance of rash will first appear on the cheeks, chin, in front of the ears, hairline, etc., with some red patches and some oozing. After the discharge, the skin becomes rough and squamous, and gradually the neck, chest, elbows, knees and ankles will become red and inflamed with thick scurf.

Dr. Shen Zhongmin of the Department of Pediatrics of Cathay Hospital pointed out that unlike the small red rashes that commonly occur when newborns are born, the appearance of atopic dermatitis is not a patchy red rash, but an entire rash. The patch feels rough to the touch. In severe cases, the inside of the child's elbow bend, behind the knee, calf, and arms will feel rough and dry to the touch. At this time, it is suspected that atopic dermatitis may be at work!

Extended reading: What are the little red spots that often appear on babies’ faces? Teach you to quickly identify 8 types of rash symptoms

The cause of the formation, Dr. Xu Dengqin, explained that the stratum corneum of normal skin has the function of retaining water and oil, and one of the key proteins is "polykeratin" "Microfilaments" can build the skin cell skeleton into a tight and strong shape to prevent the invasion of foreign objects. They can also be converted into "natural moisturizing factors" in the stratum corneum to retain moisture and maintain the normal pH value of the skin.

However, patients with atopic dermatitis have insufficient keratin microfilaments, causing the barrier function of the stratum corneum to malfunction; on the other hand, the lipids between the cells in their skin's stratum corneum and the adhesion between cells are impaired. The amount of "ceramides" is not enough, and the skin cannot retain oil; to make matters worse, the skin itching caused by C nerve fibers leads to a vicious cycle of "itching → scratching → skin inflammation worsening → more itching". !

Characteristics of red rash Dr. Xu Dengqin pointed out that children suffering from atopic dermatitis often cannot bear the extreme itching and cannot help but scratch the affected area, causing skin rupture, bleeding, bacterial infection, and self-inflicted wounds. After scratching until there is no complete skin, over a period of time, the skin will thicken, become lichenified, and appear like white pityriasis. Usually, children suffering from atopic dermatitis will have lesions of various stages on their body at the same time, accompanied by large and small Wounds often affect their quality of life.

Dr. Shen Zhongmin believes that most babies will gradually improve after 6 to 8 months, and because the reaction of this problem on the skin is relatively superficial, it is unlikely to damage the dermis. , so generally there will be no scars after recovery; however, there are also children who have recurring attacks after 1 to 2 years old, and the treatment methods are actually similar. Although it is possible to completely recover from atopic dermatitis, the most troublesome thing is Frequent recurring attacks.

Treatment and care Since atopic dermatitis is caused by an allergic reaction of the skin and the skin easily loses moisture, Dr. Shen Zhongmin believes that the first priority in care is to moisturize. If the baby's condition is still serious after moisturizing, and the skin continues to break and tissue fluid leaks out, it must be treated with medication. Although the commonly used medications contain steroids, there is no need to worry too much about short-term use. Apply the medication for 5 to 7 days. , after improvement, the medication can be stopped after a doctor's evaluation, but moisturizing work must still be continued.

Dr. Shen Zhongmin said that the skin of babies with atopic dermatitis often oozes water. In severe cases, moisturizing lotion or ointment may not be able to be applied. At this time, you can rub a little tea water to make the affected area converge, but the skin will become irritated after convergence. If it becomes very dry, be sure to apply moisturizing lotion or ointment next! As for the popular Red Infant Water, due to its uncertain composition, it is best not to use it.

If the condition does not improve, it is recommended that the mother try to feed the least allergenic breast milk, or consider giving the baby hydrolyzed formula milk powder to reduce allergens. 2. Toxic erythema

There are actually a variety of different rashes on babies’ faces, each with its own characteristics. Dr. Shen Zhongmin pointed out that if a rash is found on a baby that is just 1 to 2 weeks old, the most common one is erythema toxicum.

Appearance of erythema Dr. Xu Dengqin said that toxic erythema is characterized by irregular, red patches on the skin with small yellow blisters about 1 to 2 mm in size in the center. Most of them appear on Chest, abdomen, and rarely on face or limbs.

The cause of the formation of toxic erythema is still unknown, but what is certain is that there are no real toxins in the body. Dr. Xu Dengqin pointed out that if the fluid in these blisters is looked at under a microscope, It is full of eosinophilic white blood cells. It is speculated that it may be an adaptation process of the baby after being exposed to the external environment (such as swags, beds, adult hands, etc.).

Characteristics of erythema Dr. Shen Zhongmin said that toxic erythema is not caused by infection, is neither painful nor itchy, and most will disappear after 1 to 2 weeks.

Treatment and Care No treatment or treatment is required.

Further reading: Is infantile roseola contagious? Do you want to reduce the baby's fever? 3. Milia

Milia is a hyperplasia of the stratum corneum caused by poor metabolism. It is a common rash in newborns and is also called "heat rash".

Appearance of rash: Some small red rashes. Dr. Xu Dengqin pointed out that clinically, there can be three different skin appearance types according to the location of sweat gland obstruction:

1. When the sweat gland is blocked on the surface of the skin: you can see small, clear and shiny skin. The blisters are all over the baby's forehead. If they are broken accidentally, drops of sweat will flow out

2. When the sweat glands are blocked in the epidermis: the baby's skin will be red, The small pimples are like "prickly heat". Although they don't itch, they sting very much.

3. When the sweat glands are blocked in the deeper dermis: they look like white papules, which are often seen on the nose of newborns after birth, similar to whiteheads. .

Causes of formation: Miliary rash is caused by the obstruction of the sweat gland outlet. A common situation is when the baby is dressed too stuffy or too hot, and this kind of red rash is easy to develop.

Characteristics of rash: How to distinguish milia caused by blocked sweat gland outlets from acne caused by blocked sebaceous gland outlets? Dr. Xu Dengqin said that the easiest way to distinguish is that the former is a rash that is not related to hair, while the latter is a rash that grows together with hair follicles!

Treatment and care: Solving the problem of heat rash is actually very simple. Just make the environment cool and ventilated or give the baby some air-conditioning to improve the condition. In addition, you can also apply prickly heat ointment to relieve the pain. feeling of discomfort. Dr. Shen Zhongmin reminds parents that when they see miliary rash, parents should not squeeze it because they are too worried, otherwise there may be wound infection problems. Identify 6 common red rashes in children 4. Newborn acne

Do you know? Acne is not just for adolescent children, it can happen to babies too! Why do babies also get acne? How is it different from teenage acne?

The appearance of red rashes usually occurs on the cheeks and forehead. Some of them look like whiteheads, and some look like blackheads. If they become inflamed or infected with bacteria, they can easily form pustules.

The reason is that in the later stages of pregnancy, the androgen in the mother's body will be relatively high, which will affect the baby's pores due to androgen and sebaceous gland hyperplasia after birth, and the baby will look like puberty. Pimples break out.

Characteristics of red rash: After the baby is born, he will no longer receive hormones from the mother. Generally, the acne will slowly disappear after about 2 or 3 months.

Treatment and care The most important thing in care is to keep it clean. Just wash the affected area with clean water. Generally, it will be cured after the sebaceous glands return to normal. Dr. Shen Zhongmin said that if the condition is more serious, you can follow the doctor's instructions and apply some eczema ointment. However, if the affected area has suppurated and formed pustules, be careful that it may be a secondary bacterial infection and must be treated with antibiotics.

Dr. Xu Dengqin specially reminds parents not to use adult skin care products for their babies. The ingredients in them are not suitable for their babies’ tender skin! 5. Fungal infection

Fungal infection is actually divided into many different parts. For babies, the most common one is diaper rash on the skin in the diaper area due to Candida infection, because wearing a diaper can cause the baby to have diaper rash. Farts are relatively stuffy and can easily lead to fungal infections.

In addition, some red pimples are often seen on babies' necks, especially those who are chubby. Due to the hot and humid skin folds, it is easy for mold to breed. This is also A type of candida infection. Even the so-called "thrush" can be caused by Candida infection in the baby's mouth.

The appearance of red rash. The characteristic of fungal infection is small red pimples growing on the moist and sticky skin. If it is thrush, the appearance will be a white film that looks like milk scale. Remove it with force. Although it can be removed by rubbing it, it may bleed.

Causes: A hot and humid environment is conducive to the growth of mold, and illness and low immunity can also make the body susceptible to mold attack and infection.

Fungal infections with red rash characteristics sometimes appear in more than one part of the body. Therefore, when symptoms appear on the baby's neck, the doctor will usually check his groin, where Candida often grows at the same time. Characteristics They are small red papules scattered like satellites, located on the scrotum or vagina and extending to the groin or even buttocks skin. Babies with Candida infection must also check their mouths again, because parents can easily introduce mold into their mouths while taking care of their babies.

Dr. Shen Zhongmin believes that it is acceptable for babies under 3 years old to have fungal infections, but if they are 4 or 5 years old and such a situation still occurs, parents should be careful to see if it may be the baby's infection. If the resistance is particularly low, it is necessary to consider whether there is a problem with the immune system.

Treatment and care Dr. Xu Dengqin said that treatment must use antifungal ointments and improve the warm, hot and humid skin environment (such as changing diapers frequently) to achieve a radical cure. If there is candida infection in the mouth, in order to eliminate all possible sources of infection, the baby's bottle spout and pacifier must be boiled in water for 3 minutes to kill the mold. Steaming in a sterilizer is not enough. If you are breastfeeding, the mother must also receive treatment and apply ointment on the vagina. Otherwise, candida will be left on the mother's vagina when the baby sucks milk, and it will be put on the mother's vagina the next time she breastfeeds. Candida is passed back into your baby's mouth, passed around, and oral candida will never go away.

Dr. Shen Zhongmin also added that a common mistake is for parents to buy ointments to treat their babies. This is likely to make the condition more serious. Please remember to use anti-fungal products for fungal infections. medicine will be effective. 6. Seborrheic dermatitis

Infantile seborrheic dermatitis often occurs when the baby is about 1 month old. It commonly occurs on the scalp, eyebrows, behind the ears, cheeks, etc.

Most of the rash will appear on the baby’s scalp or eyebrows. It is characterized by patches of yellow, thick, oily flakes or scabs. In severe cases, it may become red and bleed. Soup, cracked, looks very distressing.

Causes of formation Dr. Shen Zhongmin pointed out that seborrheic dermatitis occurs because of the strong secretion of sebaceous glands in babies. In fact, many babies' skin problems are caused by drastic changes in the environment. Just imagine, a baby has been exposed to water since the mother's womb and is born into a world where it is exposed to air and is drier. The baby's skin must adapt. , before you fully adapt, you may experience symptoms such as excessive oiliness, excessive dryness, skin hyperplasia, etc.

Characteristics of red rash Generally speaking, seborrheic dermatitis is not a symptom of the disease. When the baby is about 6 to 8 months old and the metabolism and skin adaptation conditions gradually improve, the symptoms will slow down. Disappear slowly.

Treatment and care In ancient times, a thick layer of sesame oil was applied to the baby's head to soften the sebum, and then the flakes or scabs were slowly picked off. However, seborrheic dermatitis will It happens over and over again. When the old ones fall off, new ones will grow back soon. They will not disappear until the sebaceous glands naturally shrink.

Dr. Shen Zhongmin believes that in most cases there is no need to tear off the scab unless it causes discomfort to the baby. Sesame oil can also be replaced with baby oil. It usually heals naturally after a period of time without leaving scars.

Dr. Xu Dengqin pointed out that if there is a serious inflammation during this period, the doctor can prescribe steroid ointment. Generally, it will ease after 2 to 3 days, and it will be completely cured in about 4 months. Yes, it just looks a bit ugly. Parents don’t need to worry too much. Does your baby need immediate medical attention?

When a rash appears on a baby, how should parents judge whether they need to take the baby to the doctor immediately? Doctor Shen Zhongmin believes that if the baby has a fever in addition to a rash, he should seek medical treatment immediately; if there is no fever but itching, it may be an allergy and needs treatment; if there is no pain or itching, parents can first Take a look. Sometimes the baby's body will become red and have some rashes just after taking a bath, but most of them will be fine soon and return to normal on their own!