To the question: “Is it possible to bathe a child with chickenpox?”, I want to answer with a decisive “No!” This reaction has been developed from generation to generation, and has now acquired the status of an indisputable truth. However, let’s not rush to conclusions and consider the issue of the advisability of washing during chickenpox, taking into account all aspects that can affect the final solution to the problem.

Is it possible to bathe a child during chickenpox?

Medicine is like any other scientific discipline, is constantly evolving and undergoing changes. In fairness, it should be noted that medical science in this regard is ahead of many other areas of knowledge, so no one is surprised when yesterday’s truth is called into question, and over time completely loses its relevance and acquires the status of a historical incident caused by a lack of knowledge or of various nature misconceptions.

The problem of the appropriateness of water procedures during chickenpox is an example of such an incident, just yesterday former question undoubtedly decided, but today it has lost this unshakable certainty. We will look at both traditional and progressive views on bathing during chickenpox.

Established opinion

According to the opinion accepted among parents and pediatricians of the traditional school, hygienic measures during illness can aggravate the child’s ill health. After all, this is an additional burden on the body, which already spends a lot of energy on survival.

Old school vs water treatments

The following arguments are given in favor of this approach. promotes:

• hypothermia of the skin at the end of the procedure (with the risk of developing pneumonia and similar complications);
• increased load on the heart and blood vessels (working under conditions of significant dehydration and an abundance of viral toxins in the blood);
• additional trauma to the child’s psyche, already irritated by living with the disease.

Modern representations

Modern doctors advise washing

Even healthy and clear skin experiences great difficulty due to the need to remove from the blood large quantity wastes and poisons circulating in it. If the skin is not washed and is regularly contaminated with dust, chemical toxins, poisons and gases, the condition of the blood worsens significantly.

Infectious disease is accompanied by an even greater influx toxic substances, properties of blood, lymph and others biological fluids change even more. This cannot but affect the functioning of the organs and systems of the body: the brain’s control over the condition deteriorates nervous system, acute conditions arise hormonal deficiency and other serious disorders.

In addition, washing during chickenpox prevents bacterial infection of the skin with the development of lymphadenitis, pyoderma and other complications.

That's why modern science Represented by medicine, he categorically objects to the ban on washing in case of chickenpox.

Is it possible to wash yourself if you have chickenpox or not?

Although the answer to this question already seems obvious, it is necessary to take into account a number of important nuances. To do this, you should briefly recall the course of the disease in stages. The set of restrictions depends on what stage of the disease the patient is at. hygiene procedures.

Let's start with the initial period - .

During the incubation period

The child’s condition and capabilities are no different from other children. Therefore, the question of any restrictions does not arise.

At the prodrome stage

The condition is characterized by possible, but not obligatory, lasting 1-2 days:

• chilling;
• slight, quickly passing weakness;
• drowsiness;
• capriciousness;
• unmotivated refusal to eat.

Body temperature is either normal or a slight increase is recorded. With the appearance of the first single enanthems (wounds in oral cavity) there are complaints about or pain in them. Perhaps the beginning of the appearance of scanty watery discharge from the nasal cavity.

The child's condition resembles a common cold

The condition is no different from the onset of a regular ARVI, so parents should seek clarification from a pediatrician and carry out oral and nasal care according to his recommendations.

There is no rash at this time yet - it is impossible to damage the skin with careful washing or light rubbing. At the same time, in skin freed from impurities, blood circulation significantly improves, heat transfer increases (and hence the antipyretic effect).

During the period of rashes

Stage from 2 to 9 days with:

• the appearance and wave-like addition of elements;
• painful itching of the skin;
• scratching the rash.

As a rule, the general condition of the body has stabilized by this time, the manifestations of the disease are concentrated on.

Body care options can be limited both by the condition of the skin and the general condition of the body. With a prolonged course of chickenpox or a severe version (with severe intoxication and weakness vascular system) hygiene measures should be limited to a minimum. But you shouldn’t completely abandon them.

In the skin, which is regularly relieved by removing impurities from it, heat exchange occurs more actively with the removal of excess heat from the body. It more actively participates in the excretion of metabolic products from the body (facilitating the functioning of the kidneys and lungs).

The tone of the skin, refreshed by washing, increases. This helps to raise the overall tone of the body, which means:

• the vitality of skeletal and smooth muscles (muscle frame in the walls of arteries, intestines, gland ducts) increases;
• digestion improves;
• The process of emptying the intestines of feces is facilitated.

The latter effect is extremely important, because with constipation, along with a drop in intestinal tone, blood circulation slows down throughout the body, including the brain and heart.

You just need to pat your skin dry

After bathing, they do not resort to wiping the skin, but to dry it by blotting with napkins or soft disposable towels.

Rashes on dried skin are again treated with “green paint” or another remedy prescribed by a doctor.

Bath, shower or sauna?

The choice of washing method for chickenpox depends on:

• the age of the child;
• state of the body;
• phases of the disease.

Full-fledged. At all intermediate stages of the disease with satisfactory condition you can allow an adult child to wash himself in a short, not hot shower, children younger age bathing in a bath is shown.

A complete lack of washing during chickenpox is completely unjustified. Being an excretory organ, the skin must perform its functions as fully as possible. And the task of washing is designed to help her with this.

The use of hygiene measures must be adequate to the state of the body at one or another stage of the disease. This means that the volume of the procedure, its frequency and intensity must be agreed upon with the doctor treating the patient.

Chickenpox is a disease that affects both children and adults. The basic principles of treating chickenpox are known to many, but the question of taking a bath or shower during illness remains controversial and many are interested in whether it is possible to swim with chickenpox.

How to wash with chickenpox?

Many young parents with a sick child or adults with chickenpox do not know whether it is possible to swim with chickenpox or not? The fact is that during chickenpox the skin is completely covered with itchy blisters and, as it seems to many, contact with water can worsen an already serious condition.

Most doctors categorically do not allow you to take water procedures, until the last wave of rashes subsides. Of course, if a child or adult has a high body temperature, there are purulent ulcers, or any complications, then you cannot swim until the acute process subsides.

American and Western European doctors claim that bathing with chickenpox is acceptable and even necessary, since it washes away sweat and dirt, which in turn provoke additional suppuration, and water procedures relax and help relieve itching. The only condition is to avoid swimming in hot water and do not use a washcloth. If you have chickenpox, washing is not only possible, but absolutely necessary. Only in this case some rules must be observed:

Bath with a weak solution of potassium permanganate

• Under no circumstances should detergents be used when bathing; neither soap, nor shower gel, nor shampoo, nor foam should come into contact with inflamed skin, especially if you are bathing a child.
• If you take a shower, then you should do it briefly, but often, up to 4-5 times a day.
• If you are taking a bath, you should also not long time be in the water. The most the best option taking a bath is considered with the addition of a weak solution of potassium permanganate, it has antiseptic property and promotes rapid drying of the rash.
• Naturally, you should not use washcloths and other usual cleansers, as this will increase the itching and damage the inflamed skin.
• In no case should you dry yourself thoroughly with a towel; it is best to blot your body with the softest towel, which should be clean and new every time after a bath or shower. After the skin is completely dry, all existing spots of the rash should be treated with “green paint” or other means.

When can you wash after chickenpox? This question disappears automatically, since taking a bath and shower with chickenpox contributes to speedy recovery and of course, after chickenpox you can also swim as usual.

• To prevent infection from entering the rash wounds, nails should be carefully trimmed, especially for children. When combing the bubbles, additional inflammatory process, when microbes are introduced into them.
• The temperature in the apartment should not be too high, as increased sweating contributes to increased itching and discomfort.
• Underwear and bed linen should be changed every day, and it should be exclusively cotton.
• To quickly remove toxins from the body, you should drink as much fluid as possible.
• If chickenpox rashes are present in the mouth, then you can rinse your mouth with a solution of furatsilin.
• If the itching becomes unbearable, you can take antihistamines as prescribed by the attending physician.
• To dry and disinfect the rash, regularly lubricate newly formed blisters with brilliant green, fucorcin, and rivanol.

So, to the question: Is it possible to swim with chickenpox? The answer is clear - yes, it is possible and even necessary!

Chickenpox – acute infectious disease, which is easily transmitted from one person to another. She has developed a clear treatment regimen, and in children the disease is mild. Only debate is still raging whether it is possible to wash with chickenpox and when is the best time to do it.

Experts have not yet come to a clear conclusion, so some pediatricians recommend refraining from water procedures.

General bathing rules for adults and children

At the very beginning, chickenpox does not manifest itself external signs. 2-3 weeks after contact with the pathogen, the first rashes appear on the head, and then on the neck and torso. At this time it is placed accurate diagnosis, and the person wonders when he can wash himself.

If earlier doctors recommended waiting for some time, preferably until the rash completely disappears, now the situation has changed. Personal hygiene plays a big role for quick recovery, so a daily shower is recommended.

To alleviate the patient's condition, it is necessary to adhere to following rules :

• Treatment of papules with drying and disinfectants several times a day. For children, brilliant green is applied to the rash, and for adults, iodine tincture is applied.
• Compliance bed rest during acute stage.
• Maintaining a comfortable room temperature to prevent hypothermia and severe overheating.
• Drink plenty of fluids with the exception of coffee and strong drinks.
• Switching to eating porridge fermented milk products and vegetables. What you can’t eat is salty, fatty and smoked food.
• Daily bathing subject to certain restrictions.
• Switch to cotton underwear and change it daily.

Why doctors for a long time Water procedures were prohibited, quite understandably. They feared the rash would spread throughout the body, since the process of its formation had not been fully studied. It is now known for sure that the intensity of the formation of papules does not depend on showering. New spots appear until antibodies are produced.

When can you wash yourself if you have chickenpox?

With a persistent increase in body temperature, the appearance purulent ulcers and other complications, swimming is prohibited. You have to wait until the end acute period when the patient's condition stabilizes.

In adults with severe illness, you can wash only after chickenpox when the last rash disappears. To cleanse the skin, alcohol rubs are used, which also have a drying effect.

If the child is feeling well, it is allowed to bathe him from the first days of illness, subject to the following rules:

• Without using washcloths or other traumatic objects.
• Without the use of detergents and scrubs.
• Without vigorous drying with a towel.

The ideal option is to wash in the shower without cleansers several times a day. Such light rinsing gets rid of sweat and dirt, reduces the likelihood of a purulent infection and reduces itching. If the shower is not enough, it is worth finding out after how many days you can take a bath.

How to take a bath with chickenpox

If the patient normal temperature body, and new rashes do not appear, bathing in the bath is allowed. The first water procedures should not last longer than 5 minutes. To relieve itching and relax, add chamomile or calendula to the water.

A bath with potassium permanganate, which is taken for 5-10 minutes several times a day, helps dry the papules and disinfect. After water procedures, the skin is carefully dried with a towel, which is immediately sent to the wash.

Attention! Bathing in hot water is prohibited, as the papules soften. The risk of bacterial infection increases.

The disease was named chickenpox because of the high contagiousness (volatility) of the virus; it can be said to be carried by the wind. Main hallmark infections - a specific chickenpox rash, the appearance of which is accompanied by a rise in temperature and unbearable itching. All this, and especially the itching, causes considerable discomfort to the child. It is unlikely that the baby will be able to resist scratching the itchy rash. Scratching that appears on the skin is an excellent condition for pathogenic bacteria, causing pustular diseases. That is why special attention must be paid to maintaining hygiene. Many mothers and fathers, who understand the importance of hygiene procedures, are interested in whether it is possible to swim with chickenpox. It depends on the course of the disease and the baby’s well-being.

When is swimming allowed?

Treatment of chickenpox is mainly local. It consists of treating all elements of the rash with antiseptics; only in severe cases are they prescribed antivirals. As for the issue of bathing, doctors differ in their opinions.

Until recently, pediatricians did not allow mothers to bathe children who had chickenpox until the last scab fell off. Doctors believed that taking a bath or shower caused the rash to spread, enlarge, and worsen. general condition child. But thanks to the fact that science does not stand still, today the effect of the virus on the body and the mechanism of development of chickenpox have been studied in more detail. Therefore, we can say with confidence that bathing a child is possible and even useful, subject to certain conditions, although some old-school doctors still prohibit washing.

How to properly bathe a baby if he has chickenpox?

Almost every child loves to swim and the absence of water procedures for 7 - 10 days, while the rash lasts, deprives him positive emotions, which are so lacking during illness. Bathing reduces itching, soothes, dries out rashes and improves the child’s well-being. If chickenpox occurs without complications and there is no fever, then it will only be beneficial. To prevent bathing from causing harm, you must follow a few simple rules:

1. Prepare a decoction of herbs that have an antiseptic, soothing, drying and itching effect (chamomile, oak bark, string). Add it to the water while bathing. In the absence medicinal herbs A slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate is well suited for this purpose.
2. Use bathtubs to bathe babies; older children can be bathed in the shower.
3. Don't make the water hot. You should not steam your child. The water should be pleasantly warm to rinse away sweat, relieve itching and lift your spirits.
4. Don't get carried away and don't delay your bathing. 5 - 10 minutes will be enough. But you can wash yourself several times a day (3 - 4).
5. Do not rub the rash elements with a washcloth or sponge. Damage to them can lead to infection, and after scabs removed by force, scars may remain on the skin.
6. As detergent regular is best baby soap. You can wash your child with it no more than 2 times during the entire period of illness. For other baths, use only water.
7. After completing the procedure, thoroughly dry your baby's skin, carefully blotting it with a soft towel or diaper, which should be changed after each bath.
8. After the skin is completely dry, treat each spot, blister and crust with an antiseptic (brilliant, fucorcin, 5% solution of potassium permanganate). Wear clean underwear.

Important! To prevent your child from getting an infection when scratching, trim your nails short. You should also wash your hands more often than usual.

These rules, which are not difficult to follow, allow you not to give up water procedures and maintain body cleanliness, minimizing the risk of infection.

You can swim the way you like, taking with you your favorite washcloth, gel and bubble bath, when there is not a single crust left. Just don't overdo it. You shouldn't splash around for too long. The body has not yet fully recovered, and the immune system is weakened after the illness.

When is swimming with chickenpox contraindicated?

Despite the fact that baths for chickenpox reduce itching, bathing some children is still not recommended, so as not to worsen the course of the disease.

Swimming is prohibited:

1. When the temperature is elevated. Even a slight increase is a contraindication.
2. In the presence of purulent rashes.
3. In case of severe chickenpox and the development of complications.

In almost every child, in the first two days of the onset of the disease, the temperature rises and persists. At this moment, the child should be in bed, and of course you should not wash him. If the temperature persists throughout the illness, you should refrain from swimming until recovery. In this case, you can only wipe the baby with a soft, damp cloth. It will be possible to swim completely when the disease subsides and the temperature returns to normal.

The child should be washed daily, even if bathing is prohibited. With chickenpox, rashes are located throughout the body and often appear in the genital area, and in the absence of hygiene, the skin and mucous membranes become irritated and inflamed. To prevent this from happening, wash your baby with chamomile or oak bark decoctions every day. They reduce the intensity of itching, relieve irritation and disinfect, preventing the development of inflammation.

Is it possible to visit the bathhouse?

You can take a shower or bath if you have chickenpox. But it is better to refrain from visiting the bathhouse. Hot, humid air can aggravate the course of the disease and worsen the child's condition. Affected skin is easily damaged by high temperatures, and the risk of infection and scarring increases significantly. Therefore, you can wash in the bathhouse only after full recovery skin.

Is it possible to swim in a river if you have chickenpox?

During the summer holidays, parents of children with chickenpox ask whether it is possible to swim in rivers, lakes and other open bodies of water.

If the baby does not have a fever and feels well, then bathing will not harm him. However, pediatricians do not allow visiting places with large crowds of people with chickenpox, since this disease is very contagious. And in summer the beach is always full of people. Therefore, responsible parents who do not want healthy children and adults who were not sick in childhood and became infected will not take a sick child to the beach.

In addition, when there are many rashes and the child is constantly itching, his skin is injured, and there is a risk of additional infection and suppuration of the rash elements. The purity of water in our reservoirs, unfortunately, is very doubtful. Given this fact, pediatricians do not recommend swimming in them if you have chickenpox.

A few tips to help relieve chickenpox

It will be easier for both children and adults to tolerate chickenpox if:

• the house (apartment) is not too hot. When the house is very warm, you sweat more and more often, and this increases the itching;
• bed linen and home clothes are made from natural fabrics (cotton, linen). They allow the skin to breathe. Synthetics are irritating and only increase the itching. In addition, it does not allow air to pass through, so the body sweats and discomfort increases. Don't forget to change your linen daily;
• drink more. This helps eliminate intoxication;
• if there are rashes in the mouth, you should rinse your mouth with a solution of chamomile or furatsilin as often as possible;
• Take antihistamines when the itching becomes unbearable. The doctor selects the drug and dosage;
• treat the rash 3 - 4 times a day. This way it will dry out faster and not become infected.

How chickenpox occurs was first described by Italian doctors in the 16th century. And the cause of the disease was identified only in 1958.

In a child who has had chickenpox, the virus is the culprit of the disease, settling in nerve cells, remains in the body for life. This is why 99% of the population gets sick once in their life, and only a small percentage of people (1%) get sick again. A virus dormant in the body, when the immune system is weakened, can be activated and cause shingles.

A vaccine against chickenpox has been available since 1994. In Russia, it became available only in 2009, but it was never included in the vaccination calendar. Developed countries(Japan, USA) have introduced the vaccine into the childhood immunization program and have been successfully using it for more than 10 years. Japanese scientists have found that immunity after vaccination lasts for 10 - 20 years.

Conclusion

It is possible and necessary to bathe a child suffering from chickenpox, if his condition allows. Although the disease is mild in most children, it still occurs severe course and complications. If you are in doubt and do not know whether to bathe your baby, consult your doctor. After examining the child and assessing his condition, he will solve the issue of bathing, and you will know that you are doing the right thing, and water procedures will be beneficial, positively influencing the course of the disease.

Chickenpox is a common virus that affects both children and adults. This virus is short-lived, low-resistant, but strong. Chickenpox does not spread when it is too low or high temperature, outdoors, in disinfected rooms. Indoors it can live up to two hours, but is highly volatile, easily covering a distance of 20 meters. Few people know for sure whether it is possible to wash with chickenpox. Let's try to find a definite answer.

The virus is transmitted by airborne droplets. Most often, the chickenpox virus spreads in autumn and warm weather. winter period and most of all it affects children from five to ten years old. It is children who most often get chickenpox, and adults rarely. Many people know that in childhood this disease is more easily tolerated. And adults have complications.

The virus at the first stage is not yet contagious, usually in the first week - 10 days. The incubation period is tenth to twenty-first day of illness. During this period, the virus, having already taken root, multiplies in the human body and becomes dangerous to others.

After the development stage incubation period The final stage is underway. The child’s body is already producing antibodies that can defeat viral infection and remove it from the body. When all the blisters become covered with a brownish crust, this means that the antibodies have overcome the disease and the child can no longer tolerate viral smallpox.

Chickenpox is a very unpleasant virus, since the disease lasts a long time, about 3 weeks, sometimes even 4. It is also accompanied by a characteristic rash and severe itching. Moreover, the rash is located on the entire surface of the body: on mucous membranes: mouth, eyes, genitals, face, back, legs, arms, between the fingers. The rash is accompanied by itching, which worries the patient most.

At first, chickenpox is practically no different from acute respiratory infections and acute respiratory viral infections. The child feels weak, the temperature rises, there is drowsiness, poor appetite, small children begin to act up. Only after 5 days a rash appears on the body, with the appearance of which the parents realize that they are faced with chickenpox.

The rash always starts on the scalp and then moves to the neck, chest and other areas of the body. These rashes have several waves: new pink ones appear near the old blisters, sometimes their number is simply terrifying and adds more work to parents.

Does a sick person need to be hospitalized? If it is a child, then he can carry the virus relatively easily and can be treated at home as directed by a doctor. But other problems arise with the child: he constantly itches and cannot tolerate the itching.

Parents have to constantly treat the wounds and remind the child that chickenpox cannot be scratched. Those infected with chickenpox suffer from itching even at night, which is why it is often observed bad dream and fatigue. And for the first 5-7 days the patient is still accompanied by a high temperature.

How not to get infected

• If chickenpox starts to appear in kindergarten or school, do not take your child there for a month, because a gauze bandage will not help against chickenpox.
• If your child gets sick, and one of the parents did not have chickenpox in childhood, then you should isolate him from the child. If this cannot be done completely, which often happens, then you need to allocate one room to the patient.
• It is imperative to have personal hygiene products for each family member and individual utensils.
• If you have a quartz lamp, you can use it; it kills the virus, but read the instructions before using it.
• The patient's clothes should not be washed together with other things.
• It is possible that vaccination against the virus will reduce the risk of occurrence and complications of the disease.

A strong immune system is the best defense against disease. In order for your immunity to be high, you need to eat right, eating more fruits and vegetables, giving up bad habits, play sports, spend more time in nature and be sure to have a positive attitude towards life.

The use of medications greatly reduces immunity. Therefore, if there is no urgent need to use them, it is worth looking at folk remedies and methods of pain relief and disease treatment.

How to make it easier for a child to be sick?

• Be sure to cut your child's nails very short to prevent them from scratching the blisters and to prevent bacteria from getting into fresh wounds.
• Dress the patient only in cotton underwear and lay the same bed linen, it reduces itching. Change your clothes every day.
• Maintain a comfortable temperature in the patient's room; if it is too hot, the itching intensifies.
• Give your baby a decoction of chamomile, mint, and lemon balm. This will calm the child down a little.

When can you wash yourself if you have chickenpox?

They used to say that a person with chickenpox should not swim. But now they are already walking different opinions about this. But how can you imagine going 3 weeks without swimming? Moreover, chickenpox is detected already on the 7-10th day after infection. Of course, you shouldn’t bathe your child when he has a fever, but all parents know this.

There is an opinion that when swimming, the number of blisters may increase, but this is not so. Blisters are a reaction to an infectious agent that has been in the body for exactly a week, or even two, and not to external factors.

Until the body produces antibodies, pimples will appear and exposure to water will not affect them.
Bathing during chickenpox will help relieve itching. To do this, run a bath warm water(not hot) and pour manganese there.

In addition to manganese, you can also use herbal decoctions, which will also soothe the skin and relieve inflammation. After taking a bath, you should not dry your child with a towel, but take soft cloth or a towel and let the water soak into it. The child can be bathed up to four times a day. Just wash the bathtub first and provide him with a towel or soft cloth, which will need to be washed after bathing.

After swimming, lubricate the blisters with brilliant green. By the way, you need to do this as often as possible. Many doctors even say that you need to smear wounds every hour, but do it at least 3-4 times a day. This perfectly relieves itching and heals painful wounds.