When the weather gets hotter and the air becomes more humid, you can expect a few illnesses to suddenly materialize, many of them affecting the skin. Kids are often more prone to these conditions than adults. After those two-day hiking and camping trips in the Rockies, or those long days spent swimming and holding barbecues in your backyard, you may just find your little ones starting to scratch themselves nonstop, or crying because of stinging pain on their skin.
The classic sunburn is perhaps the most common cause of discomfort, but skin infections, allergies, and a bunch of other conditions could cause rashes, blisters, or even mysterious lumps and bumps. When a child can’t stop scratching an itchy area, the tiny sores or eruptions can look worse, get more irritating, or even become infected. Here’s a list of common skin irritations that kids can suffer every summer, and which just might require a visit to a Littleton pediatrics clinic.
Heat Rash
Aside from sunburns, the hot weather can also bring about heat rash, which appears as bumps on skin folds. This itchy rash happens when sweat gets trapped underneath the skin because of clogged sweat ducts. Normally, the rash disappears after a few days, but if it persists longer than four days, or becomes itchier, redder, or more painful, it needs to be seen by a physician.
Reaction to Poison Ivy
About 85% of Americans are allergic to urushiol, oil found in poison ivy, oak, or sumac sap. If your child’s skin comes into contact with the leaves or any part of those plants, he/she could easily develop red patches or blisters, swelling, and itching within 12 hours up to three days. A pediatrician can prescribe the proper topical medications or lotions, as well as anti-allergy medicines for severe reactions.
Hives
Heat stress, excessive perspirations, and exposure to various allergens can trigger hives. Aside from animal dander and insect bites, these pink or red welts can also erupt after touching flowers like lavender, daffodils, and chrysanthemums, or other allergenic plant vines. When the hives don’t disappear after a cold shower and wearing loose clothing, the child may need antihistamines.
Take note that when watering holes are contaminated or not properly treated (too much or too little chlorine in pools, for instance), various bacteria and viruses can thrive in them. This means your child can develop several other skin irritations and illnesses. A trusted Littleton pediatrician like one at Focus on Kids Pediatrics can help you sort out these concerns, so your child can “just keep swimming” this summer.
Sources:
How to Treat (and Avoid!) Summer Skin Problems, Health.com
5 Surprising Summer Skin Problems And How To Avoid Them, The Huffington Post
Skin Allergies Can Flare Up in Summer Heat, MedicineNet.com