What are the Causes of Rash in Children?
Rashes in children are the most common health problem. Rashes can be caused by many factors such as allergies, photodermatitis, viral infections, etc. It is a skin condition that causes redness or irritation of the skin and sometimes small bumps on it which may cause itching too.
Allergies:
Some kind of allergic reaction on your body can give you a rash on almost any part of your body especially on feet, hands, and face mostly. The rashes caused by allergies look like raised patches with clear boundaries from other parts of the skin.
Allergic reactions happen when your body mistakenly identifies a harmless substance as harmful and then tries to fight with that. Sometimes this process causes rashes instead of getting rid of the cause of allergy.
Irritants:
Some chemicals like detergents, tar, etc. may sometimes irritate your skin causing red rashes around them which are mainly due to redness in the blood vessels. Climatic factors also affect your skin causing it to become dry or uncontrollably oily leading to rashes on body parts exposed to these factors leaving your other parts rash-free.
Viral infections:
Viral diseases are very common around children. These viral infections can be transmitted through the mouth by sharing things with infected people also by touching infected objects too so keeping your child away from an infected person can help to avoid these viral infections.
Viral rashes are the most common types of rashes found in children. They start as red spots on your skin and mostly occur on the face too forming a bunch leading to the condition of chickenpox.
What is Chickenpox?:
Chickenpox or varicella is a disease transmitted by airborne droplets from the nose and mouth of those who have already had chickenpox, so if you ever had chickenpox then don’t worry about transmitting it to your child because you already had this and now don’t carry any virus with yourself, but still, we need to prevent our child from getting affected by this viral rash which can be easily prevented by giving him/her proper treatment before the viral rash starts.
Chickenpox is a very common disease among children and sometimes adults too who haven’t had chickenpox in their childhood. It causes rashes on body parts where your skin comes into contact with each other like junctions of fingers, elbows, etc. Other than these parts, it can be found on the face and around the eyes due to the stickiness of the fluid secreted while crying or lack of sleep during night times.
So if you notice such symptoms in your child then there may be a chance that he/she has got chickenpox so take him/her to a doctor for the examination so that they can prescribe proper medicines to get rid of this condition as early as possible because prolonged exposure to this virus increases the risk of complications due to this infection.
What are the Complications of Chickenpox?
Some common complications that you may get from chickenpox include itching, fever, blisters or scabs around your skin, and irritation of eyes leading to loss of vision if not treated on time. Sometimes these complications can be severe enough to cause secondary infections like pneumonia because of infection in the lungs.
If the fluid from these blisters gets into contact with your eyes then it can lead to blindness also which is a very serious complication, especially at toddlers age. Although it is a rare complication if your child experiences this problem then he/she may need medical treatment for a long period at a hospital to keep him/her away from any kind of risk.
Chickenpox Rash Cure:
The rashes found on the skin get better after a week or two without any complications to the body but it can make your child uncomfortable, so get him/her to take proper medicines for this.
Chickenpox is not a serious disease and almost all children get over it within weeks with proper treatment at home and precautionary measures to keep them away from other kids who might be infected by chickenpox too to prevent its spread which can be life-threatening if left untreated like in adults.
So if your child gets affected by chickenpox then don’t worry too much about getting them vaccinated because they already gave their immune system an advantage of fighting this virus once before and now there’s nothing much to worry about.
Vaccine for Chickenpox:
Although it is not a serious disease in children vaccinating them against chickenpox might be beneficial because there are chances that they might get this in the future and it can turn severe if not treated on time. So in my personal opinion, I would like to suggest you go for vaccination of your child against chickenpox.
But do consult the doctor before taking any decision about vaccination because every parent has their own opinions when it comes to such stuff and they know better than anyone according to their experience and knowledge so don’t take any wrong decisions while vaccinating your child especially at such young age.
when to worry about a rash on a toddler:
A skin rash can be alarming for parents because it may be a sign of illness or infection, especially in young children. A lot of information about rashes is available on the internet, but it’s important to remember that not all rashes are harmful. Most rashes are caused by harmless irritants or infections that will clear up on their own.
Rash usually appears when your child is exposed to something that irritates his/her skin such as plant leaves or flowers (poison ivy, poison oak), and also results from insect bites like mosquitoes and fleas.
common skin rashes in children:
1) Impetigo:
Impetigo is caused by bacteria, often staphylococcus. It starts with a red spot that develops into fluid-filled blisters. The blisters break down and form honey-colored crusts which dry up in about two weeks.
Impetigo is contagious and spreads easily among children. Fortunately, it can be treated with antibiotic ointment applied three times daily for five days; the rash should clear without treatment within one to two weeks in otherwise healthy infants and children.
2) Ringworm:
Ringworm (tinea corporis) also known as dermatophytosis or tinea is an infection of the skin caused by any type of ringworm including common athlete’s foot, jock itch, and ringworm of the body. The main symptom of ringworm is a rash that appears as multiple red, round lesions or spots with scaly, flaky borders.
3) Roseola:
It’s caused by the herpes virus and is also known as the fifth disease. It can cause a fever that lasts three to five days, followed by a rash that develops over the upper trunk and spreads to the neck and face.
Restless sleep during this time can irritate your child’s skin and make it worse. Keep sure to place your child in cool surroundings like an air-conditioned room for relief from high fever and calm her down to help her sleep well.
4) Impetigo:
Impetigo is caused by bacteria, often staphylococcus. It starts with a red spot that develops into fluid-filled blisters. The blisters break down and form honey-colored crusts which dry up in about two weeks.
Impetigo is contagious and spreads easily among children. Fortunately, it can be treated with antibiotic ointment applied three times daily for five days; the rash should clear without treatment within one to two weeks in otherwise healthy infants and children.
5) Conjunctivitis:
also known as pink eye, conjunctivitis is an infection or inflammation of the conjunctiva, which is the thin layer of tissue that covers the white part of your child’s eye and lines the inside of his eyelids. Causes include bacteria, viruses, and allergy to pollen, dust, smoke, or other irritants. Conjunctivitis is commonly known as pink eye or red eye
6) Measles:
is one of the most contagious diseases that affect both children and adults. Symptoms usually develop 10-12 days after exposure to the virus but this period could range from seven to 21 days after exposure. The first sign of measles illness is generally a mild to moderate fever with cough, runny nose (coryza), sore throat, and red eyes.
Two or three days after fever appears a rash that spreads all over the body begins. When your child has measles sudden high fever occurs accompanied by reddening of the skin extending upper neck or inside his cheeks and a white coating in the mouth and throat. Measles can cause serious illnesses such as pneumonia and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).
Baby skin rashes treatment:
● Do not give an oatmeal bath or apply lotions.
● Over-the-counter antihistamines can help relieve your child’s itching. Give them one tablet of diphenhydramine (Benadryl) every six to eight hours until the rash goes away.
● You can use acetaminophen or ibuprofen for fever and discomfort, but do not give aspirin to children under 16 because it has been associated with Reye syndrome, a serious illness that affects the liver and brain.