Yena, ang batang bungang araw

I have been wanting to blog about yena’s bungang araw. She has them all over her body since last week. But before posting it, I searched for the English term first for the sake of the readers abroad who doesn’t know what bungang araw is.

So, bungang araw is prickly heat or rashes in English. Now I know. Thank you google!

Anyway, here’s some info I got from DOH about bungang araw, the causes, signs, preventions and treatments.

Prickly heat is a type of heat rash characterized by tiny bumps or even water blisters.

Causes:
• Brought about by clogging of sweat glands, resulting into tiny bumps.
• The forehead (under caps or visors), body folds, the upper back and chest, and the arms are the most common locations.
• Most common when it is hot and humid.

Signs:
• ‘Prickly’ sensation.
• The rash can look quite similar to one caused by infected hair follicles (folliculitis), there are no hair follicles in prickly heat bumps.

Prevention:
• Take a bath everyday.
• Limit exposure to the sun.
• Always dries up sweat from the skin.
• Wear light, loose clothing.

Treatment:
• Cleanse the skin gently.
• Apply corn starch or baking soda powder.
• If there is excessive itching or if the rash is infected, consult a physician.