Diaper rash on the neck of newborns: how to treat, what to smear

What does miliaria look like in newborns?

Miliaria, or the colloquial version of “sweet spot”, is a non-contagious and harmless, but unpleasant skin disease for the baby. It manifests itself in different ways. Depending on the nature of the rash and the depth of skin damage, three types of prickly heat are distinguished:

Crystalline - transparent bubbles on the neck, head, shoulders. They burst easily, but do not cause inflammation and do not bother the child. This type of prickly heat goes away in a few days with good care.
Miliaria rubra is a small red rash. The skin underneath may also be red and swollen. Miliaria rubra affects the deeper layers, so it can be accompanied by pain and itching. Against this background, an increase in temperature is possible. Most often, this heat rash occurs in the armpits, groin, and neck folds of the baby. The rash can last up to two weeks.
Miliaria profunda - dense, flesh-colored bumps. Without treatment, it can cause complications due to the addition of secondary infections, but this type of prickly heat practically does not occur in newborns; it usually occurs in adolescents and adults.

What does diaper rash on the neck look like?

Initially, the mother notes slight redness in the area of the natural folds of the baby’s neck, which does not bother the child at all.
Then the skin undergoes visible changes - the mother already notices the appearance of microcracks, small erosions, sometimes pimples and even pustules. Usually this condition bothers the baby with mild itching and burning, which can manifest as tearfulness and poor sleep.
In severe cases, cracks, erosions and ulcers appear at the sites of diaper rash, and areas with detachment of the epidermis can also be seen. In this situation, a bacterial or fungal infection often occurs, and then a banal diaper rash looks very scary. In addition, the addition of a secondary infection is accompanied by an increase in body temperature, decreased appetite and other general symptoms.

But I hasten to reassure you - a severe form of diaper rash in the neck area is extremely rare, because parents most often notice changes in the skin in time and take certain measures.

It is worth noting that the skin of a newborn is one of the most vulnerable organs. The epidermis in children is loose and thin; the top layer cannot fully perform protective and barrier functions, so penetration of allergens and microorganisms occurs quite easily. Also, the skin is susceptible to easy injury, even with minimal mechanical stress (such as swaddling, bathing, rubbing clothes and diapers) and is prone to weeping. It is for this reason that the skin of babies needs special care and protection from the first days of life, otherwise the appearance of diaper rash in a child is inevitable.

Why does sweat rash occur?

Miliaria occurs due to blockage of the ducts of the sweat glands, which is facilitated by the structural features of the skin of young children and external conditions: if the child overheats and, accordingly, sweats a lot. Thus, a rash may appear if a child spends a long time in a hot room with high humidity, is wrapped up too warmly when walking, is dressed in tight clothes made of synthetic fabrics, or is wearing diapers in the heat. Sweat is not removed outside, remains in the skin and causes redness and rashes.

It is important!

Heat rash can be caused by frequent or excessive use of baby creams, especially fatty ones, and baby cosmetic oils.
Heat rash often occurs in children with a thick build and pronounced folds on the arms and legs.

As for the characteristics of the skin of newborns, it is still thin, and the excretory ducts of the sweat and sebaceous glands continue to form, so it cannot fully perform protective functions and quickly loses moisture. All this leads to the fact that the ducts of the sweat glands are easily clogged. In addition, babies cannot say that they are hot or take off uncomfortable tight clothes, and mothers tend to dress them warmer to be on the safe side.

What needs to be done to still avoid diaper rash on the neck of a newborn?

Monitor the temperature and humidity in the room where the child lives;
Give your child air baths more often so that the baby’s skin can breathe;
Choose high-quality fabrics when choosing clothes, and also pay attention to the collars on clothes. Not only should the collar not press, it is also important that the cutouts are deep and do not create occlusion;
Wipe the natural folds of the baby’s skin more often, especially at high temperatures and humidity;
Choose high-quality products for washing your child’s clothes, diapers and bedding;
Give preference to hypoallergenic cosmetics for newborn skin care. Pay attention to the availability of clinical trials and dermatologist approval.

How to treat heat rash in newborns

The best treatment is prevention. To prevent heat rash from occurring, try to maintain the temperature in the apartment no higher than 22 degrees, regularly ventilate the baby’s room, and dress him according to the weather in loose clothing made from natural fabrics. At home in the heat, do not put on diapers for your baby, or at least change them promptly (once every 3 hours, regardless of how full they are). When changing, be sure to wash your baby and leave him to wallow without a diaper for 10-15 minutes so that the skin dries and ventilates. Do not apply greasy creams or cosmetic oils to your child’s skin in hot weather.

It is important!

If prickly heat has already appeared, then all of the above measures will also be relevant.
The task of parents is to keep the skin clean, provide air access to it, and prevent overheating. Usually this is enough for prickly heat to go away on its own in 3-7 days. If the rashes do not decrease or even become stronger, then pharmaceuticals will be required for treatment. But they can only be prescribed by a doctor after examining the child. Depending on the nature of the rash, the pediatrician will recommend antiseptics, products with dexpanthenol, zinc oxide or glucocorticosteroids.

How to treat diaper rash on a baby's neck?

If diaper rash occurs in a child, it is important to begin treatment as soon as possible. Following the rules of hygiene and caring for your baby’s skin will help you quickly cope with diaper rash and prevent the development of complications.

To relieve the first symptoms of skin diaper rash, instead of the usual baby cream, it is necessary to use products with such active substances as: panthenol, benzalkonium, cetrimide.

If, in addition to redness, the baby already has pimples, pustules and microcracks, then in addition to the above measures, it is recommended to treat the skin with drying agents based on zinc and talc, and you can also use methyluracil, tannin and other ointments.

Diaper rash with cracks and erosions is the most difficult to treat. For such manifestations of skin diaper rash, lotions with various solutions are used (for example: tannin, silver nitrate).

After eliminating weeping, it is recommended to apply zinc-containing preparations, as well as antibacterial ointments.

If a secondary infection is clearly attached, topical antibiotic-based drugs are prescribed (in the case of a bacterial infection), and external antifungal drugs (in the case of a fungal infection).

In any case, either a pediatrician or a dermatologist makes a diagnosis and prescribes treatment, so if any rashes appear on your baby’s skin, you should consult a specialist!

Self-medication can lead to unpleasant consequences, but a correct diagnosis in time will save the mother’s nerve cells and the baby’s health!

How to distinguish heat rash from allergies in a newborn

Seeing any rash on the skin of a newborn, a nursing mother first of all begins to worry whether she has eaten something forbidden, which has led to an allergy in the baby. In a panic, she may refuse all possible allergens, including foods necessary for the body, and this, together with stress, can have a bad effect on lactation. If the baby is bottle-fed, then he doesn’t need an unreasonable change of formula due to suspected allergies. Therefore, before making any decisions, any skin symptoms should be shown to a doctor to clarify the diagnosis.

Before visiting a doctor, take a look at what the rash looks like and where it is located, this will help determine the nature of its origin.

Prickly heat	Allergy
Dependence on the time of year, temperature, room humidity	Eat	No
Where do rashes form?	Folds, skin under hair, back of neck and back under clothing, armpits, groin - all poorly ventilated areas	Face (often cheeks), front surface of the chest and abdomen, arms, legs.
Nature of the rash	Isolated small clear or red bubbles	The rash may initially appear as separate elements in the form of small blisters and papules, often on a red background of the skin; the rash may merge into spots
Skin under rashes	Usually unchanged or slightly red and swollen	Dry, often red, prone to flaking or weeping areas with crusting, often itching
Additional symptoms (runny nose, cough, watery eyes)	No	Can be

List

Miliaria in newborns looks like small red or transparent bubbles with liquid, located in places of friction and contact of the skin with clothing.
Miliaria occurs due to blockage of the sweat glands, the functioning of which in an infant is not yet perfect, in hot, humid conditions.
Heat rash should be treated with hygiene procedures and the selection of loose clothing made from natural fabrics. Creams and ointments cannot be used without a doctor's prescription.
Miliaria can be distinguished from allergies by the nature of the rash: the blisters are small, do not merge, and the skin underneath is not inflamed. Appears in hot weather and rarely bothers the child.

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Features of the manifestation of allergic rashes in children

Unlike prickly heat, allergies in children do not have a clear localization and can appear on any part of the body. Most often it affects the baby's face, arms, legs, tummy and back. The rash looks like small blisters filled with fluid and prone to peeling. The rashes coalesce into large lesions that cause itching.

You can distinguish sweat rash from allergies in a newborn by the absence of large draining lesions that look like inflamed spots. The elements of the rash caused by prickly heat are small and do not merge with each other. Also, with allergies, additional symptoms may appear: runny nose, dry cough, nasal congestion, headache, refusal to eat.

Allergic rashes can appear for the following reasons:

Changing the child's diet - introducing complementary foods or switching from breastfeeding to formula. Most often, this situation arises when using baby products that are not age-appropriate to feed a baby;
Change in the mother’s diet - while the baby is feeding on milk, everything that the woman has eaten goes into the baby’s body. Even the most harmless product can cause a rash on the skin;
Changing the type of baby soap, diapers, talcum powder, napkins. Modern children have reactions even to hypoallergenic skincare products;
Taking medications by mother and child. Often this situation occurs during self-medication. Taking antibiotics is especially dangerous because they cause dysbacteriosis, causing allergization of the body.

If an allergic rash appears, be sure to consult a doctor. After all, first you need to find out what exactly the baby reacted to. Taking antihistamines is possible only as prescribed by a specialist.