Prickly heat in a baby does not cause surprise or diagnostic difficulties, since everyone knows that the sweat glands in young children are still imperfect and do not work well due to the narrowness of the excretory ducts. In addition, the child is often overheated, afraid of catching a cold, especially in the off-season. But when an adult develops a characteristic rash on the body, this often makes one want to look for more serious reasons for it than errors in thermoregulation. However, prickly heat in adults is quite common, and it causes discomfort to patients, reducing the quality of life.
Causes of skin rash from sweat
If the ambient temperature rises, the human body begins to produce sweat in an enhanced mode, and the sweat glands intensively bring it to the surface of the skin to cool it. Excessive sweating can be caused not only by hot weather or high indoor temperatures, but also by overheating with inadequately fitting warm clothing and wearing tight-fitting clothing made of synthetic fabrics.
The problem of increased sweating becomes relevant during illnesses accompanied by feverish conditions, as well as when using such methods of treatment as warming compresses. Violation of thermoregulation also occurs in patients who are forced to use diapers, bandages and other special means that do not allow air to pass through for a long time.
Finally, a rash on the body due to poor ventilation of skin areas and heavy sweating can appear with obesity and even bother women with large breasts that sink under their weight and contribute to the accumulation of sweat in the crease under the breast.
The vigorous work of the sweat glands can lead to blockage of their ducts, which become inflamed, and this appears on the skin in the form of small red nodules or vesicles.
Forms of manifestation of prickly heat in adults and typical localization of rashes
The most typical localization of a skin rash caused by increased sweating is the skin folds on the neck, between the fingers, behind the ears, as well as the groin area, the folds between the buttocks and under the buttocks, the area under the mammary glands. Another favorite localization of prickly heat is the elbow and knee bends. In addition, prickly heat in adults is often manifested by a small rash on the forehead, on the chest, in the interscapular region on the back (especially for athletes), and also on the inner surface of the thighs (especially in overweight women).
Miliaria in adults can have three forms of manifestation:
- crystalline - very small white or pearly bubbles that tend to merge, occur most often on the bends of the elbows and knees, on the skin of the chest and back, after which there is a noticeable peeling;
- red - looks like small red nodules or cloudy vesicles with an inflamed corolla; the elements do not merge with each other and are very itchy, usually occur where the skin is subjected to friction (in the groin, between the thighs and knees, under the breast, under the armpits);
- papular - also called tropical, as it most often develops as a reaction to humid heat, looks larger than usual, bodily vesicles that appear against the background of dry, flaky skin.
Peculiarities of treatment and prevention of prickly heat in adults
It is not difficult to diagnose prickly heat in adults based on the characteristic external manifestations and the collection of anamnesis. Treatment is based on the exclusion of the cause that caused overheating of the body or individual areas of the skin with a violation of the sweat glands. As a rule, when the factor that violates thermoregulation is eliminated, the rash on the body disappears within three days. With severe itching, baths with chamomile, string, potassium permanganate, treatment of itchy skin with betamethasone ointment, powders with talc or zinc are recommended.
A complication of prickly heat in adults can be the addition of a bacterial infection, when a pustular rash appears on the body, and the process transforms into pyoderma. In this case, local antibacterial drugs and antiseptics are prescribed.
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