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Apr 11, 2024 · Heat rash is a common but uncomfortable skin irritation that occurs during hot and humid weather. Different categories of heat rash cause varying symptoms, including clear, fluid-filled blisters and red or dark itchy bumps. Heat rash can affect anyone, including infants and children.
- Lana Barhum
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Sweat glands
Eccrine sweat glands occur over most of the body and open directly onto the skin's surface. Apocrine glands open into the hair follicle, leading to the surface of the skin. Apocrine glands develop in areas with many hair follicles, such as on the scalp, armpits and groin. Eccrine sweat glands are involved in hyperhidrosis, though apocrine glands may play a role as well.
Types of heat rash
The types of heat rash are classified according to how deep the sweat is trapped in the skin. Signs and symptoms for each type vary.
Heat rash usually heals by cooling the skin and avoiding exposure to the heat that caused it. See your health care provider if you or your child has symptoms that last longer than a few days or the rash seems to be getting worse.
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Heat rash develops when a duct that leads from a sweat gland to the surface of the skin is blocked or inflamed. This then blocks the opening of the sweat duct on the surface of the skin (sweat pore). Instead of evaporating, sweat is trapped beneath the skin, causing irritation and bumps on the skin.
Factors that increase the risk of heat rash include:
•Being a newborn, as newborns have immature sweat ducts
•Living in a hot, humid climate
•Being physically active
Heat rash usually heals without scarring. People with brown or Black skin are at risk of spots of skin that get lighter or darker in response to inflammatory skin conditions (postinflammatory hypopigmentation or hyperpigmentation). These changes usually go away within weeks or months.
A common complication is infection with bacteria, causing inflamed and itchy pustules.
To help protect yourself or your child from heat rash:
•In hot weather, dress in loose, lightweight clothing that wicks moisture away from the skin. Don't wrap newborns in too many layers.
•In hot weather, limit physical activity. Stay in the shade or in an air-conditioned building. Or use a fan to circulate the air.
•Keep your sleeping area cool and well ventilated.
•Avoid creams and ointments that can block pores.
•Avoid drugs that cause sweating, such as clonidine, beta blockers and opioids.
Dec 21, 2023 · Heat rash, also called prickly heat or miliaria, is caused by blocked sweat ducts. Here's how to prevent and treat it.
- Evan Starkman
Apr 30, 2023 · Heat rash is a skin condition that often affects children and adults in hot, humid weather conditions. You can develop heat rash when your pores become blocked and sweat can’t escape.
Sep 30, 2022 · Symptoms of heat rash are the appearance of a rash and itching. Heat rash is diagnosed by looking at skin changes and a history of exposure to heat. Treatments for heat rash include cleaning the area with water and mild soap and in more persistent cases a mild steroid cream (cortisone )
Sep 4, 2023 · Look-alikes. Treatment. Complications. When to see a doctor. Prevention. What is heat rash? Heat rash is a skin condition that occurs when eccrine sweat glands or ducts become blocked, preventing sweat from escaping onto the surface of the skin. This leads to tiny bumps on the skin, which may resemble pimples.
Jun 30, 2023 · Heat rash is an irritation of the skin that typically occurs in hot, humid conditions that make you sweat excessively. Your sweat glands become blocked, resulting in an itchy, blister-like...
