Rashes and skin changes in children

All children at some time get a rash, dots or some kind of change in the skin. For example, there may be eczema, birthmarks or rashes due to infections. This image guide provides examples of common manifestations or ones that it may be important to keep track of.

Rashes are common and usually, they go away by themselves without you having to seek care. The skin is a large organ that can react to a lot. Rashes can occur for many different reasons. For example, they may be due to illness or be present from birth.

Here you get a presentation of common rashes and rashes that are good to know. In some diseases, a rash is a symptom of many, and so it is good to read more to understand your child’s inconvenience. There are links to most of the examples. Click on it and read more.

Rashes and skin changes may look different

Rashes for the same cause can look different on different children. They may also look different at different times for the same child.

They are often easier to spot on lighter skin than on darker ones.

When should I seek care?

What determines whether you should seek care is how the child feels otherwise. If the child, besides the rashes, also has a fever or is feeling bad in other ways, for example, is not as good as usual, you may need to seek care.

Especially during the child’s first year of life, rashes and skin changes are common. It is usually harmless. But if you are worried or have questions, you can contact bvc for help to find out what kind of rash the child has. If you suspect that the child has an infectious disease, you should not visit bvc, but instead, contact a health care center.


Shingles usually begin with burning pain in an area of ​​the skin. After a few days, it becomes pink or a little red in the area where the child is in pain, and then blisters are formed which usually itch. The pink or red hue is more evident in lighter skin than in darker.

The blisters usually take the form of a belt or belt on one side of the body. Sometimes the blisters settle on and around the eye. The eye can then become red, sensitive to light and feel irritated.

You can get shingles if you have had chickenpox before.

If the baby gets shingles on the face, seek care directly at an emergency room.

If shingles are on other parts of the body, you do not need to seek care. However, if the blisters do not disappear within two weeks, if they become infected or if the child is very sore, you can seek care at a health care center.


A fire sign already exists at birth and appears as a red spot in the skin and the size may vary. A fire tag is a collection of blood vessels in the skin and can sit anywhere on the body. Sometimes the brand may feel if you force it over.

It is not known why a fire sign occurs.

It is often easier to look at lighter skin than darker.

The fire sign does not infect.


Eczema can look many different ways. It is common for the skin to be very dry, knotty and red dots. There may also be areas that are red or pink. The red is better seen on lighter skin than on darker. The red may not be visible on dark skin at all. It is common for eczema itching.

Eczema can be found anywhere on the body. In children up to one year, it is common with eczema on the cheeks, but some get eczema all over the body. In children older than one year, it is much more common with eczema in the arm folds, kneecaps and on the hands.

Eczema is not contagious.

Eczema is also called flexural eczema and atopic eczema.

Fifth illness

At the fifth illness, it usually starts with the child getting a rash on the cheeks. After a few days, the rash can spread to other parts of the body, especially to the outside of the arms and legs. The rash can form a flickering pattern. Sometimes the rashes itch and they can also feel warm. They usually disappear after about a week.


Birthmarks are brown spots on the skin. They are sometimes referred to as liver spots or pigment spots. They can be raised or level with the skin. All people receive single or multiple birthmarks from a couple of years of age and thereafter throughout their upbringing. Some have birthmarks when they are born.

You should seek care at a health care center if a birthmark changes shape, becomes a wound, or begins to bleed.

Hemangioma, strawberry mark

Hemangioma, also known as the stonemason, is a collection of blood vessels in or under the skin.

They are usually bright red but if they sit under the skin they can turn bluish. They can be smooth or raised.

They often become visible a few weeks after the baby is born and can then continue to increase in size during the first year. A hemangioma can sit anywhere on the body. They are harmless and disappear after a few years. They don’t infect.

You should contact the child care center if the child is older than six weeks when hemangioma occurs, or if the child has six hemangiomas or more.

Autumn Blisters

In the case of autumn blisters, the baby usually has blisters that can sit in the mouth, lips, cheeks inside, tongue and palate. There may be small wounds if the blisters break.

Sometimes the child also gets blisters on the palms, soles of the feet, around the tailor around the mouth.

Sometimes the blisters may itch.

Autumn blisters are a viral infection. Autumn blisters are also called hand-foot-mouth disease.


Mollusks are harmless bumps on the skin. They usually have the same color as their own skin or are a little pink. They are two to five millimeters in size and have a small pit in the middle. For the most part, they give no trouble. Children usually get mollusks on the stomach, arms, face or neck.

It can form anything from a single mollusk to a great many. It usually takes a few months for a mollusk to disappear, but often the child gets new mollusks afterward. Some children have their mollusks longer than a year.

Children who have mollusks can go to preschool, family daycare or school as usual and participate in activities such as gymnastics and swimming.

Mongolian spot

A Mongolian spot is a blue-colored skin area. It is a kind of birthmark with which the child is born. A Mongolian spot is smooth and you feel nothing when you iron it over. It is quite common in children with dark skin but also occurs in children with light skin. Mongol patches usually sit in the lower back and on the buttocks and fade the older the child becomes.

You do not need to seek care if your child has moles.


In measles, the rash usually begins in the forehead and behind the ears, and then spreads to the rest of the body. The rashes are first light red and then darken and flow together. Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that causes the child to have a fever and rash. Often the child is hungry, tired and unable to play.

Measles is very uncommon as most children are vaccinated. Measles is much more common abroad.


Rashes are raised and pale red or have the same color as the skin and are often paler in the middle. They can vary in size and shape, from small single centimeters to large contiguous areas. They can quickly change both shape and location. Nausea rash usually itches.

Usually, the trouble goes by itself.

Children can get hives when they are cold or have any other infection. But hives are also common in children who feel perfectly well.

If the hives rash spreads quickly while the child also has difficulty breathing or vomiting, for example, it may be a sign of a serious allergic reaction.

Pityriasis rosea, medallion disease

At pityriasis rosea, medallion disease, the baby often gets a single rash somewhere on the abdomen, chest, upper arms or thighs. The rash is oval and a few centimeters long. After one to two weeks, the child often has many less similar rashes in the same place. The rash is pink and scales. The scaling feels when you iron over the rash. On darker skin, the rash sometimes becomes tanner.

The rash can itch, and then a weak cortisone cream from the pharmacy can help against the itching.

The rash remains for several weeks but then they disappear by themselves.


In the case of ringworm, the child receives round or oval rashes. The rash can itch but sometimes the child has no problems. On lighter skin, the rash is usually red, on darker skin, it may look brownish.

The rashes are often small knots and scales. The scaling feels when you iron over the rash. The size can vary from a few millimeters to several centimeters. When the rash is larger, they can begin to heal in the middle and then get their typical ring shape.

If you suspect that your child has ringworm, contact a health care center, as ringworm is infected.

Scarlet fever

In the case of scarlet fever, the child has a fever and red rashes in the skin. The rash starts in the armpits and groins and then spreads to the stomach and back. They can spread to the arms and legs and eventually cover most of the body. The rash is often easier to see on lighter skin than on darker.

The rashes are scarce. They are knotty and when you stroke your hand over the skin they are reminiscent of fine sandpaper. In the beginning, the child has a coating on his tongue. After someday, the tongue instead becomes shiny red with swollen small raises. It is usually called the strawberry tongue.

If you suspect that your child has scarlet fever, you should seek treatment at a health care center, as the child needs to be treated with antibiotics. 

Stork bites

So-called stork bites are red, flat marks that consist of a collection of small, superficial blood vessels. They do not feel. Stork bite exists when the baby is born. They sit in the forehead, on the eyelids and/or in the neck. If they sit in the forehead, they disappear during the child’s first year of life. They can remain in the neck for several years.

You do not need to seek care if your child has a stork bite.

Pig Cups – impetigo

In pig cups, the first sign is often a dot, a crust or a wound from which it comes from a fluid. The rash often becomes larger or spreads to the skin around and sometimes to other places on the body. It is most common to get pig poop on the face, for example around the mouth, nose wings or behind an ear. But it can also start somewhere else on the body, such as the fingers, arms or upper body.

Swine fever infects easily and children who go to preschool or family daycare should be at home until the wounds look completely dry, and thus are healed. Children who attend school should not participate in activities such as gymnastics, swimming or cooking.

You should seek care at a health care center if you suspect that your child has swine and at the same time have a fever.

Pig cups are also called impetigo.

Read more about pig cups and what you can do yourself.

Toxic rash

Children can get toxic rashes, also called hormone dots or hormone splitting. They are most common in newborns. The skin is reddish and the red can come and go during the day. It can be seen for periods and move. The child also gets small red dots, which are a little yellow at the top. They look like little pimples. When you stroke your hand it feels messy. The red does not appear as clearly on darker skin.

The rash usually occurs when the child is one to four days old. The rash is mainly found on the stomach and chest. Sometimes the child also gets a rash on his arms, thighs, and face.

Despite the name, they have nothing to do with toxic or hormones. The rash is harmless and disappears by itself within a few days to weeks.

In Latin, the rash is called erythema toxicum neonatorum.


Virus dots and virus rashes are different names for rashes that occur from viral infections in the body. Viral dots can look in many different ways but are often symmetrically scattered throughout the body.

An example of virus dots is eliminated by three-day fever. In the case of three-day fever, children can have a rash on the stomach, which then spreads on the body. The rash is not felt. They often come after the child has had a high fever for a few days. The fever usually disappears at about the same time as the rash arrives. The rashes are bright red and may be more difficult to see on darker skin than on lighter ones. The rash does not itch and disappears in a few days, sometimes faster.


In the case of chickenpox, the baby usually gets red rashes on the upper body, which then spreads to the face, arms and legs. After a day, the rash develops into fluid-filled bladders that often itch. The blisters are often found in the scalp and abdomen as well.

The blisters burst gradually, leaving small crusts that eventually fall off. It is often possible to see both red dots, blisters, and scabs at the same time.

Chickenpox gets infected and the child needs to be home from preschool or school until they are fever-free and feel good.

Since chickenpox is contagious, you should not go to a health clinic, but instead, call if you need advice. You can call the medical center.


Warts are most common on hands or feet. Foot warts are slightly raised, have a hard edge and are a little softer in the middle. Sometimes there are small black dots in the wart. Hand warts are slightly more outstanding than foot warts and can look like tiny cauliflower heads.

Hand and foot warts are harmless and do not need to be treated. They disappear by themselves. If the child would like to get rid of his warts, you can treat with prescription drugs from the pharmacy. It usually takes a long time to get rid of warts even if you treat them.

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