Heat rash treatment tends to be important to alleviate the painful skin conditions that generally occur in hot weather.
Heat rashes can be understood to be a painful skin condition, which more than often causes clusters of raised and tiny bumps along with discoloration of the skin. It may also be accompanied by an itchy and burning sensation in the skin. These rashes can occur anywhere in the body where the skin folds, especially under the arms, near your groin, and in the neck area.
In this article, we will discuss the causes and symptoms of the heat rash along with the effective heat rash treatment for adults.
Heat Rash Causes
There are several causes of heat rash, but it usually occurs when your sweat gland ducts tend to become blocked. A humid and hot environment is a further contributing factor to the heat rash. If your skin continuously rubs over on each other due to physical activity, it can also cause these rashes.
Symptoms of a Heat Rash
The symptoms of the condition, which generally requires heat rash treatment, include:
- Papules, which can be understood as small spots or bumps. These red spots can be easily seen on the white skin, however, on the darker skin tone they are a bit harder to see.
- Mild swelling
- Pricking and itching sensation
Heat rashes more often are not serious and go away in a couple of days with cool temperatures. But they can get painful and uncomfortable, especially if your excessive sweating continues.
Heat rashes generally heal without leaving any scars. However, people with darker skin are more at risk of lighter and darker spots on the skin. They usually go away within a couple of weeks and months. Some of the most common complications tend to occur due to an infection with bacteria that causes itchy and inflamed pustules. Inflammation and infection appear as the bacteria enters the plugged skin glands.
Heat Rash Treatment Adults
Here are some of the heat rash treatments for adults to help with pain and burning sensations:
1. Ointment
There are several over-the-counter medications that your healthcare professionals can recommend depending upon the severity of the heat rash. One such ointment is calamine lotion, which will help in effectively treating heat rash symptoms. The presence of zinc oxide in the lotion will help in reducing its itchiness.
2. Steroid Creams
Hydrocortisone is also one of the most efficient heat rash treatments that your doctor can suggest for relieving the symptoms of this condition. It is easily available in pharmacy as well as online stores.
3. Antihistamines
This is also an over-the-counter heat rash treatment medication that the doctor recommends. It will help in relieving itching in both oral and topical manner.
Heat rash treatment is an effective way to reduce pain and rashes in your skin. The effectiveness of the treatment depends on the severity of the rash and how effectively you treat the same. You should consult a medical professional if your heat rash seems to be getting worse or more complicated.
Prevention of Heat Rash
Here are some of the measures that you can incorporate to more or less likely avoid the need for heat rash treatment:
- In the summers, try wearing lightweight and loose clothing which will also help in wicking moisture from the skin.
- Newborn babies are at greater risk of getting heat rashes and that is why you should not wrap them in too many layers.
- Make sure to avoid ointments and creams that block your pores along with avoiding the medication that causes sweating.
- Keep your body hydrated by drinking plenty of water.
- You should also keep your sleeping area well ventilated and cool.
- Do not scratch your rash if it feels itchy as this can further worsen the skin condition. Instead, you should pat or tap on the rash area.
Overall, there are several heat rash treatments that will effectively help alleviate the pain and discomfort associated with this skin condition. You can also try other homemade remedies for the rash, including ice packs, aloe vera, baking soda, sandalwood, and more.