How Does Prickly Heat Rash Develop?
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About Prickly Heat
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Prickly heat, or miliaria, is a skin rash caused by clogged sweat gland ducts. While it is most common in hot, humid climates, it can also be seen in cooler climates if the patient wears clothing that causes sweating. Prickly heat can occur anywhere on the body but is most common on areas of the body where there is skin-to-skin contact--such as under the breasts, underarms and inner thighs.
Prickly heat is especially common in infants and children because of their underdeveloped sweat glands.
Development
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Large amounts of perspiration can damage skin cells and impede the normal skin cell shedding process. Prickly heat rash is caused by sweat gland ducts getting clogged with dead skin cells or bacteria, usually bacteria that is normally on the surface of the skin. The trapped sweat, and the immune system's response to bacteria, cause inflammation. As the condition progresses, the sweat begins to leak into the deeper layers of the skin, causing a prickly, "pins and needles" feeling. The clinical name for this is miliaria rubra.
A more mild version of prickly heat is called miliaria crystallina, which consists not of a rash but of tiny, clear, fluid-filled bumps that look like beads of sweat. This does not cause the discomfort that rubra miliaria does, because the clog in the sweat gland duct is close to the surface of the skin.
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Miliaria Profunda
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Prickly heat is uncomfortable but generally harmless, though a doctor should always be seen because of the risk of miliaria profunda. Also called "wildfire," this type of prickly heat rash spreads very rapidly and causes severe burning sensations. Miliaria profunda is often a complication stemming from repeated cases of prickly heat, and the obstructions are located deep in the sweat gland. This causes sweat to leak into multiple layers of the dermis. While the burning is more severe than normal prickly heat rash, the papules it produces may be flesh-colored and the rash may only last a few hours. However, there can be additional symptoms, such as swollen lymph nodes and fatigue.
There is also a risk of heat exhaustion. Sweating is part of the body's cooling process and miliaria profunda impedes this, leading to possible heat exhaustion. Symptoms include nausea, dizziness, fast heart rate and fainting.
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