Treatment of diaper dermatitis in children - treatment of diaper dermatitis

Red skin between the legs of the baby is familiar to every mother, regardless of her parental experience. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to completely avoid such an unsettling situation. After all, very often the baby arrives home from the hospital, where he is in the diaper twenty-four hours a day and at the same time wrapped in a diaper, already with irritation on the skin. To somehow reduce this "greenhouse" effect, the young mother follows all the days( until she and the baby recover there after childbirth), with each feeding, to release the child from all these "clothes" and gently blow the wrinkles on his skin. In addition, the contact of the skin of the baby and the mother's skin will help to "prompt" the arrival of breast milk.

Of course, to reduce the manifestations of diaper dermatitis( and we are talking about him), any parent who cares about the health of his baby can do it. However, before choosing the most appropriate treatment for your child, it is worthwhile to get acquainted with a little theoretical information.

What is "dermatitis" and why it appears

Dermatitis is the common name for inflammation of the skin on the human body, caused by the external action of any substances. The way diaper dermatitis looks like can be described as a strong reddening of the skin that can cover large areas of the baby's body if the parents do not correct the cause in time. In our case, it can be either tissue diapers or disposable diapers. And more precisely, their incorrect use.

Causing diaper dermatitis in newborns can, first of all, urine and feces of the baby, with which the skin of the buttocks, perineum and inner thighs touch. This is why wet diapers should be replaced immediately with dry diapers. Parents who use disposable diapers( more often they are called "diapers"), too, do not relax and hope for advertising slogans. Such diapers, although intended for permanent use, lose the ability to "breathe" at the first filling( that is, every time the baby has coped with their natural needs) and turn into a kind of "stove" that irritates the baby's skin.

Even worse, a child feels at night when parents can not replace the used diaper in time( and especially if the child does not sleep with the mother in one bed, but separately).Covered with a blanket, the baby is very hot, starts to fidget or cry uneasily. At the same time, wet diapers or a diaper work as a thermos, creating a favorable microclimate for the development of infection and the manifestation of dermatitis.

The second cause of diaper dermatitis can be the use of skin irritating substances - cream, soap and even a washing powder for diapers. The third reason is food allergy and intestinal dysbiosis. It will already require skilled medical assistance and subsequent compliance by the mother with all the doctor's recommendations on how to treat diaper dermatitis. In the period of breastfeeding before the introduction of complementary foods, these two causes are very rare for the baby.

In a neglected form, diaper dermatitis from the stage of mild reddening leads to the appearance of microcracks, and then to pustules and erosion. At the same time the child experiences not only itching and burning, but also pain.

There is another type of dermatitis in young children - the so-called candidiasis diaper dermatitis caused by the fungus candida. Its manifestations are characterized by a very reddened skin surface, small papules may appear, the rash spreads not only along the folds of the skin, but also passes to the entire lower body of the baby.

In addition, dermatitis can have a bacterial nature( staphylococcus, streptococcus, etc.), and also be caused by a viral infection( eg, herpetic).However, candidal, bacterial and viral dermatitis is only a consequence of the neglected state of primary skin lesion of the baby due to improper use of diapers and "diapers."

How to cure diaper dermatitis

In principle, the treatment of diaper dermatitis in children is an algorithm for "changing" the baby:

• , first remove the diaper or diaper used by the child;
• then the toddler needs to be washed and with lightly soaking movements to dry his skin with a towel;
• the next stage is air baths( the child can be put on an oilcloth, covered with a warm diaper) - they will help to ventilate and dry the baby's skin;
• if a redness has already appeared on the baby's skin, you will have to use a cream from diaper dermatitis to prevent further spreading and to save the child from dermatitis accompanying unpleasant sensations;
• after the cream or ointment from diaper dermatitis is completely absorbed into the skin, you can wrap the baby in a diaper or put on a new clean diaper.

In the evening, the baby must be bathed in clean warm water, thoroughly rinsing all the wrinkles in the crotch and neck( it can sometimes be difficult to "find", but in its folds a fairly large amount of milk or liquid remains, which the child has vomited after feeding).Add to the water or use special detergents for washing your baby( even for children) is not recommended, as they can trigger an allergic reaction. If desired, once a week in the bathing water, you can add a little broth of chamomile or calendula.

At night, you should change films and diapers several times to the baby. And if you determine the wet diaper is not difficult, then the appearance of the "diaper" sometimes badly "disguises" its fullness. Therefore, it is worthwhile to put a hand on it, and if the diaper is soft and warm - it should be replaced. So that at night mom did not have to "ply" between the child and her own bed( and also to improve breastfeeding), it is better for her and the baby to sleep in the same bed. This will make it more responsive to his movements and desires.

To properly choose the ointment for the treatment of diaper dermatitis, it is better to contact your pediatrician, who must be informed about the occurrence of such a problem. As a remedy for the treatment of dermatitis in the initial stage of the disease( reddening of the skin) cream "Drapolen", ointments "Desitin" and "d-Panthenol" are suitable. You can also recommend the "Bepanten" ointment, which must be purchased before delivery, as it is also an excellent tool for healing cracks in the nipples of a nursing mother, as well as various scratches( including small ones).

In more complex forms, the pediatrician who watches the child will determine how best to treat diaper dermatitis. It is he who must prescribe antifungal, antiviral or antibacterial agents. In this case, the Candida albicans fungus requires an integrated approach, and therefore the treatment is carried out completely for the entire gastrointestinal tract( for which Diflucan is most often used), plus treatment with appropriate ointments of dermatitis-affected areas on the skin of the child. Anxiety-pruritus itch can be removed with the help of antihistamines.