Rashes on the cheeks of a baby is a very common phenomenon faced by a huge number of mothers. Allergic reactions can manifest themselves for a variety of reasons and appear throughout the body, but, as a rule, it is on the face that the first symptoms appear. Let's try to understand the main factors that cause a response in the child's body and find out how to deal with this typical immunopathological process.
The most common causes of breakouts
The skin of a newborn baby is very delicate and thin, it easily lends itself to various influences, reacts both to external factors and to the internal state of the body. There are a huge number of factors that can cause rashes on the cheeks of a baby.
The reasons are most often related to the following:
- taking antibiotics, as a result of which the intestinal microflora was disturbed;
- violation or lack of feeding regimen;
- hypersensitivity to any products, transmitted by heredity;
- Immune response to vaccinations;
- mom's malnutrition;
- feeding formula.
In addition to all of the above, an allergic reaction can be caused by cosmetics used to care for a baby or household chemicals. In order for the rashes on the cheeks of the baby to disappear, it is necessary to determine their exact cause and exclude it from the baby's life. Otherwise, his he alth will deteriorate.
Food allergy
What is she like? As medical statistics show, red rashes on the cheeks of a child are associated with nutrition. The thing is that in one-month-old children, the digestive system is not yet well developed, so it can react poorly to a huge amount of food. When they enter the body, a failure may occur. In this case, the immune system begins to react to the allergen only when it enters the body again, and at the first time it only remembers it. The more antigen gets into the blood, the more pronounced the symptoms will be.
Among the main causes of food allergies are the following:
- feeding milk formulas made from cow's milk containing lactose;
- too early orincorrect transfer of the baby to normal nutrition;
- Mother's failure to diet while breastfeeding.
If rashes on the cheeks of a child are associated with individual intolerance to any products, then in this case the only way out is to completely exclude them from the baby's diet.
Allergic diseases
How do they manifest themselves? Rashes on the cheeks of a baby can be caused not only by the individual characteristics of the child's body, but also due to various allergic diseases.
The most commonly diagnosed are the following:
- Atopic eczema. Rashes on the skin are accompanied by severe itching. In addition, the epidermis becomes very dry and begins to peel off.
- Urticaria. The rash is very itchy and resembles edematous nodules that disappear after pressing on them. Most often it develops due to long-term use of medications or the use of certain foods.
- Quincke's edema. In its clinical manifestations, it very much resembles urticaria, however, the rash with this ailment is localized on a much larger area of the skin. A very dangerous situation is in which swelling of the mucous membrane of the larynx occurs.
It is worth noting that with any allergic disease, rashes on the baby's cheeks are almost always accompanied not only by redness, but also by additional symptoms. Therefore, if you notice them, it is better to immediately show the child to a dermatologist in order to identify the problem in a timely manner and begin treatment.
Clinical manifestations of allergic reactions
What should I pay attention to first of all? When a typical immunopathological process begins in the baby's body, regardless of what it was caused by, a rash appears on its skin, especially on the face. It can have a different shade, size and texture.
In this case, the following symptoms may be observed along the way:
- itch;
- allergic rhinitis;
- liquid stool;
- increased gas formation;
- intestinal cramps.
The first clinical manifestations can make themselves felt already a few minutes or hours after the allergen enters the baby's body. Therefore, if you find red rashes on the cheeks of a baby, then in no case should you ignore this.
A few words about artificial feeding
According to doctors, in most cases, the allergic process begins when using infant formula. Therefore, if for some reason you cannot breastfeed, then you need to be very careful when choosing a formula for your baby. The thing is that artificial nutrition for babies is made on the basis of cow's milk, so they contain casein and lactose. And since in newborn babies the digestive system and metabolism are not yet fully developed, they may have certain problems with their assimilation. As a result, children develop food allergies.
Determine that a rash on the cheeks of a child in 1month are caused precisely by children's non-adaptive nutrition according to the following signs:
- facial redness;
- frequent burping;
- vomiting;
- liquid stool;
- colic.
It is worth noting that in some cases there may even be a slight increase in body temperature. However, this is extremely rare, so it cannot be considered an obvious symptom.
Diet for the period of feeding
So that the baby does not develop allergies, the mother (throughout breastfeeding) must carefully monitor her diet. It is best to consult with an allergist, immunologist and nutritionist who will help you adjust your daily diet.
But in any case, you will have to give up the following products:
- any seafood;
- milk;
- eggs;
- mushrooms;
- honey;
- cereals;
- nuts;
- cocoa containing products;
- coffee;
- yellow and red fruits and vegetables;
- sweets;
- marinades;
- spicy seasonings.
In addition to diet, pediatricians also recommend reviewing all household chemicals used, as well as hygiene products for baby care.
What foods are allowed?
According to nutritionists, with proper nutrition, the likelihood of developing allergies is almost completely excluded.
Experts in the field advise breastfeeding mothers to include the following in their diet:
- sour milkproducts;
- cereals;
- dietary meat;
- white and green fruits and vegetables, fresh or cooked;
- vegetable oils, especially olive.
These foods are a good source of vitamins, minerals and nutrients, and are free of allergens, so they will not only benefit mom, but also her baby.
Allergy to household chemicals and its main manifestations
Many mothers think that a typical immunopathological reaction is caused by the use of certain foods, but very often rashes on the child's cheeks are the result of using inappropriate household chemicals. The whole problem with this is that it is very difficult to distinguish this type of allergy from any other because of the similar symptoms. Among the main symptoms are the following:
- dry and flaky skin;
- watery bubbles that burst when pressed;
- redness and watery eyes;
- cough;
- nasal congestion.
In the case of a typical immunopathological reaction to household chemicals, it is very important to start treatment as soon as possible, because if it continues to progress, the baby may eventually develop eczema, which is fraught with very serious consequences.
Diagnosis
What is she like? To quickly cure rashes on the cheeks of a baby, it is necessary to identify the exact cause of their manifestations. This requires a comprehensive examination of not only the child, but also his parents.
In the process of diagnosis, doctors take into accountthe following factors:
- hereditary predisposition;
- level of immunoglobulin in the blood, which allows to exclude the presence of infectious diseases;
- study of possible routes of penetration of the allergen into the body;
- study of external factors that could cause the development of allergies.
If a typical immunopathological reaction is severe, blood sampling may be required for laboratory testing.
Basic treatments
Rashes on the cheeks of a baby are the very first and obvious sign of an allergic reaction, so you need to immediately show your baby to a specialized specialist. As a rule, drug therapy based on the intake of antihistamine drugs is prescribed.
The following are most often assigned:
- "Diazolin";
- "Suprastin";
- "Claritin";
- "Gistan";
- "Fenistil";
- "Bepaten Plus";
- "Smekta".
These funds relieve puffiness and block the response of the immune system to the allergen. However, you should not forget that any drugs can be taken only as prescribed by the doctor. In very severe cases, glucocorticoids are prescribed, but they are taken only under medical supervision.
Prevention measures
According to medical professionals,allergic reactions in children under one year of age can be prevented.
To do this, parents should follow the following tips and tricks:
- When breastfeeding, a mother should adjust her diet based on what foods can adversely affect the baby's he alth. What can be eaten and what should be discarded has already been noted.
- You should gradually introduce your child to homemade food so that his digestive system can adapt normally. At the very beginning, one teaspoon will be enough for the baby. If, after feeding, rashes on the cheeks of the baby do not appear, then you can gradually increase the portions. In general, it is better to start complementary foods no earlier than 8 months.
- When artificial feeding, it is necessary to use infant formula, which in its composition is as close as possible to mother's milk. This is especially important if the child has any problems with the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
- The nutrition of a child in the first year of life should be as useful as possible. It is better not to give him fatty foods and foods that can cause allergies.
- Bathing and washing children's clothes should be done using special products. In addition, it is very important to provide complete hygiene care.
In addition to all of the above, household dust is also one of the external factors, so you need to regularly carry out general cleaning in the house.
Advice from pediatricians and advice from moms
So what to do if you noticerashes on the cheeks of the baby? Komarovsky, who is considered one of the most experienced doctors of our time, advises, first of all, to refrain from artificial feeding, since most often a typical immunopathological reaction develops due to immunity or individual intolerance to the protein contained in cow's milk, which is the basis for the manufacture of infant formula.
In turn, mothers who have encountered a similar problem recommend reviewing and adjusting their daily diet, since the substances contained in food are transferred to the baby along with milk during feeding. In most cases, this helps and the allergy goes away on its own.
Conclusion
Allergies are not as bad as most parents think, but you should not leave them unattended, because serious complications can develop if left untreated. Also, you should not self-medicate, and when the first symptoms appear, it is best to immediately go to the hospital, where your child will be examined by a professional and select the safest and most effective therapy program. But if you take good and proper care of your child, then he will never have any he alth problems, so everything here depends only on you.
