What to do if the baby's neck is red and cracked

We all know that drowned neck is a common disease among newborns in summer. Drowning neck will make the newborn's neck red and broken. At this time, the child will feel pain and discomfort and will cry. Mothers will feel distressed when seeing this, especially for new mothers, who do not know how to take care of their children. So, what should we do if the infant's neck is red and broken?

"Flooded neck" is also called intertriginous rash. It is an acute skin inflammation caused by local skin congestion due to moisture, sweat accumulation, and mutual friction in the skin folds. In severe cases, bacterial or fungal infection may occur. It is more common in newborns and obese babies. Intertriginous rashes mainly occur in skin folds, such as the front of the neck, behind the ears, armpits, groin, and near the anus.

It is characterized by the appearance of erythema and swelling on local skin, but the edges are generally clear and the redness and swelling are limited to areas that are prone to friction. In severe cases, there may even be ulceration and exudation. If secondary bacterial infection occurs, small pustules or ulcers will appear, which is more serious.

How to treat and care?

Apply some talcum powder to red and broken skin? The American Academy of Pediatrics explicitly prohibits the use of talcum powder on infants and young children because it may be accidentally inhaled into the baby's respiratory tract and cause serious lung function complications. Moreover, if you use talcum powder when the baby already has redness and swelling up to the neck, it will cause further irritation to the already injured skin and will only make the redness, swelling and ulceration worse. Therefore, do not use talcum powder when your baby’s neck is submerged, and for the baby’s life safety, do not use talcum powder on your baby at other times!

That's what you should do!

1. Wipe with warm water: Bathe your baby frequently and keep it clean. Be gentle when cleaning the skin on the neck. Do not wipe it dry when washing and drying it, but dip the skin in water to dry it.

2. Apply a hot towel: Apply a hot towel to the reddish skin for a while every day, about 20 minutes each time, and do it 3 to 5 times a day. Note that after applying hot compress, you should also let the baby's neck dry or gently wipe it dry to avoid any water stains remaining, which will aggravate the "flooded neck" situation.

3. Use pure cotton and breathable bibs: Change your baby's bibs to pure cotton and breathable bibs. Do not buy bibs made of polyester. The poor breathability will easily cause sweat and humidity, aggravating the symptoms of "flooded neck".

4. Zinc oxide oil or zinc oxide ointment can be applied to the skin folds to accelerate the drying of the wound and the regeneration of the epidermis. Zinc oxide ointment can play a role in water isolation, moisturizing and protection. If there is severe exudation, miconazole or ketoconazole can be used to prevent secondary fungal infection.

5. If the child continues to take medication for several days without any relief, or if signs of infection such as small pustules or ulcers appear, you should see a doctor immediately, as the child may need to be treated with appropriate antibiotics.