Bungang Araw: Home Remedies for Prickly Heat Rash

Prickly heat rash or bungang araw is a common skin condition among Filipino children. It happens when the sweat ducts are blocked and results in red bumps, itching, and discomfort. When your child experiences bungang araw, consider the following home remedies.

Home Remedies for Bungang Araw

Most cases of prickly heat rash in children can be treated at home. If ever your child develops bungang araw, keep the following things in mind:

Give Your Child a Cool Bath

One effective gamot sa bungang araw is giving your child a cool bath. You see, prickly heat usually occurs when kids are too hot, so making sure that they feel fresh helps ease up the rashes.

When bathing your little one, it’s best to avoid harsh soaps or cleansers as they can further irritate the skin. Moreover, be sure to dry them thoroughly after bath-damp skin can also get irritated.

Finally, no matter how much it calms your child, don’t bathe them excessively. Frequent bathing can remove skin moisture and make them more prone to irritation. During summer, bathing twice a day is often enough.

Avoid Sweating

One of the best remedies for prickly heat rash is to avoid sweating. But, achieving this may be more challenging since kids almost always want to play.

For this reason, think of alternative indoor activities where they will not sweat. Examples include giving them books to read and art materials to draw or paint with. You can also have them watch fun and educational TV shows; just be careful not to exceed the recommended screen time for kids.

Additionally, you can take the following measures to prevent them from sweating:

• Allow them to stay in a well-ventilated or air-conditioned room. As much as possible, limit sun exposure and just stay indoors.
• Remove excess clothes. The best choice is clothing with cotton fabric as they are light and let the skin breathe.
• Keep their sleeping area cool; remove thick blankets and mattresses, too.

Use a Cool, Damp Cloth

If your child becomes irritable because the rash is too itchy, you can apply a cool, damp cloth on their skin. Afterward, air dry the area; there’s no need to use a separate towel to dry the skin.

Avoid Applying Products That May Cause Irritation

As tempting as it is to continue your child’s skincare routine, experts do not recommend applying lotions and creams when kids have bungang araw. These products can further block the sweat ducts and increase irritation.

However, you may do so if the doctor recommends a particular product as gamot sa bungang araw. Examples of such products are calamine lotion and low-strength hydrocortisone cream.

Signs That Your Child Has Prickly Heat Rash

It’s often easy to recognize prickly heat rash. Not only are the symptoms straightforward, but many of us are already familiar with it.

If your child has bungang araw, they will probably complain of itching. And when you look closely, you’ll notice that the affected area has tiny red bumps that look like pimples.

In some cases, the bumps develop into small blisters, which may become irritated.

While the rashes can spread on the body, prickly heat rash is not infectious. The rashes commonly appear on the back, chest, neck, and shoulders.

Know When To Seek Medical Help

According to experts, prickly heat rash clears in a matter of days. If your child’s bungang araw persists for 7 days after starting treatment, bring your child to the doctor.

Furthermore, seek medical help if your child:

• Develops fever or chills
• Develops discharge from their lesions, such as pus
• Has swollen lymph nodes in their neck, armpit, and groin
• Has other symptoms like sore throat and body aches

Learn more about Child Skincare here.