Is the physical cooling method of alcohol feasible?

Fever is very common and can occur for many reasons. The most important thing for fever is to reduce the temperature in time. So far, physical cooling is the preferred way to deal with fever. Alcohol cooling is also a kind of physical cooling. However, there are some treatment misunderstandings with this cooling method, especially for younger children. So is the physical cooling method of alcohol feasible?

1. Alcohol cooling is not recommended

It is generally not recommended for children, especially infants, because infants' skin is very thin and alcohol is highly permeable. After being absorbed through the skin, symptoms of alcohol poisoning may appear. Alcohol rub baths can also irritate the skin, causing capillary contraction and hindering heat dissipation.

2. Physical cooling method: wiping with warm water is the first choice

The water temperature is more suitable at 34-37℃, which is suitable for children of all ages. Each wiping time is ＞10 minutes. The key areas to wipe are the skin folds, such as the neck, armpits, elbows, groin, etc. For children with high fever or older children, warm water baths can be used to dilate skin blood vessels and increase blood flow, thereby achieving the purpose of heat dissipation. The water temperature can be slightly lower than body temperature.

3. Note

Although medical alcohol does not contain harmful substances such as methanol, its alcohol concentration after dilution is around 75%, which is still very high. Alcohol wiping was also a commonly used method of reducing fever in the past. Wiping the skin with diluted alcohol would dilate the skin capillaries, accelerate the evaporation of water, and take away the heat from the body surface through the volatilization of alcohol, thereby lowering the body temperature. However, wiping with alcohol may cause the baby's skin to expand and contract rapidly, which is quite irritating to the baby. Moreover, if the alcohol is not diluted enough, it may be absorbed into the body through the baby's tender skin and cause alcohol poisoning. Therefore, doctors now do not recommend that parents use this method to cool down their babies.