Heat rashes are common during hot and humid climate. Usually, heat rashes are supposed to be associated with tropical climate but sensitive skin is susceptible to heat rashes also in cold countries. Heat rashes can affect anyone irrespective of his/her age. This problem is also known as Miliaria, Miliaria Rubra, sweat rash, and prickly heat.

Our skin has pores over it; these pores are the part of excretion system of the body. The wasteful substances generated during metabolic activities come out from these pores in the form of perspiration (sweat). These pores are sometimes blocked with dead skin and bacteria of a particular class like Staphylococcus epidermidis. Due to no passage to come out, perspiration entraps beneath the skin. This causes the skin over it to acquire a form of blister. Generally, Staphylococcus attacks on specific parts of the body; therefore heat rashes affect only a small portion of the body. Armpits, thighs, back, neck, breast, scrotum, waist are the most prominent parts of the body where heat rashes attack predominantly. Wherever clothes are in friction with the body heat rashes are most likely to affect.

Heat rashes are very annoying; in less intense form heat rashes only cause itching but in malign form these can give pain like needles penetrated into the body. Generally, there is no need for the treatment of heat rashes. Heat rashes ipso-facto disappears from body within a month or two. Bathing with fresh and clean water is very relieving in heat rash problem. Bathing also helps in unplugging the closed pores of the skin. When the sweat pores are completely blocked, heat rashes can acquire more complicated form. In this condition severe heat rash beads like structure proliferate over the skin. This can block natural process of cooling the body, making body prone to heat stroke.

For prevention of heat rashes try to avoid going in hot and humid climate. Use clothes made of sweat absorbing material like cotton. Diaphanous fabric can provide fresh air to skin so that sweating should not block the pores of skin. Try to use air-conditioner if it is affordable and available. The simple basic thing which one has to do for prevention from heat rashes is ‘keeping body at a normal temperature and keeping it clean.’

Use of prickly heat powders and lotions can also be helpful in heat rashes. Use of steroid based topical cream can reduce itching effect of heat rashes. If your problem is intense, the doctor may prescribe some oral or topical antibiotics in coherence with other means of treating heat rash. This will reduce the growth of bacteria over the affected area and stop the spreading of the disease on other parts of the body. Giving vitamin A and C is also helpful in treatment of heat rashes.