Summer season is here, which means it is time for more showers and pool time, cool new drinks, Pop-sickles, breezier clothes (colorful cotton and linen), lots of sweat (hence comparatively easier weight loss) and not to forget the itchy irritating prickly heat.
Prickly heat also called Miliaria, but the most common name for it is Heat Rash. It is a very common condition that happens to children and adults alike in hot humid weather conditions. This causes your skin to develop rashes, appearing red in color, and it may or may not cause small or relatively bigger blisters or lesions on the skin. The word prickly is apt, as it is among one of the common sensations one would experience during this outbreak on your body. The others include hot, sticky and itchy feeling. So, all in all, not a pleasant experience, however not as bad as many others out there. It usually clears on its own eventually after the body has cooled down. Usually, doctors or complicated treatments are not needed.
The cause behind it is Blocked sweat ducts. When your sweat glands work overtime and produce ample sweat which isn’t allowed to evaporate, it gets trapped in your skin, causing inflammation or heat rash to develop. We already discussed hot humid weather can cause this blockage. Other situations in which it may occur is extreme physical activity/workout which causes you to sweat a lot. Overheating of the body due to fever, excessive clothing, can be blamed in some cases, and poor kids and infant don’t have well-developed sweat ducts, so their malfunction.
The rash may pop-up anywhere on the body but most common target areas are the neck, face, chest, back, armpits, and groin.
It is a self-diagnosable. A good look in the mirror accompanied by symptoms and hot climate will disclose the matter, but you can consult a doctor if you want to.
No special treatment or medication is required, leave it be and it will vanish off in a few days on its own. To help your condition you can try some home remedies like taking cold showers, staying indoor in air conditioner or fans where the air is circulated and keeps the body cool. Avoid any thick or oil-based cream/lotions as they may further block your pores. Dress in cool and loose clothes. You may apply some talc or calamine lotion to soothe the irritated skin.
The only adverse effect it can cause is this area can give rise to bacteria and cause painful pus pilled pustules, in which case it won’t be a bad idea to consult the doctor after all.
Besides that there are positives and negatives to everything in life, you can either choose to enjoy the summer vibe or stress over heat and the rash.