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Once the baby arrives, there are a zillion things a mom needs to be careful about. When the weather turns hot, you may notice tiny red marks or rashes on your baby’s skin. These are nothing but boils. It is essential to keep the baby cool so as to avoid boils which, if left unattended might be quite painful. Read here to know more about boils on babies and some ways to treat them.
To put in simple terms boils are nothing but skin infection due to bacteria (staphylococcus aureus) that begins at the hair follicle or an oil gland. When it appears, the area becomes red first. Gradually the lump becomes tender and finally gets filled with pus and turns white. Usually boils appear on the face, neck, armpits, shoulders, back and buttocks. Sometimes, the appearance of a boil is accompanied with fever. Usually these are nothing to panic about. Simple boils can be treated at home. However, if the area around the boil gets infected and turns red, or the lymph nodes swell, more boils appear and the pain becomes severe, it is best to get an opinion from the pediatrician for further action.
Babies can be prone to boils for several reasons. Sometimes, it could be extreme heat or a simple infection, but at other times, the reasons could be:
If the boils continues to spread or becomes a carbuncle, and refuses to go, the doctor may suggest a surgery. This is not common though. What you need to remember is that boils with pus are contagious and can spread. So you must always remember to wash hands after cleaning it.
Without any treatment, baby’s boils starts turning soft and filled with pus within a week of its appearance. It will start to fade away within 8 to 10 days. If the boil persists more than 10-12 days of its appearance or its recurring, check with your baby’s doctor.
Usually boils on babies do not cause any complications and do not need any medical intervention. But do take your baby to his doctors if:
Sometimes your baby may suffer from recurrent boils, which can be contagious. This is because various bacteria live on the surface of the skin of your baby, which can easily cause infections on any broken skin even a minor cut or scrape. These bacteria easily spread from person to person. It is important that you check if anyone in the family have boils so that they are timely treated to stop the infection from spreading.
Your baby’s doctor may also take a swab of the boil to check if your baby has any underlying medical condition.
Here are some ways you can treat or reduce boils on your baby:
Babies could get boils due to many reasons, but if you practice proper hygiene and keep your baby clean, boils may not a thing to worry at all.
Did your baby experience boils? Do you have any tips for treating boils on babies? Please share it in the comments section below.
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