1. Heat Rash Slideshow
2. Summer Skin Hazards Pictures
3. Dehydration Tips Slideshow Pictures

Medical Author:

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Dr. Balentine received his undergraduate degree from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine graduating in1983. He completed his internship at St. Joseph's Hospital in Philadelphia and his Emergency Medicine residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx, where he served as chief resident.

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Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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Heat rash, or prickly heat, is thought to arise from plugging of sweat ducts and hair follicles on the skin. Occluded sweat glands with trapped sweat give rise to the tiny water bumps seen in this condition. Human sweat (with its high salt content) is a very potent skin irritant and may cause skin rashes. It is important to wash off sweat with gentle soap and water.

Heat rash usually appears as very small pinpoint bumps at the entrances to small hair follicles. In some areas, there may be red or pink patches of skin. More advanced heat rash may have greater degrees of irritation and large welts, hives, and raised red bumps. Some people with heat rash are very itchy while others may have no irritating symptoms.

Any body part may be affected. Characteristic heat rash areas include:

• the face,
• neck,
• back,
• abdomen,
• groin,
• under the breasts,
• elbow folds, and
• buttocks.

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