Category Kids Queries

Your sweaty gym sock is like a five-star spa for fungus, which squeezes under your toenails and causes a burning itch. Between your toes, bacteria combine with lint to create a smelly, cheezy, absolutely sickening substance called toe jam.

Some skin conditions (such as eczema, dyshidrosis and psoriasis) may result in flaking dry skin that may land between the toes and ball-up due to sweat. If you have skin problems on other parts of your body, then it is possible that it can manifest in the foot, as well, though diagnosis may be elusive and biopsies may be necessary. A variety of skin conditions may be managed with topical steroids. A word of caution: You should not place steroids on an infection, as it may cause a worse infection, so its important to have a proper diagnosis.

Fungus and bacteria propagate in areas that are moist, warm, dark and enclosed — making the area between the toes an optimal home. Bacteria and fungus may simply reside here as innocent bystanders in the mix of toe jam, or they can cause an infection.

Picture Credit : Google

Skin cells are formed continuously on the scalp, so the shedding of dead skin cells is a normal process. Sometimes with dandruff, however, skin cells are shed at a faster rate than normal. Oil from the scalp causes the skin cells to clump together and appear as white flakes.

Dandruff can be caused by a number of things, including dry skin; sensitivity to hair products; and skin conditions such as seborrheic dermatitis or eczema.

The overgrowth of a yeast-like fungus can also cause dandruff. This overgrowth can be caused by stress, hormones, too much oil on the scalp, or problems with the immune system.

Picture Credit : Google

The instant you suffer a scrape, cells in your blood rush to the wound and seal it. Eventually, this clot dries and hardens into a crusty protective scab. Resist the urge to pick it.

If you look at a scab, it probably just looks like a hard, reddish glob. But under its surface, all kinds of things are going on. New skin cells are being made to help repair the torn skin. Damaged blood vessels are being fixed.

White blood cells, the kind that fight infection to keep you from getting sick, go to work by attacking any germs that may have gotten into the cut. White blood cells also get rid of any dead blood and skin cells that may still be hanging around the cut. By the time it’s all done, a new layer of skin will have been made.

Eventually, a scab falls off and reveals new skin underneath. This usually happens by itself after a week or two. Even though it may be tough not to pick at a scab, try to leave it alone. If you pick or pull at the scab, you can undo the repair and rip your skin again, which means it’ll probably take longer to heal. You may even get a scar.

Picture Credit : Google

If you don’t brush and floss teeth daily, food particles can remain in your mouth, promoting bacterial growth between teeth, around the gums, and on the tongue. This causes bad breath. Antibacterial mouth rinses also can help reduce bacteria.

In addition, odor-causing bacteria and food particles can cause bad breath if dentures are not properly cleaned.

Smoking or chewing tobacco-based products also can cause bad breath, stain teeth, reduce your ability to taste foods, and irritate your gums.

Picture Credit : Google

Sweat doesn’t smell like anything until it’s tainted by microorganisms living on your body. Your sweatier parts – your armpits and feet – offer a banquet for bacteria, which produce stinky micro-poop. Hence, B.O. – pee-yew!

Body odour mainly originates from the apocrine glands  in the armpits, which release a thick, oily sweat rich in proteins and lipids which bacteria on the skin feed on.

Body odour occurs during exercise and when we feel strong emotions, because these are the triggers for the apocrine gland to secrete sweat. The warm, damp conditions of the armpit are also a perfect environment for bacteria to thrive in and create smelly odours.

Body odour begins during puberty. This is because the apocrine glands, which are involved in causing body odour, begin to function from puberty. As we age, our apocrine glands slow down in function, which means that elderly people tend to have less body odour.

Picture Credit : Google

Your body works best when its temperature is about 98.6ºF (37ºC). When your body gets hotter than that, your brain doesn’t like it — it wants your body to stay cool and comfortable. So the part of your brain that controls temperature, called the hypothalamus, sends a message to your body, telling it to sweat.

Then special glands in your skin called — what else? — Sweat glands start making sweat. Sweat is also known as perspiration, and it is made almost completely of water, with tiny amounts of other chemicals like ammonia, urea, salts, and sugar. (Ammonia and urea are left over when your body breaks down protein.)

The sweat leaves your skin through tiny holes called pores. When the sweat hits the air, the air makes it evaporate (this means it turns from a liquid to a vapor). As the sweat evaporates off your skin, you cool down.

Sweat is a great cooling system, but if you’re sweating a lot on a hot day or after playing hard you could be losing too much water through your skin. Then you need to put liquid back in your body by drinking plenty of water so you won’t get dehydrated.

Picture Credit : Google