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Have you been startled by bumps in your baby's diaper area? Or mystified by red dots on your preschooler's palms? View our slide show to see the most common children's rashes and skin conditions and learn about symptoms and treatment.
(Caution: Contains graphic images.)
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[size=1.05]Baby acne
Small white pimples, usually on the cheeks and sometimes on the forehead, the chin, and even the back of a newborn. May be surrounded by reddish skin. Can be present at birth or develop between 2 and 4 weeks of age.
Find out more about baby acne.
Image copyright © Dr. P. Marazzi / Science Source
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[size=1.05]Chicken pox
Starts out as small, itchy, red bumps. These bumps quickly change into clear, fluid-filled blisters on a pink base, which eventually become dry brown crusts or scabs. The bumps often appear first on the scalp, face, or trunk and can then spread over the entire body. New waves of blisters often spring up as the illness progresses. Children usually get between 250 and 500 blisters, although it's possible to have just a few, especially if the child has had the chicken pox vaccine. Child may have a slight fever. Uncommon before the first birthday.
Find out more about chicken pox.
Image copyright © Scott Camazine / Science Source
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[size=1.05]Chicken pox blister
Starts out as small, itchy, red bumps. These bumps quickly change into clear, fluid-filled blisters on a pink base, which eventually become dry brown crusts or scabs. The bumps often appear first on the scalp, face, or trunk and can then spread over the entire body. New waves of blisters often spring up as the illness progresses. Children usually get between 250 and 500 blisters, although it's possible to have just a few, especially if the child has had the chicken pox vaccine. Child may have a slight fever. Uncommon before the first birthday.
Find out more about chicken pox.
Image copyright © BioPhoto Associates / Science Source
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[size=1.05]Cold sores
Small fluid-filled blisters on or near the lips. Blisters may get bigger, burst, and crust over. They can appear individually or in clusters. Uncommon before age 2.
The cold sore shown is on an adult mouth, but symptoms are the same in children.
Find out more about cold sores.
Photo courtesy of CDC/ Dr. Herrmann
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[size=1.05]Cradle cap
Flaky, dry skin or yellowish crusty patches on scalp. May also show up around ears, eyebrows, armpits, and neck creases. Sometimes causes hair loss. Most common in newborns. It usually clears up in the first year.
Find out more about cradle cap.
Image copyright © Chris Priest / Science Source
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[size=1.05]Diaper rash
Red, puffy skin in diaper area. Rash may be flat or raised. Causes discomfort during diaper changes. Most common in babies under 1 year.
Find out more about diaper rash and your baby or toddler.
Image copyright © Dr. P. Marazzi / Science Source
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[size=1.05]Diaper rash (yeast)
Red, bumpy rash in diaper area that may include pus-filled bumps. May be worse in the skin folds, with some isolated bumps around the outside of the main rash. Lasts more than two days and doesn't respond to regular diaper cream. More common in children who have recently taken antibiotics.
Find out more about yeast diaper rash.
Image copyright © Dr. P. Marazzi / Science Source
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[size=1.05]Eczema
Itchy rash that typically occurs in the creases of the elbows or knees, as well as on the cheeks, chin, scalp, chest, and back. Appears as dry, thickened, scaly red skin or tiny red bumps that may ooze or crust. Most common in families with a history of allergies or asthma. Typically shows up in the first year of life and often is gone by age 2, but can persist through adulthood.
Image copyright © Dr. P. Marazzi / Science Source
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[size=1.05]Eczema
Itchy rash that typically occurs in the creases of the elbows or knees, as well as on the cheeks, chin, scalp, chest, and back. Appears as dry, thickened, scaly red skin or tiny red bumps that may ooze or crust. Most common in families with a history of allergies or asthma. Typically shows up in the first year of life and often is gone by age 2, but can persist through adulthood.
Image copyright © Dr. P. Marazzi / Science Source
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[size=1.05]Erythema toxicum
A rash of small yellow or white bumps surrounded by red skin. Can appear anywhere on the body. Disappears on its own in about two weeks. Common in newborns, usually showing up two to five days after birth.
Find out more about erythema toxicum.
Photo courtesy of the CDC
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[size=1.05]Fifth disease
Starts with a slight fever, achiness, and cold symptoms, followed a few days later by bright red cheeks and a lacy, red, sometimes itchy rash on the trunk and feet. Also called slapped cheeks disease or erythema infectiosum. Most common in preschool and school-age children.
Find out more about fifth disease.
Image copyright © Dr. H.C. Robinson / Science Source
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[size=1.05]Folliculitis
Pimples or pustules form around hair follicles and may crust over. Typically occurs on the neck and in the underarm or groin area. Uncommon before age 2.
Find out more about folliculitis.
Image copyright © Dr. P. Marazzi / Science Source
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[size=1.05]Hand, foot, and mouth disease
Fever, loss of appetite, and a sore throat, followed by painful, blisterlike sores in the mouth. Rash on the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet, and sometimes the buttocks. The rash starts as small flat red dots that may turn into bumps or blisters. Most common in preschoolers but can occur at any age.
Find out more about hand, foot, and mouth disease.
Image copyright © Biophoto Associates / Science Source
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[size=1.05]Hand, foot, and mouth disease
Fever, loss of appetite, and a sore throat, followed by painful, blisterlike sores in the mouth. Rash on the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet, and sometimes the buttocks. The rash starts as small flat red dots that may turn into bumps or blisters. Most common in preschoolers but can occur at any age.
Find out more about hand, foot, and mouth disease.
Image copyright © Biophoto Associates / Science Source
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[size=1.05]Hives
Raised, red, itchy patches on skin. May come and go. Usually lasts from a few hours to a few days, but can persist for weeks or even months. Can occur at any age.
Image copyright © Dr. P. Marazzi / Science Source
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[size=1.05]Impetigo
Small red bumps that may be itchy. Often develops around the nose and mouth but can easily spread to other parts of the body. Bumps become pus-filled blisters that may burst and develop a soft yellowish-brown crust. Child may have a fever and swollen lymph glands in the neck. Most common in children between 2 and 6 years old.
Find out more about impetigo.
Image copyright © Dr. P. Marazzi / Science Source
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[size=1.05]Jaundice
A yellow tinge to the skin. In dark-skinned babies, yellowness may be seen in whites of eyes, palms of hands, and soles of feet. Common during the first week or two of life. Most common in premature babies.
Find out more about jaundice.
Image copyright © Dr. P. Marazzi / Science Source
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[size=1.05]Measles
Starts with fever; a runny nose; red, watery eyes; and a cough. Red bumps with tiny white dots appear a few days later on the inside of the cheeks. Next, a rash appears on the face and progresses down the back and trunk to the arms and hands and finally to the legs and feet. The rash starts as flat, red patches but eventually develops bumps and may be itchy. It lasts about five days, then fades to a brownish color, leaving skin dry and flaky. Rare due to vaccinations; most likely to occur in unvaccinated children.
Find out more about measles.
Image copyright © Lowell Georgia / Science Source
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[size=1.05]Milia
Tiny white or yellow pearly bumps on the nose, chin, and cheeks. Common in newborns. They go away without treatment in a few weeks.
Find out more about milia.
Image copyright © Biophoto Associates / Science Source
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[size=1.05]Molloscum contagiosum
Flesh-colored, dome-shaped lesions that can be pearly in appearance and have a dimpled center. May be itchy. Uncommon before the first birthday.
Find out more about molluscum contagisum.
Image copyright © Dr. P. Marazzi / Science Source
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[size=1.05]Papular urticaria
Small raised patches of skin that turn into firm reddish-brown bumps at the site of old insect bites. Bumps are usually very itchy. Can appear at any age.
Find out more about papular uticaria.
Image copyright © Dr. P. Marazzi / Science Source
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[size=1.05]Poison ivy, oak, or sumac
Swollen, itchy, red patches of skin that may appear in streaks or lines at first. Usually shows up 12 to 48 hours after contact, but can take up to a week to appear. Blisters follow and become crusty within a few days. Uncommon before the first birthday.
Find out more about poison ivy, oak, or sumac.
Image copyright © Scott Camazine / Science Source
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[size=1.05]Roseola
Usually starts with a sudden relatively high fever, often over 103 degrees Fahrenheit, that typically lasts three to five days. A pink rash on torso and neck follows and may spread to the arms, legs, and face. Child may be irritable and may have diarrhea or vomiting. Most common in children between 6 months and 3 years old.
Find out more about roseola
Image copyright © Scott Camazine / Science Source
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[size=1.05]Ringworm
Rash of one or several red rings, ranging from dime- to quarter-size. Rings are usually crusty or scaly on the outside and smooth in the center and may get larger over time. May also appear as dandruff or bald spots on scalp. Most common in children 2 and older.
Find out more about ringworm.
Image copyright © Biophoto Associates / Science Source
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[size=1.05]Rubella (German measles)
Pink-red rash that appears first on the face, then spreads over the body and lasts two to three days. Child may have a mild fever, swollen lymph nodes behind the ears, a runny or stuffy nose, a headache, and a sore throat. Rare due to vaccinations; most likely to occur in unvaccinated children.
Find out more about rubella.
Image copyright © Dr. P. Marazzi / Science Source
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[size=1.05]Scabies
Severely itchy rash of scattered red bumps, usually between the fingers, around the wrists, in the armpits and diaper area, and around the elbows. May also show up on the kneecaps, palms, soles, scalp, or face. May leave curvy white or thin red lines or little blisters on nearby skin. Itching is most intense after a hot bath or at night and may keep the child awake. May occur at any age.
Find out more about scabies.
Image copyright © Dr. P. Marazzi / Science Source
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[size=1.05]Scarlet fever
The rash begins as a mass of tiny red bumps in the armpits, neck, chest, and groin and rapidly spreads over the entire body. The bumps feel like fine sandpaper and may itch. Child may have a fever and a red sore throat. Early in the infection, the tongue may have a white or yellowish coating that later turns red. The bumps on the tongue may appear larger than normal, a condition called strawberry tongue. Tonsils may be swollen and red. As the rash fades, the skin may peel, especially on the hands and feet and in the groin. Uncommon before age 2.
Find out more about scarlet fever.
Image copyright © Biophoto Associates / Science Source
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[size=1.05]Warts
A small grainy bump or cluster of bumps, usually on a hand but can occur anywhere on the body. Warts are usually skin-toned but may be lighter or darker in color and can contain black dots. Flat warts, which are smaller and smoother, can also appear anywhere on the body, but in children they most often show up on the face. Plantar warts show up on the soles of the feet. Most warts disappear on their own in a few months to a few years. Uncommon before age 2.
Find out more about warts.
Image copyright © Biophoto Associates / Science Source