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Dr Arikawe Adeolu, a General Medical Practitioner, Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, Abuja, on Wednesday advised against wearing dark coloured and heavy clothing as a protective measure against the hot season.
Adeolu told the NANthat bright coloured cloths should rather be worn more as they allowed more air into the body, making the weather bearable.
He stated wearing dark and heavy clothing caused the body heat to increase thereby increasing the chances of developing heat rash and other related infections.
The medical expert also advised women to stay away from wearing heavy make-up as it blocked the pores preventing air from entering the body to give a cooling effect.
“This is not the time to wear dark coloured wears because black will always absorb heat and hold it within. But bright coloured dresses will always allow more air so do more brightly coloured dresses.
“Cloths made of cotton will help but silk will not. Silk adds warmth to the body because it makes the body generate more heat. Try to stay away from thick clothing too.
“For ladies who use heavy make-up; they should know by now that it is not good to apply such at this period because it can be very sunny.
“Too much make-up blocks the pores and it is very important to let the pores open so that one can easily get air into the body.
“Anything that blocks the pores is not good for the hot season because the natural cooling mechanism is being interrupted,” Adeolu stated.
The medical expert also advised against use of ointment such as body cream during the hot season.
He noted that since there was no prescribed medication to manage heat rash staying in a ventilated environment and taking showers frequently could help.
He further noted that using powder in treatment of heat rash was yet to be medically proven but added that it could be used as it gives a cooling and soothing effect to the body.
“Powder makes the skin feel less irritated so it can be a good remedy for heat rash.
“When you bath you can allow the water on the body to dry by itself rather than using a towel.
“To cope with the heat and prevent any rashes one just needs a little lifestyle adjustment. Usually after sometime heat rashes go by themselves.
“Heat rashes do not itch and so cannot get infected; it is only rashes that itch that usually get infected because one tends to scratch them and open them up,” Adeolu added.
He stated that heat rash often appeared on the back, chest region, around the neck and on the face.
Guardian