Itching All Over

 Powered by Max Banner Ads 

Growing up in Australia means that you are going to suffer from sunburn, to what degree you suffer depends on how how seriously you regard the effects the sun can have on your skin.

This summer whilst sitting in my doctors waiting room I noticed a little boy who would have been about five or six. He had no shirt on and was severely sunburned, with blisters the size of walnuts on his shoulders and upper chest. How on earth could his parents have let that happen? I remember thinking to myself. The truth is that when we go out into the sun without properly planning and preparing, severe sunburn can happen all too easily.

The best way to avoid sunburn (other than staying inside all your life!)is to ‘Slip, Slop and Slap’ every time you plan on spending time outdoors. Just as the campaign advertises; slip on a shirt, slop on some sunscreen and slap on a hat. I remind my children of a fourth ‘S’ to add to this – Sip, it’s important to keep hydrated and sip water when spending time in the sun.

Between the hours of 11:00am and 3:00pm the potential for sunburn is at it’s worst, so try to find a shady spot or stay indoors during this time. If you must be in the sun then remember to cover your skin as best as you can and reapply sunscreen (preferably an SPF 30+) regularly, not forgetting your ears, neck and feet. Also don’t forget your eyes, good wraparound sunglasses will protect them from sun damage too.

If you do find yourself caught out and sunburned, assess the damage and take action immediately. Find a shady place or go indoors, rehydrate by drinking plenty of water, but DO NOT apply moisturizing creams or lotions as this can actually make the sunburn worse.

My Nanna swears by her simple home remedy of Aloe Vera for sunburn relief, she has a plant in her back yard and breaks a piece off, smoothing the sap on to sore, red skin. It has a great cooling effect and seems to help skin heal faster. If you don’t have access to an actual Aloe Vera plant, there are many after sun gels and sprays that contain Aloe Vera for sunburn treatment. It also helps to keep some in the fridge for that extra cool sensation and relief. Check with your chemist or doctor before using any type of sunburn treatment on your baby’s skin and in the meantime tepid baths or cool compresses can help.

Mild sunburn symptoms include a pink to red tinge of the skin that will usually fade and peel within a week. Serious sunburn will be dark pink to red in colour or may also have brownish patches depending on your skin type. Within a few hours your skin may also develop blisters and you will begin to feel quite unwell.

If the degree of sunburn is serious and accompanied by headaches and nausea, you may have what is commonly called ‘sunstroke’ caused by too much time in the sun, sunburn and dehydration. For adults it is best to keep up the fluids, rest take paracetamol and seek medical advice if the symptoms do not appear to be subsiding, for young children it may be best to seek immediate medical advice.

If your sunburn or your child sunburn is accompanied by blisters it is best to seek medical advice. Some doctors will prescribe a burn relief cream. Many Aussies believe the sun can ‘burn like fire’ and it is best to let a professional assess the severity of these types of burns.

Always remember that prevention of sunburn is much better than cure. Cover up, prepare and plan carefully when you go out in the sun. Our skin is so important and deserves to be taken care of as reports of skin cancer (melanoma) are on the rise it just may save your life!

more posts of interest:

• Sunburn Cure – Nature Has Your Answer
• Rash Caused by Sunburn
• Sunburn – Minimizing The Risk
• Guide to surviving sunburn – Part 2
• Tanning 101: Tips for Preventing a Sunburn

Eczema is a common name for eczematous dermatitis. As the name clearly indicates, it is a disorder of the derma (skin). Round coin-sized patches are formed on the skin. These can be a result of medical allergies, however the real cause of this disorder is not yet found. Eczema is generally associated with dry skin and is a common sight in the winter season. Using harsh soaps, strong detergents or taking bath quiet frequently i.e. more than once a day can worsen the occurrence of eczema. Even the use of the mildest soap can escalate the condition. Eczema treatments cannot provide an instant cure to the person suffering from it. Instead, eczema treatments are designed to provide prolonged relief to such patients.

Intense Climatic conditions can elevate the eczema. Medicine allergies can also increase the intensity of the condition but are not the cause for the disorder. The doctors prescribe different treatments depending on the level of the disease. Applying the prescribed high- powered ointments is the simplest of them. Many more treatments are prescribed under medical supervision for a faster and effective healing of the eczema.

Wrap therapy is a soothing therapy for reducing the hurting skin eruptions, which are a result of eczema. As the name implies wet bandages soaked in warm water or the specific moisturizers. The patient is first made to take a bath with the emollient oil and then the affected areas are covered with these bandages or wraps. These wraps can be used on any affected parts of the patient’s body including the face. These wet bandages are covered with dry bandages to retain the moisture of the wet wraps. Moisturizing the skin daily will add the right results of this treatment, which can be done once a week. However, other medicines should be continued along with this treatment. Though this therapy is time consuming it is effective for restoring the skins texture, severe itching and swelling and redness of the skin.

Medicines and chemicals are not the only treatment for eczema. Eczema can be cured naturally thus making the skin smooth and healthy. The best natural moisturizer for eczema patient is the emollient. Emollient moisturizer is oilier than the regular moisturizers and the cream’s that are available in the market. It is also available in the form of oil. This oil can be simply added to the bath water or even can be applied on the body before taking a shower. Storing this oil in refrigerator in the summer season will give a cold and soothing effect to the skin.

Two types of phototherapy treatments are available for the people suffering from eczema. These treatments include psoralen plus UVA exposure and UV light therapy. The affected areas of the skin are ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B rays or combinations of both these rays are used as an effective alternative. This treatment should be done under the guidance of a proper doctor as utmost care is needed while using these lights. This treatment can be taken three to five times in a week.

Various treatments are available as an effective cure against eczema that can bring the disorder under control. Along with the treatments, few changes in the life style of a person are also needed to help the disorder in control.

more posts of interest:

• Eczema Treatments – Part 1
• Learn What is Atopic Dermatitis and How You Can Prevent it
• Eczema Treatment Using Wet Wrap Therapy
• Eczema Treatments – Treat your Eczema Tips
• What Is The Difference Between Eczema and Psoriasis

Eczema is a skin condition characterised by excessive itching and dryness. The skin also becomes highly sensitive to substances which we commonly use for cleaning such as soap and detergents. Other things like make-ups and cosmetics also cause irritation due to the differing levels of chemicals inside them. The exposure of the skin to these allergens produces chemicals which cause itching. This is because once the skin is exposed to a trigger, it releases itch-inducing chemicals to the surface of the skin.

Eczema treatment is simple but involves sustained skin care. Those afflicted by eczema need to follow a strict skin care routine because any lack of care can render the symptoms more pronounced. The inflammation can worsen. Infants and children are found more prone to eczema and this skin condition at an early age is known as infantile eczema. In fact, as per statistics, nearly twenty per cent of infants develop this irritating skin condition.

Apart from the sheer itching troubles and the unsightly appearance it gives to the skin, eczema leads to low self-esteem and isolation in people of all ages. Besides allergens in the living environment, stress has also been known to, at least worsen cases of eczema, if not cause it directly. Although the degree of causality of different factors may vary from person to person, the more common ones are diet, genetics and the weakness of the immune system. A minor allergic stimulus can lead to a ‘flare-up’ that is, means inflammation, redness and itchy rashes.

A number of solutions are available these days for eczema treatment. Due to the side-effects seen in steroid-based medicines, products using natural ingredients are becoming the more preferable method. The main things to take care of is regular cleansing and moisturising of the skin. Herbal oils and creams treat the eczema skin without affecting the natural pH levels and work well enough.

more posts of interest:

• Eczema Treatment: Exercise Proper Care and Caution
• Eczema And Dermatitis Treatment: What’ New?
• Eczema Treatment : Remove the Allergens, Please!
• Eczema Treatment Is Basically Removal of Allergic Triggers
• Eczema Treatment : Why Not Go For It The Natural Way?

Result of overexposure of the skin to sunlight and characterized by a general redness of the skin. Fair-skinned individuals are more prone to freckling and sunburn quickly and frequently, while dark-skinned individuals develop a protective tan that curbs repeated overexposure. It is the most common form of skin burns directly associated with sun exposure. Sunburn injury range: mild to severe or first, second and third degree burns.

Whole Milk Yogurt Masque – Apply plain whole milk yogurt to sunburned areas. The coolness and fat content of the yogurt help soothe the burn. Rinse with cool water when yogurt becomes warm. Reapply as needed.

Black, Green, or Chamomile Tea Bath – Steep 5 tea bags in 2 cups of boiling water for 20 to 30 minutes. Pour tea into a bathtub filled with cool water. Soaking in chamomile tea helps soothe inflamed skin. Black and green teas contain tannins, which help take the sting out of sunburn.

Apple Cider Vinegar Spritz – Fill a spritz bottle with apple cider vinegar (do not substitute white vinegar-it won’t work) and spray sunburned skin. Alternatively, pour cider on a washcloth and apply to skin. Rinse with cool water.

There is a lidocain spray that has aloe in it that works very well at healing and relieving the pain. It comes in an aerosol can. Tylenol or ibuprofen around the clock too helps.

Wash your hands with soap and water before touching blisters. Blisters can easily become infected.

If you have a large blister, you may want to drain it.

Clean a needle with rubbing alcohol or soap and water, then use it to gently puncture the edge of the blister.

Press the fluid in the blister toward the hole you made.

Wash the blister after you have drained it, and pat it dry with clean gauze.

Apply the toothpaste to the burned area using gentle pressure to smear it around. Make sure the skin is dry when you do this. Let it sit on the area for about 30 minutes. Then using cool water to gently rinse it off. You’ll have to use your fingers to massage the toothpaste away as the water softens it.

Actually your white skin is your natural skin. Your sunburn just damaged several layers of epithelial cells, and you are down to skin cells that have had limited UV exposure and have not had melanin induced pigment changes.

more posts of interest:

• Natural, Simple and Cheap Sunburn Remedies
• Guide to surviving sunburn
• Treating Sunburn
• Top 7 Tips To Treat And Prevent Sunburn
• Home Remedies For Suntan, Sunburn And Sun Poisoning