Prickly heat

General description of the disease

Miliaria is a form of dermatitis, in which skin irritation occurs due to excessive heat and sweating. As a rule, young children suffer from prickly heat, since their skin is very thin and sensitive. Adults are less prone to prickly heat, usually people who are overweight and prefer dense synthetic clothing ^[3].

All people sweat, regardless of gender or age. During overheating, the body turns on protection – it opens the pores through which sweat appears, then it evaporates and sometimes irritates the skin, since it contains biologically active substances and salt. There are always microbes on the human skin, which begin to multiply actively, interacting with excess sweat, thereby causing inflammation and blockage of the sweat glands, which leads to a small rash – prickly heat.

Causes of prickly heat

As a rule, with prickly heat, closed areas of the body that lack ventilation are affected:

1. 1 the area under the underwear – swimming trunks, bra;
2. 2 the inner side of the thighs when overweight;
3. 3 the skin behind the ears if the person has very thick hair;
4. 4 skin under the mammary glands;
5. 5 in women, the forehead is under the bangs;
6. 6 in men, areas of the body that are abundantly covered with hair: chest, arms, back, legs;
7. 7 groin, armpits.

The development of this type of dermatitis can be facilitated by:

• failure in the immune system, high blood glucose levels, overweight;
• high fever and fever;
• hot humid climate;
• clothing and underwear made of synthetic and dense fabrics;
• microtrauma of the skin;
• the use of aggressive household chemicals;
• non-compliance with hygiene rules;
• drinking alcoholic beverages;
• increased sweating – hyperhidrosis;
• the use of tonal creams that are dense in structure on hot days;
• pathology of the cardiovascular system;
• intense physical activity^[4].

Most often, babies suffer from prickly heat, since their sweat glands are not yet fully formed. Tight swaddling, untimely diaper change, insufficient air baths provoke prickly heat in babies.

Types and symptoms of prickly heat

There are 3 clinical forms of this pathology:

1. 1 papular looks like a rash of very small flesh-colored bubbles, up to 2 mm in size. More often it affects the chest, abdomen and limbs of adults, occurs in hot weather with high humidity;
2. 2 red is a tiny nodule filled with unclear contents, surrounded by a red border. The size of the nodules is also up to 2 mm. This form affects the places of friction of the skin; between the thighs, under the breast, in the groin, in children in the diaper area. The nodules do not merge into one spot; at high air temperature and high humidity, the patient is worried about unbearable itching;
3. 3 crystal typical for babies. It looks like white bubbles, no more than 1 mm in size, which merge, burst, become covered with crusts and scales, become infected and turn into small pustules. Affects the neck, back, shoulders and face.

With prickly heat, patients, and especially babies, suffer from unbearable itching and can only fall asleep in a cool room, since the itching intensifies at high temperatures.

Complications of sweating

This, at first glance, an unremarkable disease with untimely therapy can cause a lot of trouble. In the smallest wounds that appear after the bubbles have burst, pathogenic bacteria can enter and ulcers form in their place, which quickly spread over the skin and can transform into pyoderma. With incorrect treatment of the papular form, prickly heat can be complicated by microbial eczema, which can take months and years to heal.

In some cases, a complicated form of the disease requires serious therapy in the form of antibiotics, antihistamines and immunomodulators.

Prevention of sweating

In order to prevent the development of prickly heat, you should:

• observe the rules of hygiene – take a shower and change linen every day;
• maintain a comfortable temperature at home and at work, prevent overheating;
• use antiperspirants;
• give preference to clothing made from natural fabrics;
• give up physical activity on hot days;
• avoid prolonged exposure to the sun;
• abandon tight swaddling of babies, use only high-quality diapers, abandon synthetics, regularly air baths for babies.

Treatment of prickly heat in official medicine

This skin condition can develop at any time of the year, but it tends to be of greatest concern in the summer when people sweat. It is necessary to be treated from the very first days when the first signs appear, then you can get rid of prickly heat in 7-14 days. If treatment is not started on time, the sweat glands are depleted and the skin becomes dry.

1. 1 treatment of infants… Newborns are not yet adapted to the external environment, as adults, therefore, most often they suffer from this pathology. If there are rashes on the skin, then you should bathe the baby twice a day in a decoction of chamomile or a series, take air baths several times a day, refuse to use creams and oils during treatment, use a powder, you can treat the skin with zinc-sallicylic ointment;
2. 2 adult treatment you should start by eliminating the causes that led to the development of the disease. It is necessary to choose clothes made of cotton or linen, on hot days, refuse to use cosmetics that clog pores, treat damaged areas of the skin with a solution of salicylic acid or potassium permanganate. To relieve itching, it is recommended to take antihistamines, and in case of bacterial infection, antibiotics should be taken. Rashes of zinc-based ointments dry well. If increased sweating is provoked by a high body temperature, then the doctor will prescribe antipyretic drugs. If sweating is caused by a nervous breakdown, then sedatives are taken.

Attention!

The administration is not responsible for any attempt to use the information provided, and does not guarantee that it will not harm you personally. The materials cannot be used to prescribe treatment and make a diagnosis. Always consult your specialist doctor!