Top 10 common skin conditions during summer and prevention methods

Skin darkening is the condition where skin cells produce excess melanin pigment in certain areas of the skin, resulting in patches or spots that appear darker than the surrounding skin. Darkened skin areas often exhibit dryness, roughness, lack of vitality, and accelerated aging. During summer, intense UV radiation and harsh sunlight can cause damage to women's skin.

To prevent skin darkening, women should take precautions when going outdoors. Especially in hot sunny weather, it's essential to shield the skin from sunlight exposure using measures such as wearing sunscreen, sunglasses, sun-protective clothing, and hats...

Fungal infection is a common skin condition caused by fungi. It often occurs in people who engage in sports due to excessive sweating and individuals working in hot and humid environments. When infected, patients typically experience mild itching (almost 100%) especially when sweating; feeling of skin irritation. Cases with reduced pigmentation (white color) are predominant. Additionally, the skin may become darker. The longer the duration of the disease, the more difficult it is to treat. The recurrence rate after one year is also quite high (20%). Fungal infection manifests as fine scales on the surface of the patient's skin. Common affected areas include the neck, chest, face, back, and thighs...

To effectively prevent the disease, it's necessary to maintain regular hygiene, keep the skin clean, and avoid wearing tight or damp clothing. Since this is an infectious disease, it's important not to share personal items, bedding, clothing, towels... with others, especially with patients.

Skin has numerous small pores containing hair follicles and sebaceous glands. Sebaceous glands secrete oil, also known as sebum, which plays a role in moisturizing the outer layer of the skin. When sebum and dead skin cells accumulate in hair follicles, they form plugs that can become whiteheads or blackheads. If trapped in hair follicles, bacteria will multiply, leading to redness, inflammation, and the formation of pus-filled pimples - known as whiteheads. Although whiteheads are commonly seen in adolescents, anyone can develop them on the face, shoulders, back, buttocks, and chest. Generally, whiteheads appear in areas with the most active sebaceous glands.

To prevent whiteheads in summer, it's important to cleanse the face thoroughly. After returning home from outside, it's advisable to wash the face with suitable facial cleanser. Avoid squeezing pimples with fingers as it can promote bacterial growth. Additionally, limit consumption of spicy foods, stimulants, and excessive late-night snacks.

Chickenpox is an infectious disease caused by the Varicella Zoster virus. This is a highly contagious disease. It can occur in both children (more common) and adults. Spring, with its humid weather, is the peak time for chickenpox outbreaks. The distinctive feature of chickenpox is blistering rashes all over the body, even on the mucous membranes of the tongue and mouth. The first symptoms of the disease include extreme fatigue, headache, high fever, and pink blister-like eruptions on the body with fluid inside. These blister-like eruptions will cause itching all over the body, absolutely avoiding scratching to prevent scarring.

To avoid contracting the disease, it's crucial to minimize contact with patients. Additionally, for proactive disease prevention, vaccination is necessary. For those who have had chickenpox, vaccination is no longer required as they already have antibodies that provide lifelong protection.

Scabies is a contagious skin disease caused by the Sarcoptes scabiei hominis mite. Symptoms of this disease include persistent itching, especially at night. The disease often occurs in densely populated areas, overcrowded housing, and poor hygiene conditions. It spreads from person to person through direct contact or via clothing, bedding contaminated with scabies eggs or mites. Although scabies does not cause serious health consequences, if not treated properly, it can lead to complications such as infection, eczematization, and acute glomerulonephritis.

To prevent the disease, personal hygiene and cleanliness of bedding, blankets, and personal items should be emphasized daily. When detecting the disease, isolation is necessary to prevent transmission to others, absolutely avoid sharing personal items with the patient.

Impetigo is a common superficial bacterial infection of the skin. The disease is characterized by pustules, blisters, and crusted honey-colored lesions. The term impetiginization is used to refer to the secondary superficial infection of a wound or a certain skin condition. When the lesion becomes a deep ulcer, it is called ecthyma. Impetigo is a common condition in children aged 2 to 6 years old, and it often occurs in summer. The most obvious symptom of the disease is the appearance of pustules on the child's body, causing pain and itching, then rupturing, oozing fluid for a few days, and crusting, usually appearing on the face, especially around the nose and mouth. The disease is highly contagious and is often caused by bacteria.

To prevent impetigo in children, maintaining cleanliness is the top priority. Parents should remember to change their child's clothes daily, regularly trim their nails. Furthermore, avoid humid places as they harbor many disease-causing bacteria. Moreover, children should be encouraged to drink plenty of water and consume more green vegetables to boost immunity and effective immune system.

During hot weather, activities, work, and studying make you sweat a lot, leading to sweat gland inflammation. Sweat gland inflammation usually occurs deep in the skin around the oil glands and hair follicles. Pustular hidradenitis is a chronic disease that causes pus accumulation and leaves wounds on the skin. The appearance of blackheads and fluid-filled nodules is the first sign of the disease. As the condition worsens, these nodules will develop and discharge pus. The initial symptoms of the disease are pain and tenderness in the inflamed and adjacent area, and when it becomes more severe, it causes severe inflammation and pus formation.

The fastest treatment is to bring the patient to see a doctor for timely advice and treatment to avoid affecting health. At the same time, always keep your body clean and wear breathable clothing to reduce sweat on the body.

According to the Preventive Health Department, Ministry of Health, Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease is an acute infectious disease caused by viruses belonging to the Enterovirus group. The disease spreads from person to person through direct contact with the patient or indirectly through contaminated objects, items contaminated with virus secretions from the patient's nose, throat, or ruptured blisters. The disease usually presents with fever, sore throat, mouth ulcers, tongue ulcers, and water blisters on the palms, soles, knees, and buttocks. This disease mainly affects children under 10 years old, especially those under 5 years old. Pregnant women should take precautions against the disease and avoid close contact with infected individuals as there is a risk of infection and transmission of the virus to the baby during or shortly before birth.

It is worth noting that a person can contract Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease multiple times. Since each infection only produces antibodies against a specific type of virus. Currently, there is no specific treatment for Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. Patients should drink plenty of water and may use medication to treat symptoms such as reducing fever or pain relief for ulcers.

During the summer, contact dermatitis due to insect bites or allergic dermatitis caused by insect stings is common. When experiencing contact dermatitis from insects, the skin often becomes red, itchy, and may develop some small water blisters or pus-filled pimples in the affected area. Treatment for contact dermatitis from insects often involves using corticosteroid creams combined with antibiotics such as Fucidin H, flucicort. When bitten by insects, the skin becomes red, swollen, and itchy. Treatment involves using mild to moderate corticosteroid creams such as hydrocortisone, betamethasone.

In addition to the aforementioned forms of dermatitis, plant-induced allergic dermatitis-photodermatitis is also encountered. It is caused by exposure to certain plant species followed by sunlight exposure, leading to a skin reaction. The initial symptoms may include slight redness and itching after contact with plants, followed by darkening and darkening of the skin. Treatment in the early stages typically involves soothing, cooling, and mild corticosteroid creams, followed by sunscreen.

Scarlet Fever affects a small number of patients with sore throat or streptococcal skin infection. Bacteria typically spread through the cough or sneeze of the infected person. The disease can also be spread when a person touches an object with bacteria on it and then touches their mouth or nose. The prominent rash is caused by the erythrogenic toxin produced by certain types of bacteria. Diagnosis of this disease is usually confirmed by throat bacterial sampling.

Children with scarlet fever typically have mild fever, discomfort, and develop red patches from 1-4 days on the face then spreading down to the arms, torso, and legs. The duration of illness is from 5-14 days. Treatment for scarlet fever only requires rest, adequate hydration, and pain relievers (if the child has a fever, do not use aspirin, do not use aspirin for children under 16). If the mother is pregnant during the child's scarlet fever, she should see a doctor.