High temperatures and humidity cause skin infections.

High temperatures and humidity cause skin infections.123RF

skin infections increase significantly during summer. Their frequency is directly related to high temperatures, which leads to an increase humidity, which, in turn, contributes to the existence further bacteria. For example, infections caused by the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, the main reason impetigo (scabs or sores that appear on the limbs, face, and especially the mouth)), increase children from 3.36% to 5.5% in the hottest months.

“In the summer there are various factors – increased sweating, sun exposure, active outdoor recreation, insect bites, high humidity, swimming in pools, on beaches or lakes – which can cause an increase in skin infections,” says a dermatologist from the clinic. Hospital Val d’Hebron Maria Ubals. Skin infections, which will be described in detail below, are associated with “type of climate” of the Mediterranean.

Excessive sweating or wet clothing can cause skin infections.

Ubals divides them into three groups: viral, bacterial and fungal. Viruses, like herpes or simplex, They are activated by the sun and are therefore “very common with increased sun exposure.” Also appear shellfish (a type of acne caused by a “poxvirus” often found on the limbs and arms) and warts (produced by the papilloma virus) on the skin, especially in children. “As we wear less clothing and have more skin-to-skin contact, more cases of these infections occur,” says this dermatologist.

Humidity allows bacteria and fungi to move freely.

For bacterial infections, He impetigo This is one of the most common. Caused by the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes and consists of scabs or ulcers which are generated in limbs, face and mouth. “It’s more common in children,” Ubals says. In the summer, outdoor activities (combined with heat and swimming) can cause wounds to become “overly infected.” Something similar happens with pieces mosquitoes or fleas.

“You need to dry off well. You don’t sweat, but you don’t have to wear wet clothes.”

Anna Lopez. Dermatologist at Sant Pau Hospital

Other bacterial infection folliculitis, a common skin disease that occurs when The hair follicles (the part of the skin where hair grows) become clogged and inflamed. “They are similar to pustules, which occur especially in the summer because we sweat more and wear tight clothes that make it difficult to breathe,” adds Ubals, who also focuses on bacterial infections that can become “serious”: infectious cellulitis. “This is an infection of the deep tissues of the skin that is very painful and can be serious. It usually starts through a small wound or fungal infection, such as a athlete’s foot. Through the entrance, the skin becomes infected. the deepest dermis,” he says. Rapid administration of oral antibiotics is required.

For fungal infection, highlight ringworm, athlete’s foot or candidiasis, which enhance their clinical manifestations in hot and humid environments.

Children and adults

Anna Lopez, dermatologist Hospital Santa Creu and Sant Pau (Barcelona), notes that skin infections occur humidity favors, where bacteria and fungi roam freely. “The most common occurrence in children is impetigo. And in adults candidiasis”, Explain. In children, he says, this happens impetigo “due to improper drying, scratching and transmission of infection from one side to the other.” “Need to dry well, above all. You can’t help but sweat, but you can wear wet clothes” says Lopez.

For example, very often foot fungus. Popular fungal infection “athlete’s foot” is not more than “ringworm of the feet.” “It’s something,” Lopez continues, “that’s present all year round, but more often in the summer.” The dermatologist also notes that in obese people Candida is often found in the folds of the skin. “In the summer, sweat increases, and overweight people come to you very often about this. We give them drying powders so that the sweat doesn’t build up and the bacteria and fungi don’t multiply more than necessary,” he says. These types of skin infections, which are usually “superficial,” are usually treated with an antibacterial ointment or antibiotic.

Lopez also focuses on another skin fungus that usually appears when the temperature rises: lichen (or ringworm) variegated. “It’s a fungus that we all have on our skin. These are white spots on the skin, especially in young people, that appear when it is hot and we sweat. They appear only in summer and appear on the back, chest and shoulders. and they don’t get infected,” he says.

mosquito bites

Like Ubals, Lopez points out that another summer classic is “bug bites.” “Very often people go to the doctor about mosquito bites. There are people who They have a strong reaction before blisters, and that can be scary. sometimes they have up to 50 bites at a time and they come for you to tell them creams and confirm the diagnosis,” says the dermatologist from Sant Pau.

To avoid these infections, Dr. Ubials recommends following good personal hygiene and above all, Change clothes quickly as soon as they become damp. “If you get hurt, try clean them as soon as possible, cover them to so that they don’t get superinfected and avoid swimming in pools and lakes until they have healed. And those who have warts or molluscs, who have do not share towels and personal items” concludes.