Doctors Give Advice to Parents Considering Helmet Therapy|台中新生兒戴矯正頭盔 引發嚴重熱疹

Many parents turn to helmet therapy to try correct the shape of their babies' skulls. Recently, a Taichung resident surnamed Wang purchased a custom helmet for her four-month-old son, however, after wearing the helmet for over 10 hours a day for three weeks, the baby developed a severe heat rash. Doctors say infant skin is particularly sensitive, and long-term use of tight helmets could affect the development of the brain.


A red rash has appeared on the skin of this four-month-old infant's head and neck. Previously, the boy's mother ordered a custom-made helmet for her baby to correct the shape of his skull. She didn't expect wearing the helmet would result in a rash.

The back of his head was a bit flat. I thought it was okay at first, but then I thought it looked too obvious.

The mother says her son always slept on the same side, which caused the right back side of his head to become misshapen. She ordered a custom-made helmet and put it on him for 15 to 20 hours a day during a three-week period. Doctors say infant skin and sweat glands are still developing, and wearing helmets will affect perspiration. Moreover, if severe heat rashes occur, they could lead to septicemia.

If small blisters on the skin surface pop, bacteria will be able to enter easily through them. If inflammations occur deeper in the skin, where the blood flow is more abundant, the bacteria could enter the body via the blood.

Many parents use helmet therapy to correct the shape of their children's skulls. However, many abnormalities are simply due to posture, with no underlying diseases that will affect development. Doctors say parents should vary the sleeping positions of infants under the age of four months and not allow them to spend all their time sleeping on one side, thereby preventing pressure from always being exerted on the same side.

The helmets are a fixed size, but infant heads are still developing. The circumference of the head increases at a fast pace, especially during the first six months. If you deliberately confine the head, then it won't be able to grow.

If the problem is simply due to posture, correcting the posture can resolve the problem before the age of one. Overuse of helmets may even affect infants' brain development. Parents who are insistent on corrections should check with doctors first.



小嬰兒稚嫩的皮膚佈滿紅色疹子，整個頭部跟頸子都是，讓年僅四個月的男嬰好難受。為了要矯正男嬰的頭型，男嬰母親特別訂製矯正頭盔，卻引發嚴重熱疹。

男嬰母親表示：「他的頭有點，又扁又偏，本來想說還好，可是後來覺得(歪得)越來越明顯。」

母親說男嬰長期側睡，導致後腦右側歪斜明顯，他訂製了一頂矯正頭盔，每天給孩子戴了15-20小時，時間長達三週。醫師表示，嬰兒皮膚和汗腺都還在發育，戴著頭盔不僅影響排汗，熱疹嚴重的話更可能引發敗血症。

茂盛醫院皮膚科醫師 鍾佩宜表示：「皮膚上面，有小顆小顆的水泡，水泡破了，都是細菌進入的開口，如果發炎的位置，如果，在皮膚更深層的地方，血流豐富的地方，細菌可能就會，沿著血流進到體內。」

醫師表示，為了給孩子完美頭型，不少人都會訂製矯正頭盔。不過不少只是姿勢性的頭型異常，並非疾病也不會影響發育，建議四個月內的嬰兒，還是要經常性的變化睡覺的姿勢，避免長時間睡同一側，讓壓力過度集中某一側。

茂盛醫院兒科醫師 王鼎堯表示：「（頭盔)是固定的大小，可是腦部還在成長的情況下，尤其頭六個月，頭圍增加速度非常快，它故意，把它圈囿住，其實是沒辦法長的。」

醫師表示，如果單純的姿勢性頭型異常，在一歲前都可以透過姿勢矯正。過度依賴矯正頭盔，可能會影響腦部發育，如果真的想要訂製，還是建議得先請教醫師評估。