Traditionally, most people associate chickenpox with a sick baby whose body is dotted with green spots. These are traces of treatment of the vesicles with brilliant green, the most commonly used remedy for chickenpox. Many parents don’t even think about why brilliant green is used for chickenpox and treat vesicles in children the same way they were treated in childhood. The peculiar “green” tradition has firmly taken root and today few people imagine a baby with other types of vesicle processing.
The role of brilliant green in the treatment of chickenpox
Due to the fact that the use of brilliant green has been actively cultivated among Soviet parents for a long time, the connection with the concepts of “brilliant” and “treatment” has become firmly established in the public consciousness. In fact, brilliant green does not treat a herpetic rash, since the vesicles must go through four stages in their development and the brilliant green solution cannot interrupt them.
Therefore, green paint for chickenpox in children cannot cure the patient of the rash and a certain number of vesicles will still appear on the baby’s body. In European countries, for this reason, brilliant green is not used at all for children who have chickenpox.
Why then do they smear the patient with brilliant green if it is so useless? The answer is simple, but few people think about it. The fact is that chickenpox is a highly contagious disease. The disease is transmitted in several ways, including airborne droplets and household contact, which makes it easy to get chickenpox. According to the results of the study, it is enough to spend 5 minutes in a room with a sick child, who is contagious to others, just as a healthy child also catches chickenpox.
The period of special danger posed by a sick baby can be easily noticed by the appearance of chickenpox rash - the child is contagious from the moment the pimple first appears until the last vesicle appears. On average, the process takes from 5 to 8 days, but for a more accurate calculation it is recommended to use special markers that will help you understand when chickenpox acne stopped appearing on the baby’s body.
It is for this purpose that a solution of brilliant green is used, which allows new vesicles to be marked with bright spots. As soon as the baby no longer has a fresh rash in the morning, the infectious phase of the disease can be considered over. From this moment on, the child does not pose a danger to others, although there are still spots on his body. But in this case, the internal contents of the bubbles have already entered the fight against the immune system and are neutralized.
Brilliant green solution is not a completely useless remedy. The liquid dries out herpetic rash perfectly. Therefore, it is necessary to smear chickenpox with green paint in case of a wet version of the pathology. If a baby scratches itchy blisters, they can cause suppuration when a bacterial infection is attached, and by treating them with brilliant green, this risk is minimized.
Reviews about chickenpox that are written on parent forums often have not just a negative connotation, but almost an openly hostile attitude towards the brilliant green solution. You should not give up brilliant green only because it is “useless” - other drugs for treating vesicles also do not help treat type 3 herpes.
Precautionary measures
- You can't scratch pimples.
- If your hands are dirty, touching the rash is prohibited so as not to accidentally introduce an infection.
- It is advisable to carry out bath procedures when there are no open wounds on the body, and the vesicles and blisters have completely healed.
- Due to the fact that brilliant green dries out the skin, it is not advisable to apply it to healthy areas.
- To reduce pain, you can start taking additional medications after consulting your doctor.
How to properly use brilliant green for chickenpox
When treating chickenpox, it is important to use brilliant green correctly so as not to cause the disease to worsen. Doctors warn that the use of brilliant green solution is allowed only on the surface of the skin. It is prohibited to use brilliant green if there is a herpes rash in the oral cavity.
It is also worth noting one more rule for treating rashes - under no circumstances should you crush the vesicles with a cotton swab on which a solution of brilliant green has been applied. It is necessary to treat only the surface of a whole, undamaged vesicle, because inside it there is a natural process of struggle between viral agents and the patient’s immune system.
If parents doubt the correct use of the solution, it is best to consult a doctor. The pediatrician will tell you how long to treat the rash with brilliant green and how many times a day this should be done.
How to treat a rash
Treatment of chickenpox rashes is as simple as possible - every parent can handle this process. It is best to smear a child with chickenpox with brilliant green immediately after visiting the pediatrician, when the doctor diagnoses chickenpox. All vesicles should be treated clearly within the boundaries of the rash, with a small coverage of the area around the vesicle.
How often to apply green to a child with chickenpox
The treatment regimen for chickenpox rash can be set independently, but at least once a day. Doctors advise applying greenery to chickenpox in the morning in order to examine the child’s body and see new pimples that have appeared that have not yet been treated with greenery. In this case, new vesicles are immediately marked, and old ones, where the green has become barely noticeable, are renewed.
It is also necessary to re-lubricate with brilliant green those pimples that have burst. This will help prevent infection and encourage crusting to form more quickly.
How many days to smear chickenpox with brilliant green
Chickenpox rash must be treated for as many days as acne appears. This “golden” rule must be observed when using other means for treating vesicles. As soon as the last pimple is identified and then they no longer appear, then you can use brilliant green at your own discretion. If the child tolerates the brilliant green solution well and his itching is significantly reduced, then he can continue to smear with brilliant green for chickenpox.
It is recommended to smear with brilliant green on those pimples that have become wet and threaten to fester. This is very important, because the drying and disinfecting effect of brilliant green will help to avoid unsightly scars in the future.
Precautionary measures
When talking about the use of brilliant green, one must take into account the fact that its mechanism of action on the body at the cellular level has been extremely poorly studied. The liquid was invented in Germany in the second half of the 19th century and was used as a technical liquid for marking pathogenic microorganisms and recognizing them under a microscope. Soon the disinfecting properties of the liquid were discovered. It is precisely because of its antiseptic properties that brilliant green began to be used everywhere - not only for treating wounds, but also for the skin during chickenpox.
The solution itself consists of dissolved dye crystals in alcohol. How the dye acts on cells is not yet known, and scientists have never studied this issue, although brilliant green is used everywhere in medicine.
This is why you need to take precautions. Zelenka should not be used for chickenpox on the surface of the mucous membranes - otherwise you can get a chemical burn, because the solution contains 60% ethyl alcohol, which has a negative effect on the mucous membrane.
What is green stuff?
Zelenka is a special disinfectant liquid that has a green color, based on alcohol and aniline pigment. Used to disinfect all kinds of superficial wounds and some skin diseases. Zelenka has the following properties:
- disinfects;
- eliminates inflammation;
- has a drying effect;
- prevents the penetration of pathological microorganisms into the wound;
- for chickenpox helps reduce rashes.
Compared to iodine, brilliant green is safer, as it does not cause burns or allergies to the skin. If you are hypersensitive to the components of brilliant green, the use of this drug is prohibited.
Zelenka does not cure the chickenpox rash, but it significantly alleviates the course of the disease.
Is it necessary to smear chickenpox with green paint?
There are no recommendations for using the brilliant green solution exclusively. Therefore, it is not at all necessary to use a remedy for treating chickenpox rash. Parents who are faced with the problem of chickenpox should not run to the pharmacy - they can also consider other drug options to treat chickenpox rashes.
If you don’t smear chickenpox with green paint, then nothing bad will happen. In a patient with mild itching and no weeping, chickenpox goes away on its own in the shortest possible time. At the same time, the presence or absence of treatment with greenery does not in any way affect recovery.
Liquids
It is recommended to give plenty of warm drinks containing vitamins.
These can be juices, fruit drinks, compotes, etc.
Alkaline mineral water will have a good effect on the patient’s condition - it can remove toxins from the body with urine.
An excellent option would be teas made from rosehip or blackcurrant due to their high content of vitamin C. It has antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects, which is what is needed for chickenpox.
What to replace
There are many worthy drugs that can successfully replace the brilliant green solution at home. Almost all of them have antiseptic properties, are able to relieve itching and accelerate the healing of wounds, turning burst blisters into crusts.
Let's consider what can replace the brilliant green solution for chickenpox, so that the product has the same effect as brilliant green. In this case, doctors recommend using:
“Fukortsin” is a bright crimson liquid that acts like brilliant green and also dries and disinfects the surface of the vesicles. Apply to the surface of the skin in the morning and, if necessary, several times a day on the vesicles that appear. It differs in that it is washed off quite quickly and leaves not such obvious marks as with green paint.
Salicylic alcohol - this product treats the surface of the vesicles in the same way as brilliant green. It is important to remember that salicylic alcohol is best for oily skin. But in a patient with dry skin, alcohol can cause excessive dryness of the skin.
Calamine lotion is an Israeli product. The active components of the product are zinc oxide and calamine. They have a cooling, soothing and disinfecting effect. Apply to the area of the vesicles with a gauze swab; wait until the product dries before putting it on. If it is impossible to purchase lotion, you can use Calamine ointment - it is applied to the surface of the body three times a day.
“Poksklin” is a special remedy for chickenpox. It is used for both mild and severe cases of the disease. Promotes cooling, relieves itching and has a disinfecting effect. Contains bioactive components and acts extremely gently on the surface of the skin without causing allergies. Apply to the skin several times a day;
"Zindol" - zinc oxide with glycerin. Excellent in the treatment of chickenpox. The drug has an anti-inflammatory and disinfecting effect, perfectly dries out weeping wounds and promotes the rapid convergence of crusts. Bubbles can be treated as often as possible, preferably at least six times a day.
"Miramistin" is an excellent remedy for treating the oral cavity if the chickenpox rash has affected the mucous membrane. To speed up healing and relieve itching, you must thoroughly rinse your mouth with the prepared solution at least four times a day. In hard-to-reach places, you can use a spray that allows you to treat deep-lying vesicles.
Potassium permanganate solution (potassium permanganate) - the product is dissolved in water and adjusted in concentration to a light pink tint. It is used not only for wiping vesicles, but also for treating large areas. For example, children are recommended to add potassium permanganate to their baths, and adults can wash it with the solution after a shower.
Brilliant Green solution is just one of the topical treatment options that can be used. If left untreated, chickenpox in children can leave unsightly scars. The solution has a disinfecting and drying effect, so that patients practically do not scratch the rash, and the vesicles themselves disappear naturally. It is precisely in order to mark the chickenpox rash and promote the healing of the vesicles that the brilliant green solution is used.
Childish and harmless?
JSC Family Doctor - Chickenpox is a predominantly childhood disease
Chickenpox is considered a childhood disease. This does not mean that only children get sick, but if the probability of getting sick is very high, then, most likely, you won’t have long to wait until you get sick - childhood will not have time to end. Up to 6 months, the child is protected by innate immunity, but then the risk of getting sick increases. While a child is being raised at home, he does not have many places where he can encounter the virus, but when he begins to socialize - goes to kindergarten or school, an encounter becomes almost inevitable.
There are a lot of childhood diseases, and, as a rule, they try to prevent the disease, for which immunoprophylaxis is carried out - the child is given appropriate vaccinations. There are no vaccinations against chickenpox in the National Preventive Vaccination Calendar. Or rather, there is, but this vaccination is recommended only for those who are at risk (primarily those who have problems with immunity - HIV-infected people, cancer patients, those who suffer from severe chronic diseases). Why is that?
It is believed that you only get chickenpox once: a stable, specific immunity is formed that lasts a lifetime. That is, it is enough to get sick in childhood, and you will not encounter this disease again. In any case, this statement is true for the vast majority. In childhood, chickenpox is easily tolerated. But if childhood is behind you, and you haven’t encountered chickenpox, then it’s better to avoid it in the future. Adults suffer from this disease much worse. So, if you are an adult who has not had chickenpox, then it is better to play it safe and get vaccinated.
Doctors' opinion
According to the famous pediatrician Evgeniy Komarovsky, the decision about whether to use brilliant green for a child with chickenpox or not should be made solely by his parents.
As everyone knows, diamond green does not cure chickenpox or even relieve itching. A child is contagious for about a day or two before the rash appears and for about another 5 days after new blisters have stopped appearing. And this fact cannot be changed by brilliant green either. From this it follows, as doctor Evgeniy Olegovich claims, that crusts still form in place of water pimples, regardless of whether you smear them with greens or not.
To prevent your child from scratching watery pimples that cause itching, it is better to give him an antihistamine that will reduce this unpleasant symptom.
