What is diaper dermatitis and how to treat it

One of the most common and unpleasant problems in caring for a newborn baby is diaper dermatitis - it is irritation, redness, rubbing of the skin of the child in the inguinal region as a result of contact with urine and feces under the diaper.

How to determine diaper dermatitis

It manifests itself in the form of redness, irritation in the area covered by the diaper (inguinal region, crotch, buttock, buttocks). In advanced cases, redness turns into swelling, diaper rash, crusts may form. An infection gets into the wounds, a complication may develop - candidal diaper dermatitis. This disease will require specialized longer treatment.

Photo (what diaper dermatitis looks like. Clickable)

The reasons

Why even with proper care there is such an unpleasant problem?

• Incorrect diaper size. If the diaper is small or tiny, then friction against the delicate skin causes irritation, which is manifested by redness;
• The diaper changes less frequently than after 4 hours. Under it, increased humidity is created, the skin has long contact with urine and feces. As a result, severe irritation appears on the delicate skin of the baby;
• The cause of dermatitis can also be an allergy to a certain type of diaper or moisturizing cleansing wipes used for hygiene of infants.

How to treat

• The most important thing is not to start the problem, start treatment on time. Change diapers more often, do not save, preferably every 2 to 4 hours. Do not wait until the diaper is full;
• Wash the baby thoroughly when changing diapers. Wear a diaper, drying the ass and inguinal areas well. In this case, do not wipe, but gently pat the affected areas with a towel. You can use baby powder (if the skin needs to be additionally dried) or cream ( See usage special diaper creams >>>);
• In the treatment of diaper dermatitis and for its prevention, arrange the baby air baths. Spend them as often as possible, three to four times a day, let the baby's skin rest from the diaper, breathe. The duration of the air bath is about 20 minutes, the temperature in the room is desirable about +23 degrees;
• Choose the right size of the diaper. If you see red stripes on the baby’s skin from the edges of the diaper, urgently change it to a size larger. It is easier to change diapers than to treat the irritation that has appeared;
• You can use special creams, applying them after bathing the baby (Bepanten, Drapolen, Destin, d - Panthenol and others).

Folk methods

• It is good to add decoctions of herbs to the water when bathing succession, a pharmaceutical chamomile, they relieve itching and irritation. Boil 5 tbsp. l herbs in two liters of boiling water, let the broth brew, mix with water prepared for bathing the baby;
• If there was no baby powder at home, you can take in equal proportions starch and streptocide tablets, previously crushed into powder. Such a homemade powder dries well and has antibacterial properties.

All these measures provide quick treatment for diaper dermatitis.

When to see a doctor

• If irritation persists after three days. The doctor will examine the baby and prescribe a special ointment;
• If all the actions taken do not help, the redness not only does not pass, but also intensifies, itching, swelling appeared, the baby is worried, naughty, urgently consult a dermatologist. Most likely, candidiasis infection was added to diaper dermatitis, and it requires medical treatment.

Prevention

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It is always easier to prevent a disease than to cure it. Therefore, we summarize the measures necessary to prevent diaper dermatitis.

1. We choose the right diaper, often change it, do not allow overflow with feces (How to choose diapers).
2. We observe hygiene, wash the buttocks and perineum with warm water from front to back, rinsing all the folds. Then dry the skin well. Hygiene Details read here.
3. We use special products to protect, moisturize or dry the skin.
4. If possible, we often carry out air procedures, let the skin breathe.

It is not difficult to follow these rules, but they will help to avoid such an unpleasant problem as diaper dermatitis, and to keep your baby’s delicate skin healthy.

We also read about skin problems and proper skin care:

To prevent and prevent diaper dermatitis in newborns, you need to constantly and well care for the skin of the child, paying special attention to the inguinal region and buttocks. How to properly care for the skin, we toldin this article.

You can find out about other common skin problems (rash, diaper rash) here – https://kid.htgetrid.com/en/zdorove-rebenka/chastyie-zabolevaniya-i-problemyi-s-kozhey-u-novorozhdennyih-detey.html

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