Heat pimples are an inflammatory disease of the sweat glands, in technical language they are called miliaria. Other synonyms for heat pimples in common parlance or colloquially are: Schweißfrieseln, Hitzeblattern, Dermatitis Hidrotica and Hidroa for the transparent pimples and Lichen tropicus or red dog for the red already inflamed form of heat pimples. Heat pimples occur when the excretory ducts of sweat glands become clogged. This occurs particularly often when warm ambient temperatures and high humidity prevail, as in the tropics.
Heat pimples in children, babies and toddlers.
Outlandishly often the itchy heat pimples occur in toddlers and babies. The reason is usually too warm and airtight clothing. Many parents mean it too well with their children and pack them thickly not only in cool weather. However, small children in particular have difficulty communicating that they are too warm. Sometimes they whine or scream, but this is an unspecific signal. So their overheating is often not noticed. This is why heat and warmth can easily build up on the bodies of toddlers and babies, so that the sweat glands become clogged and hardly ventilated. In addition, bacteria can easily colonize the skin in this warm and humid environment. Heat pimples can be the result.
Heat pimples in adults
Heat pimples can also occur in adults. They are equally common in both sexes. Although the cause is usually a stay in tropical areas, but not only a vacation in hot areas can be the trigger for the heat pimples. Tight-fitting clothing that prevents sweat from evaporating on the skin also causes heat to build up on the body in our temperate latitudes, which can cause heat pimples.
What do heat pimples look like?
There are two different types of heat pimples. Depending on the exact location of the blockage in the sweat glands, heat pimples can look different. Typical miliaria cristallina are watery and plump. The individual vesicles are rarely larger than the head of a pin and are usually grouped close together. In turn, these groups of heat pimples are usually found distributed over a larger area. They are located on the trunk, especially on the sweat paths, such as
- Under the armpits
- Between the shoulders at the back
- At the neckline
This crystalline form of heat pimples usually proceeds without inflammation, which is why the vesicles do not show redness. If you wipe firmly over the blisters, they burst open, the clogged sweat gland is back in contact with the surface of the body and clear liquid comes out – similar to a drop of sweat. The inflammatory form of heat pimples, Miliaria rubra, is more conspicuous because of its red coloration and skin that is often generally reddened by scratching. Where they occur, the skin is swollen and itchy or painful. This form of heat pimples cannot be treated and removed by squeezing or scratching.
Causes and genesis of heat pimples.
Unlike sun allergy, heat pimples are not based on an inflammatory reaction against UV rays, but on a blockage of the sweat glands, caused by heat accumulation. Therefore, heat pimples are not impossible in winter. The crystalline form of heat pimples occurs very spontaneously in overheating. It usually passes after a few hours and does not itch. This is because as soon as the heat buildup is over, the sweat glands are also free again. It is different, however, with red heat pimples. They usually develop only after several days’ stay in tropical areas. Here the blockage of the glands is already more serious and located deeper in the skin. The sweat produced in the glands can therefore no longer come to the surface of the body and instead spreads within the skin. This congestion can either lead directly to inflammation or rupture the duct of the sweat gland due to excess pressure, which eventually turns into inflammation. Clogging of the glands occurs primarily due to the tropical, warm, humid air, which causes the skin to swell. Together with the salt in the sweat and the bacteria, which multiply magnificently between skin and clothing, an inflammation is provoked in the sweat glands. Heat pimples can enstehen.
What to do against heat pimples?
Against heat pimples there are different forms of treatment, which are applied depending on the type of heat pimples.Crystalline heat pimples usually do not require medication, even in children or babies. What is important, however, is symptomatic therapy by eliminating the heat buildup and a general rethinking of the type and amount of clothing. Onion clothing and loose, airy clothing are the best preventive measures. In rare cases, if the crystalline heat pimples do not go away on their own, a zinc shake mixture (Lotio zinci spirituosa) can be applied. Medicinal therapy is usually not necessary for red heat pimples either. Powder or the zinc mixture already mentioned can have an alleviating effect, as they keep the skin dry. If bacterial infestation and itching become too severe, local antibiotics can also help against heat pimples, which are applied in the form of creams. Source: Braun-Falco, Otto and Wolff, Helmut H. (2005). Dermatology and venereology. Landthaler, M. and Plewig, Gerd (eds. ), 5th ed. Berlin: Springer Verlag.
