Baby Skin Care: Various Types of Heat rash and their Preventions

Heat rash can make a baby fussy and uncomfortable. Proper and timely diagnose of heat rash, its type, and adequate treatment can lower discomfort and suffering.

Most commonly the heat rash is associated with high temperatures and poorly fit clothes, either too tight or heavy clothes which ultimately clog the sweat glands are believed to be the ultimate and most commonly prevailing cause of heat rash in babies.

The first and foremost signs of these rashes are itching and red blisters on the skin, however, depending upon the different situations and causes of heat rash, their symptoms and treatments can differ. So, it is important to know more about the types of baby heat rash.

Types of Baby Heat Rash:

Miliaria or heat rash occurs when the skin traps sweat. The out layer of skin got irritated by that trapped sweat and appeared as a rash.

Depending upon the symptoms and severity, medical professionals divided the heat rash in various three main categories

• Miliaria ruba: it is the most common form of heat rash. When the sweat glands on the outer skin layer got clogged by heat and humidity, the skin starts decolorizing and appeared to be red and itchy. This type of rash is known as miliaria ruba. Usually, these rashes appear in bumps and affected by the first or second layer of skin.
• Miliaria crystalline: when the blockage of sweat glands happened in the skin layer known as the epidermis, that blockage appeared as small clear blisters. It appeared as the sweat drop trapped under the skin. Sometimes these blisters are also white in color. This heat rash is considered the least severe and concerning type of heat rash. Mostly of the type kids of age under 10 years seems to be affected by it
• Miliaria profunda: Although this type of heat rash is not common, but is the most severe and alarming type of heat rash. Sometimes the sweat leaks into the skin layer dermis, due to blockage or underdeveloped sweat glands in babies. And that leakage of swear causes burning sensation. The skin starts appearing to be red due to that burning. In the worst-case scenario, this type of rash can be prolonged and infected, which is quite painful and need to treat with extensive care.

Risk Associated with Heat Rash:

The babies with less developed sweat glands tend to suffer from heat-related illnesses more often and can develop the symptoms of heat exhaustion.

The redness and tiny blister can be easily seen on light skin tones and can be identified easily and on an early stage. However, due to their low viability of darker tone skin, they often get neglected and can get severe with time.

Preventions:

Risk factors for heat rash in babies are mostly wearing too warm clothes for the season, tight and warm swaddles, prolong sittings in hot temperatures like near heater or lamps, living in a very warm climate.

So, keeping in mind these main reasons, avoiding them and keeping a check on these factors can prevent heat rash in babies.

Here are few tips and cautions to keep in mind to save your babies from suffering of heat rash

·         Seasonal Dressing and wrap: Caregivers need to dress babies inappropriate clothing. Need to adjust clothing as the season changed or if you travel to someplace with hot and humid temperature, quickly change babies clothing and swaddles to avoid blockage of sweat glands. Although babies often caught cold easily too, keeping them in blankets and swaddles for too long and in warm weather can cause heat rash suffering. So better to keep a check on the weather when covering up the baby.

• Appropriate and Comfortable clothing: Try to avoid fancy and heavy clothes for your babies. Instead choose loose-fitting, light and breathable clothing. Mostly heat rash occurs at night time due to the long stay of babies in high temperatures or heavy clothing. To prevent heat rash chose cotton pajamas and other soft clothing material for your babies’ night routine.
• Sunlight: Some morning sun rays are good for babies and help them increase their immunity, however too direct exposure of babies in sunlight cause burning sensation in their skin. Try to keep your babies out of sharp and direct sunlight.
• Heat exposure:  In winters putting babies directly near stoves, in front of heaters and other heating sources can cause heat rashes too. So try avoiding any direct heat exposure from babies to avoid them.
• Proper Hygiene: Keep your baby clean, gentle scrubs can help to keep pores open and regular bath will keep the baby’s body temperature normal.
• Adjusting room temperature: If the weather is too hot or humid, try to keep babies cool. To prevent heat rash babies should be kept in moderate to cool temperatures in hot weather. Fans and air conditioning can be used to adjust and cool down room temperatures for babies.

• Monitoring: Excessive sweating or redness is nothing to neglect in babies. So, keep monitoring your babies and in case of increasing body temperatures, itching, skin getting red and flushed or excess sweating, move them to lower temperatures and remove heavy clothing.

Heat rash in babies is not a serious health condition and can usually be prevented with some proper care of baby’s clothes, adjusting room temperatures, and keeping them away from direct heat exposure especially for too long.