How long does it take to get rid of chickenpox?

The article is professionally consulted by Associate Professor, Doctor, Doctor Hoang Dang Mich - Head of Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Ha Long International Hospital.

Chickenpox is a very common disease and can happen to anyone. Among them, children are one of the most susceptible to chickenpox. Therefore, learning about chickenpox as well as prevention measures is extremely necessary. So how long does chickenpox take to heal? Can I take a bath when I have chickenpox? Please refer to the article below to get accurate information.

Chickenpox is also known as varicella and is caused by the Varicella Zoster virus. Chickenpox is a fairly benign disease that almost every child gets at least once in his or her life. Chickenpox is transmitted mainly by direct skin contact or by inhalation.
Chickenpox at a benign level almost does not affect health. The rash, blisters can cause itching, redness and very easy to leave scars, causing unsightly.
However, the case of chickenpox turns into a complicated stage that can cause pneumonia, dermatitis, hemorrhagic chickenpox, neurological diseases, even life-threatening.

Normally, after having chickenpox once, the body will create immunity to fight the disease. However, in case the body has weak resistance, chickenpox can still recur. Chickenpox will go through the following 4 stages of development:
Incubation period: Depending on the location of each person, the disease will develop. Chickenpox has an incubation period of 1-2 weeks. For people with weakened immune systems, pregnant women or the elderly, the incubation period for chickenpox can be much shorter. Onset phase: This phase usually lasts 1 to 2 days. At this time, the patient may see the body appear red, red, itchy rash accompanied by symptoms of loss of appetite, skipping meals, headache, and low-grade fever.

Full-blown stage: At this time, the patient will appear red blisters, about the size of a pea, some nodules have a thick fluid like pus and spread throughout the body. Recovery phase: Depending on the care and dieting conditions, chickenpox will be cured after about 1 week. At that time, the blisters will scab on their own and fall off. Therefore, you need to have the right care to limit scarring. Thus, depending on the condition, the disease will take from 7 to 21 days to appear specific symptoms. After that, it will take another 7-10 days from the full stage to the complete recovery. However, for people with weakened immune systems, chickenpox can also take 2 to 3 weeks to completely heal.

According to folk experience, when you have chickenpox, you need to abstain from bathing and avoid the wind. However, can I take a bath if I have chickenpox or do I have to abstain from water completely? To get rid of chickenpox quickly, the sick person needs to wash with clean and warm water.

However, in the process of bathing, the patient needs to be gentle, do not use hands or a towel to rub vigorously, causing the blisters to burst and spread more. When you have chickenpox, you need to cut your nails clean, do not scratch or scratch strongly on the wound, causing breakouts and sores.
In addition, the sick person should wear loose, airy clothes to avoid being secretive.

In fact, turning on a fan or being exposed to the wind had no effect on chickenpox. However, the patient should only turn on the fan gently to create cool air and dry sweat. Do not turn on the fan too strongly or go out when the wind is too strong, it will make the body cold, poor health and the disease will become worse.

Lifestyle and personal care will greatly determine how long chickenpox will take to heal. In order for chickenpox to heal quickly and limit complications, the patient needs to follow some notes:
Do not eat a lot of fried, greasy food. Limit foods made from dairy products such as ice cream, milk, butter, cheese... as they will make your skin secrete more oil, creating conditions for the virus to grow and spread. Do not eat fruits that contain a lot of vitamin C. The reason is that when you have chickenpox, blisters can appear in the oral cavity. If you eat a lot of fruits that contain a lot of vitamin C, it will make the wound more painful and sore. Do not eat spicy, hot, salty foods because they can easily irritate the ulcers. Avoid going to crowded places to limit the spread of the virus to others. Do not share personal items such as clothes, towels, face towels with someone who has chickenpox. Patients need to wash their clothes carefully, do not wash them with the clothes of other family members. After washing clothes, they need to be dried in a sunny, cool place and ironed thoroughly. To prevent chickenpox from spreading, patients need to actively isolate themselves from others to cure the disease quickly. At the same time, people who have not had chickenpox, especially young children and women who are planning to become pregnant, need to be vaccinated against chickenpox to protect the health of the mother and the fetus. Vinmec International General Hospital provides vaccination services to prevent chickenpox as well as other infectious diseases such as measles, mumps for all ages and health status of each customer with quality and safety standards. with the patient.

As recommended by medical experts, even during an epidemic, parents should still take their children to get vaccinated on time. Delaying the vaccination schedule can increase the risk of disease that has been ruled out or make infectious and superinfectious diseases such as influenza, measles, chickenpox, pharyngitis, pneumonia... become more severe and difficult to treat. than.
In the first 5 years of life, a child's immune system is completely built, so full vaccination is an effective way to strengthen the child's resistance. Parents should note that when taking their children to get vaccinated, they should strictly follow the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health, such as wearing a mask properly, washing hands often with an antiseptic solution. In addition, parents are always updated with correct information about this strain of Covid -19 to protect themselves and their families from Corona Virus.
In areas where there is no epidemic, mothers can still have their children vaccinated according to the age-appropriate vaccination schedule, but avoid crowded places, make an appointment in advance to avoid waiting and go to the facility Trust medical facilities guaranteed.
>> See more: Should vaccinations be delayed during the Covid-19 epidemic? expert advice by Specialist Doctor II Quach Nguyen Thu Thuy - Pediatric Center - Vinmec Times City International Hospital

Articles compiled from: Ministry of Health