Our skin is so important, so how should we protect it in the heat of summer? Before talking about how to protect it, we should first look at the characteristics of summer itself, as well as our skin, in the summer environment revealed by the characteristics. 1, because the Earth revolves around the sun, it can be said that summer is the most intense sunlight in the year; and, summer everything grows and flourishes, microorganisms are no exception, it can be said that this season is also the time when bacteria are most likely to breed and multiply on the surface of the skin. 2, summer, in order to adapt to the high temperature environment, the human skin fully stretched, vascular expansion, metabolism becomes abnormally strong, the skin discharged a large amount of sweat and metabolic waste of the body, changing the pH of the skin surface, the skin’s ability to fight disease is weakened. So, if the seasonal factors are considered as external factors, and the skin’s own characteristics are considered as internal factors. Under these internal and external conditions, if we are not careful, it is easy to suffer from certain skin diseases or cause the recurrence or aggravation of our existing skin diseases. Here I will introduce some common skin diseases in summer and their prevention and treatment methods. â—†Summer prone to skin diseases 1, sunlight induced or aggravated skin diseases As mentioned earlier, summer is the strongest season of sunlight. The sunlight can be divided into different spectral areas according to wavelengths, including ultraviolet, visible light and infrared light, which can cause skin diseases mainly in ultraviolet and visible light. Ultraviolet rays that reach the earth’s surface can be divided into long-wave ultraviolet UVA, which has a long wavelength, and short-wave UVB, which has a characteristic that the longer the wavelength, the stronger the penetrating power and the smaller the energy. After we receive excessive UV radiation, UVA generally acts on the deeper superficial dermal layer, causing skin aging; while UVB can only reach the epidermal layer, causing epidermal necrosis and hyperpigmentation, which is what we call “sun peeling” and “tanning”. In summer, UVB intensity can reach its peak anywhere in the year, and in many places it is even 50% of the accumulated UVB radiation for the whole year, so preventing UVB damage to the skin in summer can be a top priority. As mentioned above, excessive UV radiation can lead to tanning and aging of the skin, or worse, sunburn (or solar dermatitis, sun spots), and polymorphic sun rash. In addition to the above-mentioned skin diseases caused by sun exposure, sun exposure can also aggravate some existing skin diseases. For example, patients with freckles and melasma should be aware that ultraviolet radiation will promote melanin synthesis in melanocytes in the skin, and melanin particles will increase or become larger, so these patients will have their conditions aggravated if they are not properly protected in summer. For example, patients suffering from lupus erythematosus and follicular keratosis will also be aggravated by excessive sunlight exposure in summer. 2, fungal and bacterial dermatoses The hot weather in summer and the sweaty and humid skin create a hot and humid environment, which provides good conditions for the growth and reproduction of many microorganisms, so the incidence of skin infections in summer is relatively high, commonly fungal dermatitis and bacterial dermatitis. Depending on the location, fungal dermatoses can be classified as ringworm of the hands (known as “goose palm wind” in Chinese medicine), ringworm of the feet (also known as “foot fungus”), ringworm of the femur, ringworm of the body, ringworm of the nails (commonly known as “gray nails Tinea corporis, Tinea corporis, Tinea nail (also called “gray nails”), Tinea pedis (also called “sweat spots”), and so on. As we know, the rising temperature in summer stimulates the sebaceous glands to overproduce and bacteria to multiply on the skin surface, and the excess oil and bacterial metabolites can easily lead to the accumulation of blocked pores, causing or aggravating acne, boils, and other follicular inflammation. 3, dermatitis, eczema and urticaria In view of the hot and humid summer climate, coupled with people’s daily lives, poor diet, emotional stress, the environment, physical or mechanical stimuli, such as plants, animals, chemical substances, cosmetics, etc.. It often causes or aggravates allergic diseases such as eczema, dermatitis and urticaria. 4, parasitic and insect dermatoses Summer heat and humidity, parasitic insects, insects multiply, will also cause a variety of damage to our skin. Commonly there are mosquitoes, fleas and other insect bites, they suck blood while injecting poisonous juice into the body, causing inflammatory reactions in the skin; or loose caterpillars, wasps, centipedes, scorpions and other stings, the formation of erythema, pimples, blisters, etc. on the body surface; scabies mites and other parasites burrowed directly into the skin caused by papules or nodules. Patients with this type of skin disease have varying degrees of itching, burning or pain. Severe systemic toxic symptoms can occur, and even death from anaphylaxis. â—†Prevention methods and precautions 1. Outdoor activities Apply sunscreen appropriately, wear a sun hat or umbrella, and people who are sensitive to ultraviolet rays should wear long-sleeved clothes. Outdoor workers, or people who usually seldom sunbathe, try to avoid prolonged exposure to sunlight when going out, so that the skin absorbs a large amount of UV rays in a short period of time, and should gradually enhance the skin’s tolerance to sunlight. (1) sunscreen selection As only wear sun hat or play umbrella is not enough to cover UV rays, so the use of sunscreen in summer is very important. Choose sunscreen, mainly pay attention to the following two aspects: A to prevent allergies Some people have sensitive skin, after the external use of sunscreen not only did not play a role in sun protection, but caused skin allergies. Therefore I recommend that we use sunscreen before the skin sensitivity test, that is, in the use of a new sunscreen they have never used before, should be advanced skin sensitivity test. The specific method is: use a little sunscreen in the forearm or behind the ear, after 1 to 2 days, no adverse reactions and then the whole body use; allergic people do not use the sunscreen factor too high sunscreen. B Choose the right sun protection factor A better sunscreen should be able to protect against the full range of ultraviolet rays (that is, we say both UVA and UVB protection). Theoretically, the greater the SPF value of a sunscreen product within a certain range, the stronger the sun protection effect, but in fact, SPF value of 30 products, the blocking rate of UVB can reach more than 95%, which can meet the needs of most people. To the skin type of Oriental people, daily protection can choose SPF10 ~ SPF15 sunscreen, if engaged in swimming, playing ball and other outdoor leisure activities, SPF20 is enough to resist the damage of UVB, without causing a burden to the skin. Products with too high a sun protection factor will be relatively greasy and heavy in texture, which will easily produce blocked pores and may induce acne. In addition, it may lead to skin allergies. (2) Whitening mask When it comes to sun protection, people naturally think of whitening again. Here is a herbal blend of whitening masks for you. You can go to a pharmacy and buy Atractylodes macrocephala, Angelica dahurica, Achyranthes blazei, Ampelopsis pilosula, Paeonia lactiflora, Poria cocos, and pearl powder. Powder the above herbs, mix them in equal proportions of each medicine, put a spoonful of the powder each time you do it, then add the right amount of milk or water, mix the powder into a paste, put it on your face and wash your face after 20~30 minutes. You can do it 1~2 times a week, it has a more obvious effect on whitening skin and eliminating spots. (3) Dressing We say that in order to prevent ultraviolet rays, you can choose long-sleeved clothes. But at the same time, we should pay attention to clothes should have loose, sweat-absorbing, light, breathable and other characteristics, silk or cotton clothing is a good choice, in addition to try to choose light-colored clothes to reduce the absorption of sunlight; people with sensitive skin, should not wear nylon, chemical fiber fabrics underwear, because such clothes are easy to produce static electricity, so that allergic skin diseases and other conditions aggravated. Then there is, the male comrades of the metal strap, metal belt buckle and lesbians wear necklaces, earrings and other decorative items, in the summer our sweating increased, these items and then the role of sweat will precipitate metal ions, stimulate our skin will produce allergies. Therefore, if you have had such allergy symptoms, then necklaces, earrings, watches and other metal accessories are best not to wear, if the metal belt buckle caused by allergies it, I recommend that you wear looser strap pants. 2. Diet (1) Avoid eating A Patients suffering from certain pigmentation diseases, such as melasma and freckles, need to pay attention not to eat vegetables such as potatoes, parsnips, celery and parsley, which will promote the body’s absorption of ultraviolet rays and lead to aggravation of the disease. B For allergy sufferers, they should eat less hairy products such as seafood and tropical fruits such as mangoes and pineapples, which can easily cause skin allergy. C Patients with acne, the diet must be light, spicy, greasy and sweet food should be eaten as little as possible. (2) Appropriate food We say that the most important feature of summer is “humidity” and “heat”, and these two points are also important factors that trigger many skin disorders. Therefore, in the summer, the diet should be based on clear and calm food. Here I will introduce some summer food. A beans and cereals Adzuki beans have the function of water and swelling, detoxification and drainage of pus, clearing heat and dampness, strengthening the spleen and stopping diarrhea. Mung beans are cool in nature and sweet in taste, and have the function of clearing heat, dispelling summer heat, promoting water and detoxifying. White lentils are mild in nature, sweet in taste, also medicine and food, can nourish the spleen and stomach, resolve dampness and heat. Job’s Tears (Job’s Tears) is cool in nature, sweet in taste, and has the function of strengthening the spleen, relieving dampness and clearing heat. The above four, when we boil porridge on a regular basis to add some, on acute and chronic eczema, as well as some other skin diseases with damp-heat arguments have a certain preventive and alleviating effect. Especially white lentils and barley, in addition to dampness also has the function of strengthening the spleen, for our summer loss of appetite and some other symptoms, will also be improved. B Vegetables and fruits Winter melon is cool in nature, sweet in taste and has a beneficial effect on water and clearing heat. Loofah is cool in nature and sweet in taste. It is recommended for those with skin eczema to eat it regularly to clear heat, cool the blood and detoxify the toxins. Ancient physicians believed that loofah is effective for all malignant sores, children’s pox residual poison, and canker sores and furuncles. Watermelon is cold in nature, sweet in taste, has the effect of clearing heat, relieving summer heat and urinating, can make damp heat from the urine and go. Cucumber is cold in nature, sweet in taste, can clear heat, water, detoxification. Cucumber has the effect of clearing heat and dampness, where acute or subacute skin eczema and co-infections, are suitable for regular food. In recent times, some scholars believe that often eat yellow cauliflower, can enhance the skin toughness and elasticity, protect the epidermis and dermal tissue cells, accelerate the skin capillary blood circulation, to resist the erosion of various adverse factors inside and outside the skin stimulation, the skin to play a certain protective role. Yam is flat and sweet in nature, and can be used to nourish the lungs, spleen and kidneys, with emphasis on the spleen. According to Chinese medicine theory, the spleen is the essence of the latter, the main transport water and dampness, dampness and heat within the skin disease patients due to the spleen loss of health, often eat yam can strengthen the spleen and stomach and remove water and dampness. C Meat Duck meat is slightly cool, sweet and salty, can nourish Yin and stomach, water and swelling. We know that like we usually eat beef, lamb and chicken meat is mostly warm nature, while duck meat is slightly cool, summer serving will not help heat. But also note that the cholesterol contained in duck meat is relatively high, so patients with cardiovascular disease, eat must be moderate. Here I suggest that you can eat roast duck, shave off the duck frame bones left behind, and we mentioned above the winter melon together with soup. This way, you will not consume too much cholesterol, but also clear dampness and heat and benefit dampness, killing two birds with one stone. D Other Patients with keratosis pilaris, can eat more foods rich in vitamin A, such as carrots, animal liver, etc. In addition, we would like to introduce a good medicine to dispel dampness – white poria. If the doctor of traditional Chinese medicine diagnosed you have phlegm and dampness in your body, or you suffer from dampness as a defense of skin diseases, then I suggest you: you can go to the pharmacy to buy some white poria, beat it into powder, drink a tablespoon every day, if you can persist in the long term, it is very helpful to improve your physique. 3, habits (1) keep the skin dry and clean Summer skin cleaning is more important than other seasons, because of the heat, the skin discharges a lot of sweat and body waste, changing the pH of the skin surface, the skin’s resistance to disease is weakened, bacteria are prone to reproduce on the skin surface. Therefore, in the summer, you must be diligent in bathing, changing clothes, indoor ventilation, and can use some talcum powder to keep the skin dry and cool, which can also prevent prickly heat. (2) Avoid scratching casually. Unclean hands or nails with dirt and bacteria can easily cause secondary infections that spread throughout the body, such as tinea pedis infections, which are likely to cause lower limb tinea, or what we call reticulolymphangitis. In addition, chronic eczema and neurodermatitis patients, excessive scratching tends to thicken the skin and aggravate the itch, resulting in a vicious cycle of more scratching and more itching, and the disease is hard to heal. (3) avoid hot water scalding many people in the skin itching and rash, for a quick hot water scalding, although this can solve a moment of itching, but after the itching will intensify, especially acute eczema and other dermatitis, hot water scalding prompted the release of a large number of allergic substances, resulting in exudation and erosion aggravated, making the condition worse. (4) Avoid using drugs indiscriminately Generally, we have skin problems, think it is not a big disease, often wipe their own a little “dermatoglyphine”, “Pi Kang Wang” to do. In fact, the same eczema, dermatitis, itchy skin, the cause is often not the same, so the medication is completely different. Sometimes even if the right type of medicine is used, but due to the different dosage form, or improper use, it will not work as well as it should. Therefore, the treatment of skin diseases must be guided by a doctor to use drugs, not unauthorized use of hormonal drugs, the lighter may form skin pigmentation, the heavier will form hormone-dependent dermatitis. (5) improve environmental health clean up the breeding places of harmful insects, spray insecticide on the habitat, install screens, screen doors, hanging mosquito nets, etc.. Wear long-sleeved clothes and shoes and socks for outdoor activities, work and labor, put a towel around the neck, and apply insect repellent to the skin. Dermatitis has occurred, to avoid scratching, such as secondary infection, should come to the hospital early. (6) Avoid improper makeup especially not to use shoddy, deteriorated and expired cosmetics Summer sweat increases, if you use cosmetics, the pores will be blocked, not only easy to induce folliculitis, boils and other skin diseases, and cosmetics contain pigments, fragrances and other chemical substances and even lead and other harmful substances, will aggravate the original skin disease. (7) avoid life disorders irregular life, smoking and drinking, lack of sleep, constipation (will affect the toxin, waste excretion), as well as emotional instability, anxiety, tension, etc., may aggravate the skin disease. Therefore, ensuring a regular life, adequate sleep, smooth bowel movements and emotional stability is of great significance to the treatment of skin diseases. The above is to provide you with the introduction of skin diseases susceptible to summer and some suggestions on skin protection, I hope it will inspire you so that you can have healthy skin and spend a pleasant and relaxing summer.