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Summer skincare woes -- and how to beat them
April 9, 2009
Come summer, everybody from your next door neighbour to your grandma gives you advice on how to avoid sunburns, rashes and how to rid yourself of a tan. But now many home remedies for summer skin ailments actually work? And is there any scientific explanation for the same? Here is a dermatologist's scientific advice for the summer, albeit with a little desi tadka!
Heat Rashes
Doctors call it Miliaria but everyone can diagnose a heat rash -- it's an eruption of tiny red pinpoint bumps, which are tremendously itchy, on the back or upper chest or between where the skin folds (elbows, neck and waistband area).
Grandma's home remedy:
Apply buttermilk or prickly heat powders on the affected areas.
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The doctor advises:
Chilled buttermilk lowers the skin temperature to give momentary relief, but its acid content could actually irritate the skin, so it's best avoided. Prickly heat powders too give only temporary relief owing to their menthol content. Cold baths (several during the day), wearing loose cotton clothes that let your skin breathe, staying in an airy, cool environment and applying calamine lotion are the best solutions.
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Text: Dr Parul Kolhe | Illustrations: Uttam Ghosh
Dr Parul S Kolhe is an MBBS and holds a DDV & DNB in dermatology.
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