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Clinical Reference Systems: Pediatric Advisor 10.0
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Erythema Toxicum

More than 50 percent of babies get a rash called erythema toxicum on the second or third day of life. The rash is composed of 1/2- to 1-inch-size red blotches with a small white lump in the center. They look like insect bites. They can be numerous, keep occurring, and be anywhere on the body surface (except palms and soles). The cause of this rash is unknown and it is harmless. The rash usually disappears by the time an infant is 2 weeks old, but sometimes not until a child is 4 weeks old.


Written by B.D. Schmitt, M.D., author of "Your Child's Health," Bantam Books.
Copyright 1999 Clinical Reference Systems