Beware of skin disorders during the rainy season. Here is how to take proper care
Dr Vikas Sharma
Rain brings down pollutants and floating toxins from the air, and when they come in contact with the skin can trigger or aggravate many problems. Rainy season is the time when due to the high humidity there are various bacteria, fungi and viruses that become active, which can harm the skin. However, if you are health-conscious take a few simple precautions and save yourself a lot of misery!
What to do?
- Good and effective skin cleansing, using a soap free cleanser, is recommended.
- To protect the skin’s natural oils, avoid anti-fungal and perfumed soaps. Instead use a non-soapy cleanser that ensures deep-pore cleansing.
- Use only a light lotion-based moisturiser or serum during rains, which will gently rehydrate the skin.
- Avoid heavy make-up, use water-resistant sunscreens of SPF around 30 when necessary.
A few chronic skin disorders like atopic eczema, acne and psoriasis tend to worsen in this season. The biggest complaint during monsoon is the fungal infection. A fungus thrives in humidity; wet skin folds rubbing against each other get macerated easily, providing easy entry to fungi and yeast. As a result, one develops itchy, circular, reddish, flaky patches on the body, especially in skin folds at the groin (Jock Itch), underarms and around the breast in women.
Fungal infections can also affect your feet. Toe nails can easily get infected from the adjoining infected skin of the feet and it takes a couple of years to heal!
Stay dry
Staying dry is the best way to avoid them. Always keep an extra set of dry clothes and footwear while travelling; change immediately if you’ve gotten drenched on your way.
Once you are seated at your desk, take your shoes and socks off to allow air circulation around your feet for a few minutes, at least once a day. Wear sandals or floaters as far as possible. Use antifungal dusting talc to prevent accumulation of sweat and moisture in skin folds. Those prone to repeated fungal infections can use medicated powders.
Athlete’s Foot is a combined bacterial and fungal infection that affects people whose feet stay wet for hours, especially after exposure to dirty water. Starting from the toes, the skin turns whitish or greenish, itches terribly and there may even be a foul-smelling discharge or pus.
Viral skin infections in the form of verrucae (warts) also tend to increase in the rainy season and they have to be removed with a laser, otherwise can spread rapidly to other parts of the body, including the face.
(Dr Sharma is a Chandigarh-based
dermatologist)
