Newborns have delicate skin, so injuries to the skin or diaper rash can cause open sores. Open sores on newborns can also indicate viral infections contracted from their mother at the time of delivery. If your baby has open sores, call her doctor. She may need antibiotics to prevent infection of the open areas or treatment with antiviral medications.
Newborn Skin Symptoms
Transient rashes occur commonly in newborns and generally don't require treatment, but open sores need medical evaluation. The skin has lost its protective covering, leaving the area vulnerable to infection. Look for signs of infection, which include increased tenderness, lethargy, fever, redness, drainage, warmth at the site or swelling. Some open sores, such as chicken pox blisters, occur in groups or over a widespread area.
Possible Causes
Any injury to the skin can leave an open sore. Diaper rash causes open sores because the urine and stool irritate the skin. Birth trauma can also cause open sores. Forceps or vacuum suction for delivery or internal monitoring systems that attach to the baby's scalp can cause trauma to the face or top of the head. An open sore could appear if an infection develops around an injection site; newborns normally receive several injections after birth. Viruses such as the herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus, chicken pox and other infections such as syphilis are some of the most potentially serious causes of open sores.
Treatments
Your baby may need antibiotic ointments or antifungal treatments to clear up severe diaper rash. Prevent diaper rash by frequent diaper changes, application of barrier ointments that keep moisture away from the skin and keep the diaper loose, not overly tight, especially at night, the Cleveland Clinic recommends. Herpes infections and syphilis require antiviral or antibiotic treatment. Follow your doctor's instructions on how to treat an open sore. You may need to use antibiotic creams on the site or systemic antibiotics for more serious skin damage to prevent infection.
Warnings
Infections can develop in open sores in newborns, whose immune systems are not yet well developed, so follow your doctor's instructions carefully. A newborn with a localized staphylococcus skin infection can develop scaled skin syndrome, a systemic reaction that causes fever and blisters on the skin. The top layer of skin sloughs off, leaving reddened, raw, burnlike areas.The weeping sores of syphilis can spread the infection to other people, so you must handle the infant carefully to avoid spreading the virus, the Illinois Department of Public Health warns. Both syphilis and herpes simplex virus can cause life-threatening complications in newborns.
References
- Illinois Department of Public Health; Syphilis; January 2008
- Cleveland Clinic: Diaper Rash
- New York State Department of Health; Herpes Simplex Virus in the Newborn; November 2006
- Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh; Fetal Monitoring; February 2008
- University of Rochester Medical Center: Birth Injury
- KidsHealth; Looking at Your Newborn; Steven Dowshen, M.D.;October 2010
