Red spots on the newborn's skin: dermatitis, neonatal acne or sixth disease?
Red spots on the baby's skin? The causes of these rashes can be different, from the presence of a dermatitis in the child to that of an exanthematous disease (especially the sixth disease), from neonatal acne to allergies. These spots can occur with or without itching and fever and they require parental attention. Let's find out everything there is to know, but first here's a video on how to prevent diaper mycosis:
Red dots in the newborn: it could be sudamine, or sweat dermatitis!
The red spots in the newborn are often due to a sweat dermatitis, also called "sudamine", which manifests itself precisely with the presence of these rashes on the skin of children.This kind of dermatitis is due to an "inflammation of the pores of the skin of the newborn due to excessive heat, which did not allow the correct transpiration of the skin itself.
Red flecks in the newborn affected by sweat appear frequently when the baby is covered too much, especially during the night, causing him to sweat. This sweat dermatitis is easily cured by washing the baby frequently, covering him less and applying anti-inflammatory and soothing creams to his skin. Instead, greasy creams, talcum powder and zinc oxide ointments should be avoided.
Sweat dermatitis spots tend to appear on the baby's cheeks, neck, shoulders, and tummy, as well as in the folds of the armpits, groin, knees, and elbows. Although linked to the heat, sweat dermatitis can also appear in autumn and winter: the rashes that characterize it are often confused with the symptoms of the sixth disease. Trust your pediatrician for a correct diagnosis!
To prevent the onset of dermatitis in the newborn, in these cases, it is important to keep his body cool, to ensure that the baby's skin can transpire correctly. Also pay attention to frequently ventilate the rooms and purify the air, even in the seasons. cold. Finally, make sure your baby's skin is always perfectly dry after bathing and changing.
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Red dots and neonatal acne
The red spots in the newborn can also be the manifestation of a "neonatal acne, which usually occurs in the first weeks of the baby's life. The rashes, in this case, are similar to small red pimples, with a yellow dot in the center. white, and tend to appear mainly on the face.
Neonatal acne does not cause itching and therefore is not particularly annoying for the newborn. Furthermore, it tends to disappear on its own within the first months of life (usually the second or at the latest the third month). life, the baby is only an infant (therefore it feeds solely on mother's milk), neonatal acne is not due to "nutrition, but to the accumulation in the baby's blood of the mother's hormones which, once the pregnancy ends, are no longer able to be disposed of by the maternal liver as it did during pregnancy itself.
Babies, after giving birth, find themselves having to metabolize and dispose of their mother's hormones on their own, but they are not yet able to do it perfectly, and this can lead to the rise of the hormones circulating in their blood, resulting in an eruption. skin and acne.
As anticipated, the skin of the newborn will spontaneously heal from neonatal acne within 2-3 months: it is therefore to avoid any type of treatment, which could prove counterproductive. It will be good to contact the pediatrician only in case the red spots in the newborn cause itching or are particularly extensive.
What if it was a sixth disease?
Red spots also characterize the so-called "sixth disease", one of the most common viral exanthematous diseases along with measles, rubella, chicken pox and fifth disease. The rash, in these cases, appears when the disease has already started and that is after a few days of fever, when the little one is already in the healing phase.
The sixth disease mainly affects children between 6 months and 2 years of age and is caused by a virus of the herpes family, the 6B virus. This virus can be transmitted by coughing and sneezing, or by bringing dirty hands and contaminated objects to the mouth. The first symptoms appear after 1-2 weeks of incubation: the child has a high fever and, after its disappearance within 3-5 days, here is the infamous rash! This is not a dangerous infection: just contact your pediatrician to get the right advice and therapy.
