Summers come with its own burden of skin diseases, with prickly heat rashes and fungal infections ruling the roost. As the unruly sun breathes out fire during the season, the body sweats to maintain its temperatures which in-turn has a chance to trigger skin problems.
Prickly heat also called miliaria, develops when a person sweats more than usual and there sweat glands are blocked. As a result of the blockage, the water drained out by the body starts accumulating there and there is a rupture in the glands, due to which small inflammation starts forming on the surface of the skin.
Dr S Handa, Head of department dermatology PGI said, “People have a common misconception that certain powders available in the market get one instant relief from miliaria. However, powders only provide part time relief, but the best way to fight prikly heat is to keep the area dry and cool.”
“The best way to keep prickly heat at bay is to bath twice during summers with cold water and wear cotton clothes, which will keep the skin dry and aerated. Using glycerin soap also helps in subverting the condition and to keep the skin healthy, one should have a lot of fluid intake,” added Dr Handa.
Skin infection triggered by congress grass (parthenium hysterophorous), is quite common in Chandigarh and its neighboring area. The flowers of this grass, dries during the summer and with wind they get suspended in the atmosphere. As a result person who comes in contact with these suspended particles may develop rash in the sensitive areas of their skin.
“The best way to avoid rashes and allergies being triggered by congress grass is to avoid coming in contact with it. If a person finds that the skin has been infected by this grass, one should immediately seek doctor’s help instead of trying over the counter treatment,” said Deepanker Dey, Assitant Prof Dermatology PGI.
During the summers the skin ailments aggravates and some of this problems are serious. At times people are themselves responsible for skin problems because just to treat a minor skin problem, they apply over the counter topical creams available in the market without knowing the side effects of such ointments.
“The best way to keep the skin healthy during the summers is to keep the fluid intake high and to eat a lot of seasonal fruits. One should avoid going out in the sun and wearing synthetic clothes. It should also be kept in mind that minor skin rashes go away with time and hence a person should avoid self medication. The sensitive areas, like the skin which gets folded and area between the thighs should be washed and dried properly after a bath,” said Dr Paramjeet Walia of the Fortis Hospital.