Prickly heat
Last year, I suffered badly from prickly heat. So far, I’ve managed to stay indoors this year but we’re going abroad in August and I don’t want to spend the entire holiday stuck indoors.
Prickly heat is a rash consisting of tiny, inflamed pimples that itch, sometimes severely. One theory is that it only occurs when the body’s sweat glands no longer function in certain parts of the body because of a general fatigue.
The most common places for this rash to develop are, of course, in those areas where the body sweats the most such as the inside of the thighs and, in babies, under a tight nappy.
A paste made up of cornstarch and water has been found to help alleviate the problem but this is not the solution if you are planning to parade yourself on the beach at Nice. A better option then is to try taking 1g of vitamin C daily, which has been shown to both prevent and cure prickly heat.
Scientists believe this vitamin is effective because it works on the enzyme systems that relate to the sweat glands and so can help trigger those that are not functioning properly back into working order. Vitamin C also supports the immune system which, when strong, can prevent a general fatigue.