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Spring Trouble

Sources: Papers On Health

Many persons are distressed by some form of eruption

or inflammation in the skin in spring. The change of atmosphere and

temperature at this time greatly increases the demands made upon the

skin as an organ of perspiration, and this strain it is in many cases

unable to stand--hence the trouble referred to. To prevent this, the

skin must be brought into a better state of health and fitness for any

extra work, so that it
can bear without injury even very great changes

of air and temperature. This may be done by regular application of soap

lather (see Lather and Soap) to the entire skin each evening for

three or four days, and then twice a week through all the season. Good

olive oil may be rubbed on before and after the lather, or even mixed

with it in rubbing on; if the cooling effect is found too great, two or

three thick coats of lather should be put on, and then gently wiped

off, and the oil applied. This, continued during the later winter and

spring, should entirely prevent eruptions. But if these do appear, or

have already come on, the irritation is apt to be so great that only

very fine and carefully made lather can be used. It is better then to

use buttermilk instead of lather. But the BUTTERMILK (see) must be

new, and if necessary weakened by addition of sweet milk; if old and

strongly acid buttermilk be used, harm may be done. Do not rub the

milk on: soak it into the parts by gentle dabbing with a pad of

soft cloth. This done frequently, even twice or three times a day, will

almost always effect a cure.



It should be remembered that no amount of washing or bathing will do in

this state of the skin. Water somehow, especially hard water, fails to

produce this fine state of the surface. When spring trouble has set in,

we would keep water entirely from the skin. Nothing does so well as

good buttermilk. In some forms of spring eruption, a strong mixture of

salt and water may be freely applied with great advantage. If this

irritates, it should at once be discontinued, but in many cases the

eruption will disappear under a few applications. The salt solution

should be gently rubbed on, and left to dry on the skin (see Skin,

Care of; Underwear).



With the increasing warm weather the body ceases to require as much

food as in the cold days. Heavy stimulating food in warm weather will

certainly cause an unhealthy skin.



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