What is prickly heat? How to treat it?

Prickly heat is a skin disease that occurs on people in the summer. It usually appears in the form of small papules and blisters. This article will introduce the common knowledge and treatment methods of prickly heat.

What is prickly heat?

Heat rash is a common superficial, inflammatory skin disease in summer or hot environments. In a hot and humid environment, a large amount of sweat is not easy to evaporate, causing the stratum corneum to become swollen and the sweat gland ducts to become narrow or blocked, resulting in sweat retention and sweat seepage into the surrounding tissues, forming papules, blisters or pustules, which are more likely to occur in wrinkles.

Due to the high temperature and humidity in the environment, excessive sweating is not easy to evaporate. The sweat soaks the epidermal stratum corneum, causing the opening of the sweat gland duct to narrow or block. After the sweat is retained in the sweat gland duct, it ruptures due to the increase in internal pressure. The overflowing sweat penetrates and stimulates the surrounding tissues, causing papules, papules and small blisters to appear at the sweat pores. Bacteria multiply and produce toxins, which can aggravate the inflammatory reaction. Some people believe that the blockage of sweat pores is due to primary staphylococcal infection, while others believe that the occurrence of prickly heat has nothing to do with excessive sweating, but is related to the large-scale multiplication of micrococci on the skin surface.

Treatment of prickly heat:

1. Local treatment

Apply cooling powder such as prickly heat powder externally, or use cooling anti-itching lotion such as 1% peppermint calamine lotion, 1% peppermint tincture; for purulent rash, apply 2% fish stone calamine lotion or coptis powder externally.

2. Systemic therapy

Oral antihistamines are used when itching is obvious. Antibiotics are used when prickly heat is infected.