Acne in children: causes and treatment

The appearance of a rash on the face and body of a child always causes increased attention from parents and many questions. What is this? An allergy, a reaction to the hot season, to the cutting of the first teeth, or a symptom of a serious illness? To understand this, you need to determine the type of pimples and find out the reason for their appearance.

Acne on a child's face

Already in the first hours after the baby is born, the mother may notice a rash or small pimples on his face. First of all, you should not be afraid of this phenomenon, the reasons can be quite harmless, the allergy can go away on its own or can be easily treated.

Causes of rashes on the baby's face:

• Pimples in newborns can appear in the womb or immediately after birth and before the baby reaches 6 months of age. Experts assure that this is a completely normal reaction to excess maternal hormones. Externally, acne looks like red spots with a white head filled with pus. Most often, pustules are located on the child’s forehead, cheeks and ears, and less often on the body. Since the rash process is physiological, special treatment for pimples is not required, they do not hurt or cause any discomfort, and gradually disappear. To really calm down, the mother can wipe the baby’s face with a decoction of chamomile and string.
• The cause of milia, or “millet grains” as they are also called, is also caused by maternal hormones. The fact is that in the first months of a baby’s life, his sebaceous glands are not yet fully formed, therefore, under the influence of hormones, the ducts become clogged and sebum accumulates on the surface of the epidermis in the form of tiny white dots. Almost always, the rash goes away on its own within 3-4 weeks, however, in the absence of proper care for the baby’s skin or attempts to squeeze out the pimple, a bacterial infection may develop, as evidenced by redness and itching.
• Allergies in a child during the first years of life are a very common disease. A negative reaction occurs to incorrectly selected milk formula, to the nutrition of a nursing mother, and to the washing powder that is used to wash baby clothes, as well as pet hair, baby shampoos, lotions and creams. The allergy manifests itself in the form of red spots, which can merge with each other, forming crusts. In this situation, pimples bring discomfort to the child, they flake and itch, so it is necessary to immediately consult a doctor and identify the allergen.
• Pimples on the chin may indicate increased salivation during teething, so you should carefully monitor the cleanliness and dryness of your baby's skin.
• Herpes is considered a viral disease; watery blisters and pimples are found in the corners of the mouth and on the lips, periodically recurring when the immune system is weakened.

Acne on a child's body

When pimples spread throughout the baby’s body, you should seriously think about the cause of their appearance, because symptoms may indicate the presence of infectious, bacterial or fungal diseases:

• Molluscum contagiosum is a type of viral dermatitis that appears in childhood. Children often become infected with it while swimming in a pool or open water. The rashes are located in groups and look like white or pink lumps. If parents do not pay attention to pimples, mistaking them for allergies, the virus will later spread to the neck and arms.
• Scarlet fever is an infectious disease caused by streptococcus that almost always begins suddenly with a fever and a sharp sore throat. In this case, the rash spreads over almost the entire body - on the cheeks, in the elbows, inguinal folds, under the knees and on the arms; as a rule, only the nasolabial triangle remains “clean” and pale. The skin becomes dry and rough, and the tongue becomes bright crimson, the tonsils become inflamed and upon examination a purulent coating is found on them.
• With chickenpox, the baby begins to complain of malaise, fever and other symptoms similar to ARVI. At the same time, a small red rash spreads throughout the body, which becomes more and more every day. If untreated, the disease spreads to the mucous membranes, the pimples become watery, burst, forming itchy crusts.
• Measles is another type of infectious disease that can be easily contracted in childhood. The disease is transmitted by airborne droplets and at the beginning of the disease the symptoms are similar to those of acute respiratory infections with the only difference being that small red pimples form on the skin, which merge together the very next day, forming large spots that rise above the surface and cover the child’s entire body. Measles is a serious disease and requires immediate treatment.
• Vesiculopustulosis is a disease of the sebaceous glands (caused by staphylococcus), which can occur even in newborns, as well as in children with low resistance to infections. The disease begins to spread from the scalp, gradually moving to the stomach, arms, and thighs. The blisters with pus burst and dry out only after a few days.

Pimples on the butt of a child

Rash on the butt the baby is often perceived by parents as a normal reaction to using a diaper, but the reasons can be different, so you should not treat this phenomenon as the norm.

• Pimples that are hormonal in nature can be localized not only on the face, but also on the baby’s buttocks and almost always go away on their own.
• Diaper dermatitis occurs in almost every baby. Delicate skin may thus react to natural secretions that come into contact with the surface. Feces and urine contain ammonia and other acids that damage the dermis and cause red spots to appear. Other causes include chafing, constant contact of the skin with the diaper and lack of air baths.
• In the warm season, small pinkish pimples appear in the groin, folds and between the buttocks of the baby - prickly heat. Inexperienced parents can provoke the appearance of a rash in any season by constantly wrapping the baby and protecting him from the cold. But the thermoregulation system of newborns often malfunctions, there is no need to be afraid of this, dress your child according to the weather and carefully monitor hygiene.
• Intolerance to certain foods results in a reaction in the form of an allergy around the anus and inguinal folds of the baby. Outwardly, it is similar to a nettle burn; the red spots cause itching and peel, and in some advanced cases a weeping crust forms.
• Candidal dermatitis is fungal in nature and initially appears as a bright red rash in the butt and genital area, then spreading to the entire body.
• The presence of rubella is characterized by pinpoint pink rashes that first affect the face and then the entire body. In this case, there is an increase in body temperature and enlargement of the lymph nodes.

Acne on a child's legs

The appearance of any type of pimples is always a consequence, not a cause, so first you need to exclude the presence of infectious diseases. The causes of rashes on a child’s legs are not much different from rashes on other parts of the body - prickly heat, dermatitis, infectious and viral diseases, allergies.

What else can serve as a factor provoking the appearance of pimples on the legs:

• Allergic urticaria is one of the common types of rashes in children, which are localized over the entire surface of the body, including the legs. Cosmetics, food, and animal hair can act as irritants. Pimples appear as pinkish, irregularly shaped nodules raised above the surface that can be itchy and itchy. When the form is advanced, nausea, diarrhea, and cough occur.
• Enterovirus infection manifests itself as a small rash on the palms and soles, no other symptoms occur, and pimples, as a rule, do not cause concern to the child.
• Psoriasis is a skin disease that affects the scalp, elbows and knees.
• The cause of a rash on your baby's legs may be unexpected. If you see several pimples in a row at a short distance from each other, then most likely the child was bitten by a bedbug.

Treatment of acne in children

Sooner or later, almost all parents experience allergies. Of course, any illness in a child causes a lot of concern for parents, and to find out the cause, you need to contact a pediatrician and get tested. But a decoction of string, chamomile, sage, anti-allergy remedies and healing creams, for example, Bepanten, will help you alleviate the baby’s condition, reduce itching and irritation.

Recommendations for treating acne in children:

• Since many infectious diseases accompanied by redness and rash, first determine the root of the problem in order to rule out diseases such as measles, chickenpox, scarlet fever and others.
• In some cases, regular baby powder and airing the skin under the diaper will help get rid of acne, because overheating often leads to prickly heat.
• If the rash is of an allergenic nature, then it is necessary to find out what exactly the reaction is to. As soon as the allergen stops affecting the body, the rash will gradually disappear. Antihistamines can also help with this.
• It is possible to improve the situation with the help of home remedies, for example, potassium permanganate, which tends to dry out the skin. Treat the process with caution, otherwise undissolved crystals will fall on the delicate baby skin and cause a burn.
• Regardless of the cause of the rash, you can soothe the skin and eliminate itching with a decoction of string or chamomile. Infants, as a rule, are bathed completely in water with a decoction; older children are rinsed.

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