Your skin is itchy, prickly and red. The sun is blazing and temperatures are rising, but it’s not a sunburn. It’s a heat rash — discoloration and bumps breaking through your skin in patches. It happens when the body’s sweat ducts get blocked, says Dr. Angela Lamb, dermatologist and v ice chair of clinical operations and strategy at Mount Sinai Health. Instead of sweat trickling out as normal, the sizzling, humid summer heat can cause sweat glands to become inflamed, trapping sweat inside forming pimple-looking bumps. While it’s common in babies, getting older doesn’t guarantee protection. Here’s how to find relief. Expert tip of the day: Treat heat rash by lowering your core temperature Once you notice the redness and bumps creeping up on your back, chest or under your breasts, it’s time to let your body cool down, says Lamb. The key to treating heat rash is staying “well hydrated, using cool compresses, also those portable fans that can bring down your body temperature,” Lamb tells TODAY.com. These fixes, she says, will help reduce the amount of sweat struggling to burst from your sweat glands. Why it matters Sweat is the body’s way of cooling itself down, but when high and humid temperatures cause you to sweat more than usual, it can end up trapped in your glands, a process called occlusion, says Lamb. That trapped sweat can cause miliaria, the technical term for heat rash and the bumps it creates. It’s exacerbated by thick lotions and heavy clothing that can also keep the body from releasing pent up heat and sweat from its pores. Combine all of that with rigorous activity typical of summer and long stints in skin-tight swimwear and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a rash. Cooling your body down with ice, fans and water helps your body successfully complete its natural cool-down process so that your sweat glands aren’t forced to do all the heavy lifting on their own. Health Wellness Apr 18 You can put beef tallow and salmon sperm on your face. But should you? Lifestyle Mar 3 ‘Skin care in a can': The fishy beauty hack once again taking over TikTok How to get started Monitor your skin during especially hot days, says Lamb. As much as you can, opt for breathable clothing, lightweight creams and go to your outings prepared with ice packs, fans and water on hand to keep your body’s internal temperature regulated and cool. While heavy creams, including sunscreen can clog your pores, Lamb says to never skip on that kind of invaluable sun protection. Instead, “make sure you’re trying out sunscreens,” she says. “Make sure you’re finding ones that agree with your skin and that your skin likes, that’s really the key” to avoiding clogged sweat glands. Most heat rashes will go away on their own once you get your temperature down, but Lamb says you can speed up the process with hydrocortisone cream which can relieve swelling redness, itching and rashes. If after a few days your rash persists, you get a fever or you notice signs of infection, Lamb says to see a dermatologist. What you thought was a heat rash might actually be another condition such as polymorphous light eruption or Grover’s disease. This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY: Dermatologists share sunscreens with sting-free formulas that shouldn’t burn your eyes Medicare to cover GLP-1 weight-loss drugs for $50 a month: See if you’re eligible How to give your immune system a boost: Flu shot, protein, more ...read more read less