Monsoon is a good time to discuss the common skin infections that one experiences during this particular time of the year.
The common infections during this time of the year are fungal infections and bacterial infections.
The high humidity in the monsoon season promotes sweating from the body and the accumulation of moisture on the skin, leaving the skin damp providing potent fungi to multiply and grow, and causing skin rashes that are extremely itchy in nature.
We find that a lot of present with fungal infections, especially in the folds of the body that is between the toes between the fingers in the groin area the armpits, and in the folds of the skin and beneath the breast tissues.
These areas are particularly prone because sweat tends to stay on the skin for a longer period of time in these areas and hence promotes the growth of the fungus.
The infection appears as a red rash which can be roundish it is usually fairly well defined which is it has a well-defined edge to it and it is usually quite itchy in nature.
The treatment of the fungal infection depends upon the extent of the infection.
If it is a very mild infection and involves covering a very small area of the skin then an anti-fungal ointment or cream will do the trick.
If however the fungal infection is very widespread and involves large parts of the body then one may need to make use of anti-fungal tablets.
In addition, it is also very important to keep the area dry and as humid-free as possible.
That is after you take a bath or after you go for a swim and come back dry and dry out the area to avoid the accumulation of moisture area. At night it is advisable to wear a loose cotton or lining undergarment and a loose cotton or linen night clothes so that these parts of the skin get well ventilated and there is as little accumulation of moisture as possible in these areas.
There are also a lot of anti-fungal powders available on the market.
These anti-fungal powders can be used as a prevention before one develops a fungal infection.
Especially in the body folds. Very often recommend this anti-fungal dusting powder to people who are a bit overweight have a poor nutritional status or suffer from problems like diabetes which predisposes them to get a fungal infection.
Even those people who are apparently completely normal but you have had fungal infection every year during the monsoon season could be a candidate for use of a preventative anti-fungal dusting powder this time of the year.
The other common problem that one sees during this time of the year is bacterial skin infections.
Bacterial skin infections are very common because at this time of the year because of the humidity we all tend to scratch on the skin.
Scratching of the skin causes minute abrasions of the skin which are invisible to the naked eye. But however, these abrasions are large enough for bacteria which normally sit only on the surface of the skin to penetrate deeper into the skin and cause an infection.
This infection can appear as a small red pimple-like lesion.
It may become larger or it may become a red patch.
The biggest difference between a bacterial and fungal skin infection is that bacterial skin infections tend to be more painful in contrast to fungal skin infections which tend to be itchy. The treatment of bacterial skin infections is fairly straightforward and simple. If it is a small area of infection an antibiotic ointment or cream would do the trick.
However, if the infection is extensive or if the infection affects dangerous areas of the body, particularly the head and the neck area then it is advisable to see a dermatologist and get a prescription for an oral antibiotic. Before you stop the antibiotic I would strongly recommend that you see a dermatologist because very often if the antibiotic is stopped earlier than is necessary then there is a recurrence of the bacterial infection and you might find that you not only need to step up the quality of antibiotic to be used but also the duration for which the antibiotic is to be needed can increase if it is stopped prematurely.
