Why does a newborn baby have red skin color on the butt and face?

The skin of a newborn can be red immediately after birth, which can frighten parents to some extent without reason. But such a symptom can appear in a newborn after some time, then, most likely, it is already a sign of pathology. Therefore, parents should know in which cases it is dangerous, and in which it is a normal phenomenon.

Epidemiology

Statistics on the prevalence of physiological erythema indicate that more than 90% of children have it. As for toxic erythema, it occurs in 11% of cases. Other pathological conditions with manifestations of red skin occur in 23% of children.

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Causes red skin in a newborn

The physiology of a newborn is not the same as that of an adult. After birth, it takes time for the baby's organs and systems outside the womb to become fully functional and healthy. During this period, some babies show all sorts of skin color changes, spots, lumps, and other changes, many of which look very strange. Most of these would indeed be strange if they occurred in an older person, but they are normal, or at least minor, when they occur in the first two weeks of a baby's life.

Newborns always go through many changes right after birth, from their skin color to some of their features. Some of these changes are only temporary and may be part of the physiological events that every baby goes through after birth. Some skin changes, such as birthmarks, may be permanent. Understanding the physiological and pathological changes in newborns can help you understand whether your baby is healthy or not.

A baby's skin color can vary greatly depending on the baby's age, race or ethnic group, temperature, and whether the baby is crying. Skin color in babies often changes due to environmental influences or changes in health. A newborn's skin will vary depending on how far along the pregnancy is. Premature babies have thin, light pink skin that may have a blue tint. A full-term baby's skin is thicker and immediately turns red. By the baby's second or third day, the skin will lighten slightly and may become dry.

The pathogenesis of physiological redness of the skin of a newborn lies in the changes in its blood circulation immediately after birth. When a child is born, the skin is dark red, even closer to purple. This is due to the fact that in any case, during birth, the child had temporary hypoxia. And since the child did not breathe, carbon dioxide was not eliminated at this time. Carbon dioxide, together with red blood cells, gives such a skin tone, so all children are born with bright red skin. When the child begins to breathe air, the skin color changes to a lighter color, and then turns pink. This redness of the skin usually begins to disappear on the first day. The baby's hands and feet may remain bluish for a few days. This is a normal response to the immature blood circulation of the child. However, blue coloration of other parts of the body is not normal. Over the next six months, your baby's skin will develop its permanent color.

The face of a newborn may also appear red, especially when the baby is restless, when he eats or cries. Immediately after birth, the baby often cries and moves his limbs, and his face usually turns red or reddish-purple, regardless of ethnicity. Later, the face may become lighter until the moment when the baby becomes hungry or tired again, which leads to crying and the face may turn red again. All this happens because in addition to the peculiarities of the skin structure and physiological erythema after childbirth, newborns have a special reaction to all stimuli. The sympathetic nervous system of a newborn baby, which controls digestion, heart rate, breathing, sweating and dilation of blood vessels, begins to adapt to everything after birth. It does not regulate body functions very well, including the tone of the skin vessels. This leads to the fact that any emotional experience in a newborn baby activates the sympathetic nervous system, which cannot rationally regulate the tone of the skin vessels, which leads to erythema. This is a normal response of a newborn to an excited emotional state.

Thus, the physiological causes of red skin in a newborn are the reaction of the skin and respiratory organs to the first respiratory movements, as well as the reaction of the nervous system to irritants.

In some cases, a red face can signal a problem. A baby who is overheated may have a flushed face or a red heat rash on the forehead. If you leave your newborn in direct sunlight, they may get sunburn.

There are cases when there are red spots or spots of a different color on the skin, in this case the cause may be hemangioma or congenital birthmarks. In such cases, you should always see a doctor, because all the spots may look similar, but their characteristics are different.

It is necessary to know about another pathological reddening of the skin, in which there may be other symptoms against the background of pronounced redness and swelling of the skin. The cause of this condition may be toxic erythema.

Other causes of red skin in newborns may include diaper rash, diaper rash, and infectious skin lesions.

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Risk factors

Risk factors for the development of pathological conditions in which the baby's skin turns red include violation of hygienic measures for skin care, as well as pathologies of childbirth, which can lead to prolonged hypoxia of the child.

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Symptoms red skin in a newborn

It is important to remember that physiological reddening of the skin of a newborn baby does not cause any unpleasant sensations. Therefore, if there is simple reddening of the skin without an increase in body temperature, without sleep or appetite disturbances, then this is a normal phenomenon. Differential diagnostics of pathological and physiological conditions associated with red skin is carried out precisely according to these criteria.

Symptoms of red skin in a newborn with toxic erythema have some peculiarities. The first signs of such erythema usually appear within two to three days after birth. As a rule, the rash appears on the face or limbs and initially appears as red skin. Then the elements of the rash turn into a pustule with a "spotted" appearance. Such red blisters on the skin of newborns are characteristic of toxic erythema, and if the nature of such erythema is benign, there is no disruption of the general condition. If there is a fever associated with the rash, further evaluation is necessary.

It is common to notice that your newborn has red skin on their bottom. This is a classic sign of diaper rash. The diaper area is always warm and moist, and the skin in this area is delicate. The sensitive skin on your baby's bottom can become irritated from close contact with urine and stool in the diapers. This causes flat, red spots to appear on the skin in the diaper area. This redness on the bottom tends to occur when you add new foods to your breastfeeding diet, which changes the composition of your baby's stool.

A red spot on the skin of a newborn is most often a sign of a birthmark or hemangioma. Many children are born with birthmarks, some of which can be disturbing to parents. Some birthmarks disappear over time, while others remain with the child for life. Most birthmarks are harmless.

There are many types of birthmarks; only a doctor can tell whether the mark that bothers you is a birthmark, and if so, whether it is the type that will go away on its own or not.

A hemangioma is a pink, red, or purple birthmark. They may not be present at birth, but often develop in the first two months. These hemangiomas are caused by a concentration of dilated tiny blood vessels called capillaries. They are usually found on the head or neck. They may be small, or they may cover large areas of the body. These red spots do not change color when gently pressed and do not fade over time. They may become darker and may bleed as the baby grows into an adult. Cavernous hemangiomas are more common in premature babies and in girls. These birthmarks often grow in size over several months and then gradually begin to fade.

There are also hemangioma-like spots caused by dilated blood vessels that quickly resolve on their own.

Complications and consequences

The consequences can be diaper rash, where the irritated skin becomes inflamed. The baby may develop a secondary yeast or bacterial infection that needs to be treated.

Complications of hemangiomas with their superficial location may occur in case of their injury. Then bleeding may develop. With the location of large hemangiomas on internal organs, internal bleeding may also occur.

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Diagnostics red skin in a newborn

Diagnostics of red skin in a newborn is carried out visually by a doctor. All elements of the rash have a characteristic appearance. As a rule, tests for such types of rash are not carried out. Instrumental diagnostics are required if the diagnosis of hemangioma is confirmed. Since such dilated vessels can be on internal organs, an ultrasound examination of the abdominal organs and retroperitoneal space is carried out.

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Treatment red skin in a newborn

Physiological erythema does not require treatment. In toxic erythema, if there is no fever or other symptoms, the lesion disappears within a week and no treatment is required.

Treatment for diaper rash is, first of all, avoiding overheating and repeated irritation of the skin. Therefore, it is necessary to change your baby's diaper often, or better yet, let him go diaper-free most of the time. You can use soft diapers or ointment, such as zinc oxide. They create a barrier, protecting the skin from irritants and allowing the area of red, inflamed skin to heal faster. Wipes can aggravate the symptoms of diaper rash, so when your baby has a rash, it is better to wash him more often. If the rash gets worse or does not respond after a week, consult a doctor. Medicines that can be used in such cases are local antiseptic ointments and powders - Desitin, Sudocrem, Bepanthen.

Folk remedies for skin redness can be used in individual cases. In cases of diaper dermatitis or skin irritation, herbal treatment can be used. For this, baths with succession, chamomile, oak bark, which have antiseptic properties, are used.

In treating hemangiomas, a wait-and-see approach is always chosen, as they tend to regress. It is usually impossible to predict how soon a hemangioma will disappear. The smaller they are, the faster they disappear, but this can take many years. Most hemangiomas do not require treatment, but if they appear in certain areas, such as the face (especially around the eyes or lips) or the genital area, they can cause dysfunction of this organ. The most effective way to treat hemangiomas is a special type of laser. Laser radiation is able to remove a hemangioma in the least traumatic way in several sessions. This is especially true in cases where the hemangioma is located on the face and surgery would be traumatic.

Surgical treatment is performed when large hemangiomas are located on internal organs and there is a high risk of internal bleeding.

Prevention

Prevention of the appearance of red skin of an inflammatory nature in certain areas, such as the diaper area, consists of proper care of the child. It is necessary to take into account that the skin of a newborn is very delicate and requires daily cleansing and care.

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Forecast

The prognosis for physiological redness of the skin is always favorable. Toxic erythema should also pass within two weeks. For most red spots on the skin, the prognosis is also favorable, as they tend to regress.

Red skin in a newborn immediately after birth is a normal phenomenon that does not require any action. If a rash appears on the skin against the background of redness, or there are red spots, then in this case you need to consult a doctor. Any changes that may appear on the skin suddenly, which disrupt the appetite, sleep and general condition of the child, can be dangerous and require a doctor's examination.

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