Heat rash
What to do against blisters
© Kaponia Aliaksei / Shutterstock
Oops, that’s suddenly warm. Now it’s time to show your skin if it weren’t for the pustules. Heat rash is the name of the annoyance we’d like to get rid of. We say how!
Heat rash is most commonly associated with babies and young children, but adults are equally affected. The good news first: Heat rash is absolutely harmless to health. But they can disturb us, cause nasty itching and burning on the surface of the skin and cause inflammation. The pimples especially like to spread on parts of the body where there are many sweat glands. These include, in particular, armpits, cleavage, back, bottom, thighs and arms. Where we definitely don’t need the heat rash, and when they are already there, we can’t always cover them completely with clothing.
It is particularly easy for babies and toddlers to have heat rashes, because the skin pores are still relatively small, which can quickly lead to clogging of the sweat glands. The pimples are then primarily caused by wearing too warm and thick clothing or by wearing a diaper.
What are heat rashes?
Heat pimples are small blisters / pustules on the skin that occur when the ducts of sweat glands become blocked. Often, in summer, when there is heat and high humidity, they are often called heat rash or sweat blisters. They occur more often in skin folds or in areas with a particularly large number of sweat glands, such as in the armpits, on the décolleté or between the shoulders.
What types of heat rash are there?
There are four types of heat rashwho show different symptoms.
- Miliaria cristallina: This is the mildest form of heat rash. On the epidermis, the outer cell layer of the skin / epidermis (also known as the stratum corneum), the closure of the sweat glands creates small, colorless pimples. The vesicles are free of bacteria, and sometimes they are filled with very, very little fluid. The heat pimples can burst after a while.
- Miliaria rubra: There is a narrowing below the granule cell layer (stratum granulosom), deeper sweat glands. Compared to the above type of heat rash, this is the third layer of the epidermis that is affected by heat rash in this case. The blisters are red and the affected areas of the skin itch. Miliaria rubra is caused by bacteria or irritative perspiration.
- Miliaria pustulosa: Increased bacterial infestation, also known as bacterial superinfection, is the cause of this form of heat pimples. The pimples usually become inflamed and begin to develop into purulent pustules.
- Miliaria profunda: This type of heat rash is rather rare. In Miliaria profunda, the deep ducts are blocked. Tight, often painful knots are the result.
What are the symptoms of heat rash?
The rash mainly shows through
- Formation of blisters / small pimples
- Burn
- itching
The vesicles are usually the size of a millet grain and are located on the surface of the skin, more precisely: where you have many sweat glands and thus frequently sweat. Usually the heat rashes are filled with a clear to milky liquid. Depending on the degree of blockage of the sweat glands, the pimples can be very painful and cause burning or itching on the surface of the skin.
What to do against heat rash?
The small superficial heat pimples appear quickly when the body is overheated and itchy – but they also quickly disappear again when the body cools down.
Tip: If the white pimples persist longer, treatment with skin gel containing zinc or silica can often help. Alternatively, homeopathic medicines can help.
Those who tend to get prickly hot can also prevent:Enzyme peels gently cleanse even sensitive and impure skin and prevent clogged sebum glands.
A doctor should be consulted in the event of severe itching, especially with small, red pimples (Miliaria rubra). This can contact you after an examination Antipruritic anti-allergy drug (antihistamines) prescribe against the heat rash. As a rule, a zinc-based cream is also prescribed because it has an anti-inflammatory effect, supports wound healing and alleviates itching.
Immediate action in the event of heat rash
- Get out of the heat and find a cooler place.
- Do not wear clothes that are too warm and tight. Airy clothes made of cotton and linen, on the other hand, are good materials in summer, in which the body does not sweat too quickly, so the sweat glands do not clog up so quickly and the production of heat rashes is avoided as far as possible.
- Thick and warm bedding should also be avoided.
- Please don’t scratch the heat pimples, no matter how badly they itch. Rather, relieve this scratching by tapping the affected area or cooling it.
- Avoid drinks containing caffeine, alcohol, hot spices and lavish meals, which increase the production of sweat and promote annoying heat rashes – Sage tea drink.
- A special powder from the pharmacy, which can absorb sweat and calm the skin (for example with silver) and keep it dry, also helps against sweat production, so that the spread of bacteria is prevented as far as possible and heat rashes do not arise in the first place.
- Alternatively there is a specially developed antiperspirantthat if you sweat heavily, it should work wonders.
- Thermal water spray is good for the skin and is particularly practical for on the go. With ingredients such as minerals, trace elements and silica, it soothes the skin so that the itching of the heat rash has an end for the time being.
- More tips: Use sun protection without preservatives and fragrances. The skin is not unnecessarily irritated, it does not itch and heat rashes have a hard time. We explain everything you should know about sunscreen.
- Home remedies: Lukewarm to cool showers are now a dream for your body. Alternatively, you can dab yourself with a damp washcloth.
It helps babies to change diapers more often to avoid a warm and humid climate. Even if you often crawl without diapers, it prevents super heat rash.