Diaper dermatitis

Most young mothers face a diaper rash called "diaper dermatitis." This disease is the most common among the skin problems in infants of the first year of life. In order to save the baby from the dyscomfort associated with dermatitis, first you need to find out the reasons for its occurrence, and then get acquainted with the methods of treatment.

At its core, skin dermatitis (diaper) is an inflammation of the skin. In nursing babies the skin is very tender and thin, so various irritations on it arise easily. In addition, because of the incompletely formed local skin immunity in infants in microtraumas, infection can penetrate.

Dermatitis is more susceptible to girls than boys. Most often, the disease is observed in infants who are on artificial feeding, taking antibiotics and prone to allergic reactions.

Causes of the appearance of diaper dermatitis

Skin irritation often occurs around the genitals, buttocks and inner thighs, that is, places where the skin comes into contact with diapers or diapers. The likelihood of dermatitis increases the increased skin moisture in these areas.

Diaper dermatitis is caused by the following factors:

- mechanical - friction against diapers, diapers or clothing;

- microbial - the effect of pathogens;

- chemical - the presence of various microorganisms and chemical irritants contained in feces, urine, as well as means for washing diapers;

- physical - increased humidity inside the diaper or diaper, difficult access to air and heat.

Diaper dermatitis can also occur with the improper use of soap, powders, creams and other baby care products, as well as diapers that are poorly "breathing", and their rare change.

Allergy to detergents or cosmetics can also trigger irritation on the skin. It can be dry skin, redness, peeling, papular rashes. Often there are erosions, infiltrates, fungal or bacterial infections of the skin.

In general, under the definition of the term "diaper dermatitis" falls a number of skin conditions under the diaper. They are described as follows:

- scrapes - the most common form of dermatitis, resulting from rubbing against the skin of a diaper or clothing. Appears in the form of redness;

- marginal dermatitis also occurs as a result of rubbing against the skin of the edge of the diaper;

- perianal dermatitis - the appearance of redness around the anus. Often occurs in children, artificial animals;

- Allergic dermatitis in children causes severe itching and has the property to spread to other parts of the body;

- Seborrheic dermatitis is manifested in the form of a bright red rash, sometimes with yellow scales, which manifests itself in the area of the diaper. It causes the greatest anxiety in comparison with other varieties of dermatitis;

- Candidiasis dermatitis - occurrence on inguinal folds of bright red painful rash and further spread of pustules. Appears in children taking antibiotics.

Any kind of diaper dermatitis accompanies a bad dream of the baby, anxiety and crying. Such consequences are completely understandable, because the baby is constantly annoyed by various unpleasant sensations, itching and burning sensation in the area of the lesion.

How to treat diaper dermatitis ?

If the disease is detected at the initial stage, then the treatment will be quite simple and fast. Literally 2-3 days is needed in order to completely get rid of irritation. But if the initial symptoms are not noticed or not given proper attention, then dermatitis can go into severe form and cause much trouble for the baby. In this case, medical intervention is indispensable.

The most important thing in the treatment of diaper dermatitis - as often as possible to change diapers. Ideally, they should be abandoned altogether, at least in the daytime. Disposable diapers need to be changed every 3-4 hours or, of course, after the baby shakes, while not forgetting to wash it.

Overheating of the baby should be excluded, that is, one should not swaddle it too tightly, and in the room it is necessary to maintain the optimum temperature. The baby's skin should "breathe" as long as possible, so do not forget to remove the diaper from it.

There are special medicines designed to fight with diaper dermatitis - it is desithin (at an easy stage) and bepentene or d-panthenol (on medium and heavy). These creams have constrictive and anti-inflammatory effects. They should be applied daily during swaddling to affected areas of the skin.

Remember that the guarantee of a child's health is a careful adherence to the recommendations of pediatricians and hygiene rules. And let your baby be healthy!