Why Summer Contributes to Skin Irritation

Summer is often thought of as the time to wear attire made with lighter fabrics and shorter leg lengths as you enjoy the glorious weather. It is also when our no-insurance clinics often see people with skin-related issues. Last month we discussed your body's reaction to the sun, but extremities can cause severe skin damage or other skin-related issues to flare up.

Here at Phoenix Family Medical Clinic, where all of our locations accept walk-ins, we often see people with sun burns, skin rashes and inflamed eczema. All of these skin conditions are from when the skin's surface is irritated from a number of causes. Please see below if your skin is exhibiting symptoms caused by one of the above conditions.

Sun Burns

A sun burn is where skin becomes reddened, painful to the touch and often starts to peel. Typical treatments for sun burns should include a topical ointment, aloe vera, and a bandage dressing to cover the affected area during the blistering phase. Some sun burns are severe and equivalent to second- or third-degree burns. This is very damaging to the skin layers, and recent studies have linked sun burns at younger ages to potentially leading to skin cancer in later years^[1]. The skin is an organ with many layers to enable quick healing in most people. When a sunburn starts forming on your skin, a UCLA-San Diego study^[2] reveals how it is your skin cells dying and the process in which the body heals itself.

Skin Rash

Skin rashes can be highly common during the summertime, especially when Southwestern states suffer from such high heats, and when other areas have such a high humidity. The skin friction common with these climates can cause skin rashes, which is where the area becomes tender, red and raw to the touch. Skin rashes can also be caused by sun exposure, air irritants combined with sweat and heat and even ingested allergies. Skin rashes are usually alleviated with a topical steroidal cream. However, if it is allergy-related, it is likely we will refer you to our allergy testing.

Eczema

Allergies are a major component that contributes to eczema. These are very itchy, dry skin patches, where the skin itself seemingly does not heal properly. This skin condition can occur anywhere on your body and is typically treated with a topical steroidal cream.

If you think you have an unexplained skin condition that you would like treated by our clinic professionals, come see us at our Phoenix, Tempe or Surprise clinics! We are open Monday through Saturday with varying hours. Click here to view our locations and hours information.

^[1]Chan, Amanda L. "Getting Really Bad Sunburns as A Teen Could Raise Skin Cancer Risk." 29 May, 2014. HuffPost Healthy Living. Retrieved June 6, 2014 from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/29/sunburn-skin-cancer_n_5405707.html?utm_hp_ref=healthy-living.

^[2]University of California, San Diego Health Sciences. "What Happens When We Sunburn: Red is RNA Damage to Skin Cells." ScienceDaily.com. 8 July 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2014 from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120708162244.htm.

• Prev
• Next