Miliaria Rubra
Miliaria Rubra Causes
Your autonomic nervous system stimulates the eccrine glands of your sweat glands to secrete perspiration when your core temperature rises, where the perspiration travels through ducts to the surface of your skin, where it cools your body as it evaporates. When some of the eccrine sweat ducts become plugged, heat rash develops and instead of evaporating, perspiration remains trapped beneath the skin, causing the inflammation and rash.
Miliaria Rubra Definition
Miliaria rubra, also known as heat rash or prickly heat is a rash of small red bumps caused by blockage of the sweat glands. It may be due to excessive sweating, high fever or being over-bundled, where it is seen in commonly humid or hot tropical climates, and it can sometimes cause itching, discomfort and stinging or ?prickly?-type pain.
Miliaria Rubra Symptoms and Signs
Wherever clothing causes friction, adults usually develop heat rash in skin folds and for infants, the rash is mainly found on the neck, head, chest, shoulders and the back, but it can also occur in the groin and armpits. Miliaria rubra causes red bumps that are intensely prickly or itchy, giving rise to its common name, prickly heat, which occurs deeper in the outer layer of the skin (epidermis).
Miliaria Rubra Treatment
Reducing sweat is the best treatment for heat rash and it can be done by staying in air-conditioned buildings or, when possible, using fans to circulate the air, wearing lightweight clothing made of fabrics that ?breathe? and limiting physical activity. Heat rash tends to clear quickly once the skin is cool. Severe forms of heat rash may require topical therapies in order to relieve discomfort and prevent complication. Topical treatments may include calamine lotion for soothe itching, anhydrous lanolin, which may help prevent duct blockage and stop new lesions from forming and topical steroids in most serious cases.