Having a diaper rash is a prevalent issue at present time. It is very common in babies ( 0 – 2 years), and toddlers (3 – 5 years).
As the kid grows and becomes less dependent on diapers, the rashes become rare. The cause behind most diaper rashes is the impairment of the baby’s skin integrity, rather than any specific fungal or bacterial infection.
Many a time diaper dermatitis /diaper rash is caused due to acidic conditions in urine and stool (later seen in diarrhea), constant wetness and a warm barrier environment.
A couple of things parents need to exercise to prevent these common diaper rashes, as stated by the dermatologist.
- Changing diaper as soon as it gets soiled.
- Instead of wipes, use warm water and mild soap to clean.
- Before putting on another diaper, let the baby’s bottom become fully dry.
- Choose a loose fitting diaper so the air can circulate around your child’s skin.
- For an hour at least your baby should go without the diaper so that your little one’s skin can also breathe.
Yeast Infection
When it comes to a diaper rash because of a superficial skin infection, the most common infectious agent is a yeast (fungus) called Candida albicans.
15 – 50 % of all diaper rashes are due to the overgrowth of yeast if the baby is on antibiotics or the mother is while breastfeeding, it will cause an imbalance in the yeast population.
Generally, yeast comes from the upper or lower gastrointestinal tract.
Diagnosis
It begins with the softening and breakdown of the tissue around the anus, bottom, testicles, vulva (in females), abdomen and along the creases of the legs. The latter is the characteristic distribution of C. albicans. Since in contact or irritant diaper rashes, the overlapping skin safeguards these areas from exposure to noxious irritants.
The infected area is red and elevated, with fluid visible under the skin. A small pimple like infected red bumps (Satellite pustules) is found at the periphery of the rash, another characteristic symptom of C. albicans.
Treatment
Now the question arises. Which diaper rash cream to choose?
Here your best diaper rash treatment routine won’t work with a yeast infection.
For a yeast induced diaper rash, your primary step of yours should involve antifungal topical treatment (e.g., Nystatin).
These are non-prescription/ over the counter treatments.
To make it simple, if your baby has a diaper rash from a yeast infection, then the diaper rash ointment you need to choose has to be anti-fungal in nature.
How long does the treatment should last?
Well, there hasn’t been any strict period for that, although usually the ointment/cream is to be applied at each diaper change until the rash is resolved, it takes 3 – 4 days, maximum a week.
Note: Consult your child’s physician if you find a rash to be unfamiliar, or if it is persistent and begins oozing. In some cases your infant might develop a fever, so don’t wait out.
Prevention
Although zinc oxide is used in combination with antifungal ointments, it is also used to prevent diaper rash from happening in the first place.
Furthermore, zinc oxide also has some antiseptic properties, it thus creates a protective barrier between your baby’s skin and the diaper.
As mentioned earlier, be it a common (irritant) diaper rash, yeast-infected one, or any other kind for that matter, those 5 points are always applicable.
The thing that specifically leads to yeast infected diaper rash is the disturbance in the yeast population, which happens due to the intake of antibiotics.
There have been several studies with a promising result where the incidence, as well as the severity of C. albicans infection, were reduced to a considerable extent when Probiotics (Yoghurt with active culture for instance) were taken rather than your usual antibiotics, whenever the need arose.