The most vulnerable organ in infants is the skin, which is very easy to injure. She is thin and tender. Many infections penetrate through it, and the blood vessels are very close to the skin, so moisture quickly evaporates when overheated.
The baby’s skin must be protected and taken care of, otherwise problems can not be avoided. Diaper rash is one of them.
Diaper rash is characterized by inflammation of the skin, especially in those places where friction appeared or which have been in contact with a humid environment for a long time.
Most often, these are folds of skin in the groin, between the buttocks, on the neck, armpits, in the lower abdomen and behind the ears. Doctors subdivide three degrees of diaper rash:
- The first – the folds are slightly reddened, but there are no wounds;
- The second – the skin is bright red, there is a slight erosion, microcracks or pustules;
- The third degree is significant redness, wet cracks, ulcers, sores, severe erosion.
It does not matter what stage the diaper rash in the newborn, they will still cause him anxiety: itching, burning and hurt.
Causes of diaper rash
One of the main reasons why diaper rash occurs in infants is a large amount of moisture in a small area of the baby’s body. Excessive moisture causes the removal of natural lubrication, so the skin loses its protection and becomes susceptible to attack by germs. Redness appears with prolonged exposure to the skin of the urine and feces of the baby, poor wiping after washing, stuffiness or heat. In the salts of urine contains ammonia, which upon destruction irritates the skin.
The second, most common cause will be body rubbing on clothing (especially if it is made from synthetics), diapers or diapers.
If you notice that the redness of the folds appears only under the diaper, this means that the reaction occurs due to the substances that are part of it.
Children who have pronounced allergic reactions, babies with a very light skin tone, as well as infants with a large body weight due to disruption of the endocrine system, fall into the “risk group” of diaper rash.
How to deal with redness
You cannot close your eyes to the redness of the folds: without treatment, they can spread to a still healthy skin, complications will appear due to the ingestion of fungal and bacterial infections on the skin.
Special care and treatment do not require only diaper rash of the 1st degree. Mom just needs to change diapers more often, at least once every 3 hours, or diapers, not to leave the baby wet. Wash the baby well under running water after each changing or feeding. After washing, the body must be well dried, or rather, thoroughly and gently wet all the folds where diaper rash is possible.
Hold an air bath for 10-15 minutes, preferably in the sun, so that the skin is completely dry. After drying, all the folds are carefully processed with cream, which is intended for application under the diaper. Do not use creams that raise doubts about their quality. Baby cream should be completely absorbed. Only then can a new diaper be put on the baby.
If diaper rash is caused by an allergic reaction to diapers, you should try changing the manufacturer’s company. If during the day all the procedures are performed correctly, but there is no result, it makes sense to resort to protective creams and ointments such as bepanten or drapolen. These ointments are applied exactly like regular creams. Before using them, a consultation with a doctor will not be superfluous.
A doctor should also be consulted if:
- redness does not disappear with any treatment;
- red spots on the folds are large and continue to spread;
- bubbles, cracks and pustules appear.
If a child has diaper rash of the II degree, and all attempts to cure them in simple ways do not help, then it is worth contacting a pharmacy for the manufacture of a special mixture. It is prepared from substances that dry the skin: talc, zinc oxide, glycerin. Often, doctors prescribe ultraviolet irradiation of the affected areas of the body, treatment of painful areas with methyluracil or tannin ointments. Abscesses are lubricated with water solutions with green or blue.
Bathing the child is carried out in a very weak solution of potassium permanganate, so that the water is pinkish. In the absence of an allergic reaction of the baby to herbs, you can make warm baths for diaper rash, adding oak bark to it. The child is immersed in such a bath for 5-7 minutes and the affected parts of the body are gently wet. After bathing, everything is thoroughly wet with a soft towel to dryness.
The most serious are diaper rash of the III degree, they are very difficult to treat. Therefore, it is easier not to allow the disease to reach such a stage, to carry out prevention and proper treatment at the initial stages.
It should be remembered that non-greasy products are best applied to wet wounds, you can not use oils and ointments that will only interfere with healing.
Prevention
Dirty diapers must be changed at least once every 3 or 4 hours. They need to be selected according to the weight of the baby.
After each diaper change, the child must be thoroughly washed under running warm water. Then thoroughly dry all the folds and allow them to “ventilate”. The baby’s skin is very delicate, so do not wipe it with a towel, just get wet. Do not forget about the protective cream, if necessary, simple therapeutic ointments, baby powder containing corn starch.
It is not necessary to fasten the diapers too tightly, air must pass between it and the skin. Everything that is worn on the baby should be free for him so that the skin can breathe.
With the introduction of complementary foods in a child’s diet, each product should be administered in small portions, starting with 1 tablespoon. Before a new product, make a gap of several days. This will help determine if food allergies cause diaper rash.
For washing children’s clothes, only high-quality powders should be used, without perfumes, air conditioners should not be used. This can also cause diaper rash.
It must be remembered that when the first signs of diaper rash appear in infants, treatment must begin immediately.
