Apart from children, adults can also experience prickly heat. Adult prickly heat drugs can be used to relieve itching that appears. A wide selection of these medicines are available in the form of lotions, creams or oral medications.
Prickly heat or miliaria is a skin rash characterized by a collection of small reddish spots that feel itchy in areas of the body that often sweat, such as the armpits, chest, back, under the breasts, folds of the elbows, or groin.
Prickly heat appears when the body sweats more than usual, for example due to hot weather and wearing tight clothes that do not absorb sweat.
When you sweat a lot, the sweat glands on your skin can get clogged and cause sweat to get trapped in your pores, causing small spots to form on your skin. Prickly heat is generally experienced by babies because their sweat glands have not developed properly. However, adults can also experience it.
The rules for using adult prickly heat are different from babies and children. Therefore, it is important to know its correct use.
Choice of Adult Prickly Drugs and How to use them
Prickly heat can indeed disappear without special treatment. However, this condition often causes annoying itching and burning sensations on the skin. Not only that, prickly heat can also multiply if excessive sweating continues.
So, to relieve the symptoms, you can use prickly heat medication. Some of the most effective adult prickly heat drug options include:
1. Calamine lotion
The most commonly used adult prickly heat medication is calamine lotion. This lotion contains zinc oxide which can treat mild prickly heat by reducing itching.
You can get calamine lotion at pharmacies without a prescription. However, follow the dosage and usage instructions on the product packaging. Shake the bottle before use, pour an appropriate amount of lotion onto a cotton pad, apply it to the prickly area, and let it dry on the skin.
Usually, this lotion needs to be applied 1–4 times a day. For maximum results, apply calamine lotion after bathing.
2. Antihistamines
You can also take antihistamines as adult prickly heat medications. This drug works to relieve itching due to prickly heat. Several types of this drug, such as diphenhydramine and dimenhydrinate, can be obtained at pharmacies without a doctor's prescription.
It is best to consult a doctor before taking antihistamines, especially if you have high eye pressure (glaucoma), heart disease, and epilepsy. This drug can also cause drowsiness so you need to be careful if you are about to do certain activities, such as driving a vehicle.
3. Corticosteroid cream
Corticosteroid cream is able to treat itching and redness due to prickly heat in adults. Although it can be found in many drug stores or pharmacies, this drug actually requires a doctor's prescription.
This cream is usually applied 1 or 2 times a day on the prickly heat area. However, do not use it for more than 2 weeks. If used in the long term, corticosteroid creams can cause side effects, such as skin thinning and skin becoming more sensitive, for example becoming dry, itchy, and reddish.
4. Talcum powder
The use of talcum powder is beneficial in absorbing and reducing sweat on the skin, so it can prevent clogged pores due to sweat. How to use talcum powder is almost the same as antiperspirant deodorant. Just dab a little powder on the sweaty area and let it sit.
Also, make sure you choose a talcum powder that doesn't contain fragrance. The reason is, the content of fragrances can irritate the skin and exacerbate prickly heat.
5. Antibiotics
For severe prickly heat and accompanied by signs of a bacterial infection, such as fever, painful discharge, rash, burning and festering, antibiotics need to be given. This drug is available in the form of oral medication or topical medication.
The type, dosage, and duration of use of antibiotics must be as directed by the doctor. For skin infections, this medication is usually used for 5–7 days.
6. Fever reliever
If prickly heat in adults is accompanied by a fever, the doctor will also give you a fever reliever or painkiller, such as paracetamol. The drug can be taken 3-4 times per day until the fever symptoms subside.
Apart from using adult prickly heat medications, the main thing that needs to be done to deal with prickly heat is to keep the skin cool so it doesn't sweat more and irritate it. That way, prickly heat usually quickly subsides.
To reduce the symptoms of prickly heat, there are things that also need to be done, namely:
- Wear clothes that are loose and absorb sweat easily
- Change clothes after sweating a lot, for example after exercising or doing any activity in a hot or sunny place
- Keep the skin affected by prickly heat to stay dry
- Cold shower
- Drink plenty of fluids so that the body is not dehydrated
- Apply cold compresses to prickly heat for 15-20 minutes
Another thing to note is not to scratch itchy prickly heat. Just try patting it down and don't use anything with alcohol and fragrance on the body affected by prickly heat because it can further irritate the area.
Even though it can occur in more than one area of the body, prickly heat is not contagious to other people. So, you don't need to worry too much. These complaints also usually improve within 2-3 days.
The adult prickly heat medication above is indeed effective in relieving itching and eliminating prickly heat. However, if the prickly heat does not subside for more than 3 days, contains pus, is swollen, or is accompanied by fever or swollen lymph nodes, immediately consult a doctor.