Rash on the buttocks and genitals in a child: causes and treatment

Rash on butt

Small red, goose bump-like rashes on the butt often appear in children in the first 12 months of life. It is impossible to determine on your own the true cause of the spots. Based on the clinical picture and shape of the rash, parents may suspect one of the conditions.

Allergic reaction to tangerines, sweets or other foods. The buttock area can also turn red from medications that are often prescribed to children (Nurofen, Viferon, Sub-Simplex, penicillin antibiotics and other drugs).
Diapers can cause a maculopapular rash on the butt. This often happens when changing hygiene products. You should give preference to hypoallergenic brands of diapers and change them promptly.
Homemade diapers often cause irritation on the butt. Visually, it resembles a miliaria - small reddish pimples with whitish nodules in the center. With this condition, the baby may be diagnosed with diaper dermatitis.
Prolonged exposure to high ambient temperatures causes a rash on the butt. Subsequently, the spots spread throughout the body.
Childhood diseases can begin with a rash on the butt. Fever often precedes the appearance of redness. Differential diagnosis allows you to make one of the diagnoses: scarlet fever, chickenpox, rubella, measles, Epstein-Barr virus, Coxsackie disease, molluscum contagiosum and others.
Parasitic infections appear as a rash near the anus. If left untreated, the spots spread to the liver area, lower and upper limbs, and areas of the face. Such signs are characteristic of Giardia and yersiniosis.
Autoimmune diseases cause skin manifestations with a predominant localization in the gluteal region and lower extremities. When diagnosed, a child may be diagnosed with diabetes, pemphigus, and lupus. The reaction occurs due to inappropriate behavior of the body's defense systems.

Causes of groin rashes in children

Groin rash in children

Most parents blame it on an allergy to an unfamiliar food or irritation from a new detergent. Few people think that the child’s constant presence in a diaper is to blame. Due to the occurrence of diaper rash, harmful bacteria begin to multiply on the baby's body.

Also common is prickly heat, which is similar to the case described above, but occurs due to overheating. The sweat glands of children work quite unstable, which leads to clogging of the epidermis, the skin ceases to receive enough air, which is why prickly heat appears.

Often a child can get candidiasis. The pathogen that causes the disease is found in the stool. Candida bacteria spread throughout the baby's skin and mucous membranes, causing a rash.

A fragile organism can be undermined by other internal problems that will serve as the starting impetus for a rash:

chronic or congenital pathologies;
intestinal dysbiosis;
previous influenza or other severe viral disease;
disruption of the hormonal glands;
taking strong antibiotics.

A baby can also get candidiasis from his mother. The pathogen passes during feeding or regular contact, without personal hygiene.

Rash on the genitals

Groin rash most often has an allergic or infectious origin.

An allergy to the genital organs in a child can manifest itself in the form of small rashes, red spots, pigmented areas, and even blackheads with black inclusions. The role of irritant is usually hygiene products - diapers, disposable diapers, bathing gels, soap. Also, a rash in the groin can occur due to synthetic fabrics, cosmetics (for example, diaper cream or powder).

The infectious origin of the rash on the genitals is accompanied by a general deterioration in the child’s well-being. In places where the papules are localized, itching and discomfort occur. Some pathologies are accompanied by painful sensations. You can suspect what caused the rash by its appearance:

herpes - the rash is small, the blisters contain liquid, which, when released, causes new lesions;
chlamydia - rashes resemble erythema, at the same time the child may develop conjunctivitis;
candidiasis – in places where red spots form there is a coating that visually resembles cottage cheese;
human papillomavirus - the rash does not look like acne and resembles small inseparable growths from the skin;
inguinal lymphogranulomatosis is a malignant disease with a high probability of metastasis, characterized by numerous subcutaneous bulges resembling a flesh-colored rash;
syphilis - accompanied by the formation of ulcers over the entire surface of the labia minora in girls.

Symptoms of diseases

It is very easy to distinguish candidiasis from prickly heat or dermatitis by a number of symptoms:

all rashes are rich red in color with clear boundaries;
inside the vesicles there is pus;
the rash in the groin area merges into large lesions and spots;
you can notice a grayish or white coating on the formations;
genitals become swollen;
urination is accompanied by pain.

This is significantly different from the usual redness or small pink spots in the case of heat rash, which go away quickly and do not cause any discomfort to the baby.

In the case of candidiasis, it is necessary to start treating the baby before the blisters burst, because then the thrush will penetrate deep into the skin. The child will become restless due to itching and burning of the skin, and if treatment is started, boys will eventually develop balanoposthitis. Rash in children's groin

can be prevented, and if it doesn’t work out, it needs to be treated quickly.

Treatment of groin rash

If a rash is detected on the genitals and buttocks of a child, parents need to reconsider their approach to hygiene and nutrition. If a new bathing product or washing powder is used, it could cause an allergy. If the rash becomes weeping, it is recommended to leave the child without a diaper or diapers more often, so that the delicate skin is well ventilated and the ulcers dry out. If the child is older than 6 months, then it is necessary to organize a diet - temporarily refuse to introduce new products and exclude any allergens from the menu.

If the condition of the epithelium does not improve within a few days, you should seek medical help. If the infectious nature of the origin of the rash is detected, adequate treatment is prescribed with drugs to which the pathogens are sensitive.

To alleviate the baby's condition, anti-inflammatory, antihistamine, and healing agents for external use are prescribed. Bathing in decoctions of chamomile and sage helps speed up the restoration of the epithelium. Among the folk recipes, treating rashes with infusion of bay leaves works well, and you can dry wet areas with starch.

How and when does vulvitis occur?

Most parents do not even suspect that their little princess has such an unpleasant disease. This happens because most adults believe that problems with the genital organs cannot arise in childhood. This misconception leads to the fact that inspection of such delicate places is carried out very rarely, and proper hygiene and care are not observed. And in vain. After all, if you believe the statistics, vulvitis most often occurs in children from birth to 10 years. Causes of inflammation of the external genitalia in girls:

Structural features - the vaginal mucosa is not yet sufficiently developed and is easily susceptible to bacteria;
Using diapers – the greenhouse effect from diapers leads to the development of irritation and diaper rash;
Helminth infections - the vital activity of some types of parasites (pinworms) causes an inflammatory process in the external genitalia;
Poor or excessive hygiene;
Contact allergies to diapers, detergents, creams;
Low immunity;
frequent infections of the genitourinary system.

Relationship with lactation

For allergic rashes on the butt, breastfeeding has a positive effect. With the help of mother's milk, the baby recovers faster. This process is associated with the continuous transfer of immunity from mother to infant. Innate antibodies disappear in the first 5-7-9 months of a baby’s life. Subsequently, the mother passes on the so-called additive immunity to the baby, protecting it from various pathologies accompanied by a rash.

In rare cases, breastfeeding can cause a groin rash. If certain infectious diseases are detected in a woman, it is necessary to take care in advance about temporary or complete cessation of lactation. The list of transmitted pathologies includes: syphilis, HIV, hepatitis, candidiasis.

Description of the disease

Balanoposthitis is a common problem in pediatric practice.
Almost every boy has encountered this disease. It manifests itself as simultaneous inflammation of the foreskin and head of the penis. Most often, pathology develops when the rules of hygiene of the intimate area are violated. Therefore, statistically, the disease occurs mainly under the age of 12-14 years. The local inflammatory process does not pose a direct threat to the child’s health. However, the danger lies in the complications that arise against the background of the transition of an acute process to a chronic one. In the absence of targeted and timely treatment, adhesions form between the foreskin and the glans penis - phimosis develops. Sometimes the disease causes deformation of the head of the penis, which creates psychological discomfort for a man in adulthood and can worsen the quality of sexual life.

Depending on the clinical manifestations, balanoposthitis in children is divided into 3 forms:

Catarrhal. This variant of the disease occurs in 70-80% of cases. It is characterized by moderate severity of symptoms and responds well to treatment.
Erosive. A more severe form of the disease. Tissue defects form on the head of the penis. Infection penetrates into these areas more easily, causing the development of complications.
Gangrenous. A particularly severe form of the disease, which is characterized by a sharp deterioration in the child’s condition. Due to the massive penetration of bacteria, partial necrosis of the penile tissue occurs.

Balanoposthitis can occur acutely or chronically. The first option is more favorable, since it can be cured fairly quickly. The main thing is not to delay visiting a doctor if characteristic symptoms of the disease are detected.

Questions

Which doctor treats balanoposthitis in children?
Diagnostics and medical care for balanoposthitis is provided by a pediatric urologist.
Is surgery necessary for balanoposthitis?
In 90% of cases, the disease can be managed with conservative therapy. The exception is chronic forms, when adhesions form between the head of the penis and the foreskin with the development of phimosis. In this case, circumcision is indicated.
Do folk remedies help with balanoposthitis in children?
Various decoctions of plants with an antiseptic effect can be used as baths for inflammation of the foreskin and glans penis. However, this approach is justified only after the child has been examined by a doctor. Otherwise, parents may miss the moment of active progression of the disease and allow it to become chronic and develop complications.
Is circumcision beneficial for balanoposthitis?
Sometimes, with frequent episodes of acute balanoposthitis, pediatric urologists recommend circumcision to prevent relapses of the disease. This removes the preputial sac, which is a container for the secretions of the glands in the area of the head of the penis. With the help of planned intervention, the risk of recurrent inflammation can be permanently eliminated. However, the choice in this case remains with the patient and parents.