Saturday, July 5, 2003
M A I N   F E A T U R E


Banish blemishes
Parvesh Handa

EXCESSIVE exposure to sun during the summer is very harmful for the skin and causes sunburn and discolouration of the skin and even skin cancer. The sun’s burning rays are most intense between 12 noon and 3 pm. And their ill-effects are more pronounced in children between six and eight years of age, women in the age group of 25 to 30 years and men aged between 30 and 35 years. Hot rays not only dry up and darken the skin, but also cause it to freckle.

Do you sweat excessively? Do you often get small red pustules on your body? Do you feel like itching the neck, breast, genital area and unexposed parts of your body? If the answer to above questions is yes, here are a few easy home remedies on how to combat your problems. Do not scratch the affected skin; it may give temporary relief but there are chances of getting septic. The affected skin should be exposed to open air as far as possible. Keep the affected area of the skin dry and clean. Sprinkle talcum powder on it. If you suffer from prickly heat, avoid tight-fitting and synthetic garments, heavy make-up, hot drinks and crowded places.

 


There are few easy home remedies too to save your blemished skin. Dissolve fuller’s earth (multani mitti) in water to make a thick paste. Smear it over the affected skin. When the paste dries up, wash it with cold water. Grind neem leaves in water and apply on the affected skin. Application of green henna paste on the affected skin will also provide magical results. The most effective remedy for prickly heat is to take a small piece of sandalwood and rub it on a stone with rose water. Mix the paste with a pinch of powdered alum and apply it to the affected skin twice or thrice a week, depending upon the condition of skin. A raspberry mask helps to clear blemishes. Mix 25 gm of mashed raspberries with one tea spoon of plain yoghurt and finely ground oatmeal. Leave it on the face for ten minutes. Mustard soaked in milk and applied at night also works wonders. Grind pumpkin seeds and mix with olive oil to make a paste and apply to the affected skin. In case red pustules of size of mustard grains appear on the body and you sweat profusely, grind leaves of neem and apply on the affected area.