Pure Aloe Vera gel direct from the plant is the best if you can get it (lucky people) however, the gel in tubes is a good alternative for those in UK who can't .
Laguna

Not sure if its been mentioned before but Eurax cream is good to stop the itching, especially at night.

Well I took advice from on here and started taking antihistimine (sp?) tablets two weeks before I went - one a day - the advice did say longer I think but I didnt read it in time, and one every day I was there and hey presto not one little spot of Prickly heat and I usually suffer pretty badly. Also I was in Cyprus and it was very hot to say the least so I would definately recommend this, I will definately do it each time I go away.

I have been taking all the precautions that have been suggested on this thread but they havent workwed. My wife reckons its just sweat rash, could it be and do aqny of you have any advice for this?

Cheers

Well, yes, Mcfester because true Prickly Heat (as opposed to photosensitivity) is just another name for a sweat rash. Prickly Heat, those annoying little red bumps, is what happens when your sweat glands get blocked. They, therefore, tend to appear in the creases and folds of your body (the back of my knees was a susceptible spot for me as a child!) or where your clothing is tight eg around your waist. I always understood that this was one of the resaons that Commandos went 'commando'!

Wearing loose shift dresses rather than skirts and trousers is my solution but I guess unless you are prepared to do a Beckham and wear a sarong then this I guess this is not going to work for you :-) But seriously wearing light, loose cotton or other natural fibre clothing will help. Leave the easy care stuff behind and especially anything made of polyester unless it's specialist sports stuff that clearly states that it's made of a fibre that will 'wick' moisture away from your skin. So that rules out most football replica shirts for example and an awful lot of mens swim shorts etc so change out of the latter as soon as you leave the water.

It's no coincidence that traditional male dress in hot climates often consists of very loose, baggy trousers and long, loose, oversized shirts. The worst case of PH I have ever seen was a man staying at the same hotel as me in The Gambia. The hotel staff and his wife persuaded him that he should buy a traditional African outfit of loose, wide cotton trousers with a draw string rather than an elasticated, waist and a long loose caftan style top - though I dodn't know if he took their advice to also leave off his underpants! Within a short time the symptoms subsided, especially since it offered him protection form the sun too. Of course he could get away with it as we were in Africa and you might feel a bit self conscious wandering around the Costas dressed like that but a loose linen shirt and loose drawstring trousers wouldn't look out of place.

Another solution though is to wear a good anti-perspirant where you've experienced any chafing or rash in the past - assuming that it's not been all over! It won't stop you sweating as such - it just ends up coming out elsewhere but it does enable you reduce the sweating at the regular trouble spots. You'll probably find that frequent showering and using an exfoliating shower wash and sponge or loofah will help too - it will keep sloughing off any dead/dry skin and help stop your pores and sweat glands etc getting blocked too.

SM

Thanks SM for this great advice, I will look on ebay for a sarong now

Mcfester, I'm sure you'll cut a dash in it - David Beckham had better watch :-)

After suffering all my adult life with this dreaded rash a few years ago i did a search on my computer and discovered an american website that was soleley about prickley heat and what to do what worked for some and what didnt.Anyway to cut along story short the name Rona Ross prickley heat skincare range kept cropping up.It was only available in greece.I managed to buy some about 3yrs ago in cyprus and i can tell u its a godsend.Well ive found a place in cheshire what sells the whole range on the web.www.sunskincare.com.Suntan lotion.shower gel.best of all the rona ross prickley heat lotion that soothes the rash and stops the itching.I never go on holiday without it.good service too next day delivery.I hope this is of some help.

it looks a good website semp, but as i go wed this week, its too late for me to get any, but i shall order some for next year.

hi k&r ,iI dont know about it bieng too late to order,i ordered some last monday and i got it the very next day.I did phone my order threw and paid by credit card ,it would be worth phoning and asking its realy good stuff and ive had many a holiday ruined by constant scratching.I manage a tanning shop and you would be surprised just how many people suffer from prickley heat,i always recommend this range of products and have had some excellent feedback from customers in fact one lady was so chuffed at the results she bought me a bottle of bacardi.

It seems the thought about the cause of prickly heat is blocked sweat glands. However, I did hear once, that it has something to do with the blood getting too hot. I had never suffered from prickly heat until I had a hysterectomy 12 years ago. Consequently, I take HRT. So it would appear that oestrogen levels in the blood do play a part in this.
I have tried every antihistamine product, and every lotion and potion - none of which work, with the exception of one particular gel that I bought in Turkey, but unfortunately, cannot remember the name of.
If anybody has some miracle cure - please let me know!

Hi Lynn,

Prickly Heat is the result of blocked sweat glands and is not oestrogen related but higher levels of oestrogen can make skin photosensitive and cause a red lumpy rash that looks very similar to Prickly Heat and is as itchy but the two conditions are different. It's easy to get them confused but it's important to check which one you have in order to get the treatment right.

SM

I'm sorry to correct you SM, but prickly heat rash can be related to oestrogen and this is why peri-menopausal and menopausal women have hot flushes and prolific episodes of sweating.

The fall in oestrogen levels, whilst no one can conclusively state why, make the automatic nervous system function erratically, and this opens up the sweat glands to "cool" the blood and body.
Hence, if you are sweating twice as much as you ever did before the menopause, then you can suffer with sweat trapped under the skin, because the system just cannot cope and this can result in prickly heat.

While I'm at it .there is a difference between prickly heat rash and sweat rash
Prickle heat rash is, as has been stated, a result of trapped sweat and can appear as white/red fluid trapped itchy lumps and bumps .
However, sweat rash, whilst in principle is the same thing, it manifests itself in bright red sore patches, when two folds of skin come in contact with each other, EG, under the breasts, under the armpits and especially in the groin area, where you not only have two folds of skin in contact with each other, but you are also applying friction when walking.
This not only itches but is also extremely painful, sore and "stings" when lotions and potions are applied.
Separating the two folds of skin with a clean dressing or handkerchief/tissue and "mopping" the area dry at regular intervals, will help to relieve the discomfort and aid the healing process.

Finally, I would never endorse anyone to use anti-perspirant, the object is to allow all the sweat glands that are strategically placed on the body, to be freely open, and therefore be able to cope with the demand.
Blocking them up with anti-perspirants, many of which are aluminium based and work by making the sweat duct expand and therefore form a plug like structure....is not the best idea.
It doesn't make you sweat in other places, it overloads the system even more it's like building a dam, you will hold the water back, but in time the water will have to find somewhere else to escape, and the other already overstretched escape routes, may not be able to cope"¦and then you'll end up with a high body temperature
Remember that sweating is nature's way of cooling your body"¦it is your own personal thermostat and is there to stop the body overheating.

HTH
SanJi x

I'm sorry to correct you SM

No you aren't Sanji :-)

And I would still stand by my advice to Lynn that she needs to establish whether her rash is a case of Prickly Heat (whether related to her oestrogen levels or not but as she's on HRT surely she shouldn't be experiencing peri- or menopausal symptoms?) or photosensitivity as a result of higher oestrogen levels. Mine is certainly the latter and the only way of dealing with it is to control the level of exposure to the sun and especially UVA radiation. My doctor assures me that the only cure is to wait for the menopause to take effect or agree to that total hysterectomy now. She consoles me with the fact that I'm still a way off from the menopause and that the longer my ovaries keep pumping out the oestrogen at current levels it will help keep my complexion looking good for longer. So I've decided to settle for good skin and fewer wrinkles and no more than a golden glow instead of a deep tan. And I've got friends and family well trained about my need to be able to sit in the shade whilst they toast themselves to a cinder :-)

SM

No you aren't Sanji

Well ,what can I say SM.

I wasn't going to go down this road, but, first of all, yes, high oestrogen levels can help to trigger off an allergy to the sun, in fact many pregnant women find themselves photosensitive during the time they are in the gestation period, because of high oestrogen levels"¦"¦
Normally, when the oestrogen and progesterone levels are balanced back out after the birth, then the body naturally desensitises itself.

However, whilst oestrogen can cause photosensivity, drugs and chemicals also play an important part in triggering off an allergy, especially when mixed with sunshine.
If a woman has had an hysterectomy and both ovaries removed, then there is no oestrogen to cause photo sensitivity.......so unless the GP had put someone on a high dose of oestrogen in the form of HRT, (which I doubt very much because they usually work from the lowest dose to start with and adjust upwards, until the symptoms are tolerable) it has to be prickly heat/sweat rash. IMO...but, YES it is always best to get it checked out.

HRT patches are clearly written on the box, not to apply on part of the skin that is exposed to sunlight .and I can quite clearly state, that I have in the past, placed an HRT patch on my buttock and my bikini pants have risen up, thus exposing the patch to sunlight when sunbathing on holiday.
The result was a red, itchy patch of skin with welts appearing under the patch.

The important difference is"¦that exposure to the sun will cause the skin to react and this pattern of having the symptoms appear, will help in the diagnosis of an allergy.
The sun also aggravates prickly heat rash.
Sweat rash, does not need the sun to appear, I'm sweating profusely at this moment, and I am in a relatively hot bedroom, with no sun penetrating the room.
Sweat rash can quickly become infected, fungi spores love dark, moist, warm areas, especially for the women who wear no bra and gravity has drooped the breasts...these areas can soon turn from a relatively innocently looking prickly heat/sweat rash, into a smelly, very painful and sometimes bleeding area, if not treat.

With regards to HRT .it is not a magic fix for all women, there are numerous brands and methods of administration, each one will benefit one woman, and not necessarily the other.
The dosage that the GP deems "safe levels" of the synthetic hormone, may and may not eradicate all the symptoms, but after finding the one that suits you, it makes the symptoms tolerable and a mild inconvenience, as oppose to suffering the adverse effects, both physically and mentally without it.

We need sunshine for the body to make vitamin D and this helps the body absorb the calcium in our food this vitamin cannot be stored by the body, so some exposure to sunlight is essential.
I read recently, where children in this country from ethnic backgrounds, are being diagnosed as having rickets .due to lack of sunshine because of the religious dress.
I guess we have very much off topic, so...I`ll say no more.

Sanji x

Just a quick note about Rona Ross Prickly heat gel and lotion mentioned a few posts above. I haven't tried it yet but bought some from the site stated sunskincare.com and have to say, what excellent service. Placed my order on Sunday evening along with some sun tan spray and received it all first thing on Tuesday. One bottle of sun tan spray was missing so e-mailed the company and received it the very next day. Just thought I would mention it so that if anyone does need it in a hurry they will know that this company deliver fast.
Just hope it works too!!

hi all i also suffer with the dreaded prickly heat but a friend has said when she was abroad someone mentioned calcie vita she tried this and she never got prickly heat my sister in law is in turkey at the moment so i have asked her to bring some back as i am of to crete in august and the last thing i want is prickly heat sorry forgot to mention you can not get calcie vita in the uk

I suffered for may years until my doctor reccomended taking my hayfever anthistamine even though the pollen season was over and Betacarotene for a week or 2 before I went and daily whilst there touch wood I have not been troubled since. I also use the soltan sensitive sunscreen in the higher factors 25 then 15

i have suffered for years with this, but this year, not a bump!!!!!!!!!!!

took my hayfever before i went for 2 weeks, bourght some aloe vera sun cream from wellbeing, and got some steroids from the gp, just in case ( as suggested on here to try)

but not an itchy bump in sight, the aloe sun cream i think did it, as i have taken the hayfever stuff before.............have to say its the first time in 20 years that i didnt get it!