My eight-month-old son is getting fatter and fatter, with his little arms and legs looking like sections of a watermelon. While chubby babies are adorable, it's not easy for them in the summer. Even before summer arrives, chubby babies are prone to heat rash, especially in the joints. Due to their weight, the skin in those areas gets squeezed, making it difficult for air to circulate and causing the skin to become easily irritated and prone to developing rashes. Additionally, their foreheads and backs tend to sweat a lot during sleep, and if not properly cared for, they can develop heat rash as well.
So, I bought baby powder early on and after every bath, I would use a powder puff to apply the powder to my son's neck, armpits, and the folds of his legs, hoping that the dryness and lubrication of the baby powder would prevent him from getting heat rash. However, after a few consecutive days of hot weather, I woke up one night to find that my son's forehead and back were covered in small red bumps, and there were signs of irritation in his armpits and the folds of his arms.
I decided to take my son to the hospital after finishing our meal. But when I opened the refrigerator, I caught sight of a few fresh bitter melons I had just bought. In the summer, it's common to buy bitter melon to eat as it helps cool down the body. Bitter melon has a cooling nature and can help reduce internal heat. So, I wondered if it could be used externally as well. Could it have a cooling effect when applied to the skin? My son's heat rash had both internal and external causes, so I thought using bitter melon might help.
I took out a tender bitter melon, washed it, removed the seeds, and cut it into small pieces. Then, I mashed it into a paste using a garlic press and wrapped the bitter melon paste in gauze, squeezing it to extract the juice. I directly applied the bitter melon juice to the areas with heat rash, once in the morning and once in the evening. The next day, I noticed that the color of the heat rash had significantly faded. I continued applying the juice for the next few days, and the heat rash began to dry up. By the fourth day, the areas where the heat rash had been were completely healed. I used the same method to apply the bitter melon juice to my son's armpits and arm folds, and within a few days, the red and irritated areas had completely recovered. I couldn't believe that a small bitter melon could effectively treat my chubby baby's heat rash.
I shared the story of using bitter melon to treat heat rash with my colleagues, and they were all amazed. They tried it at home and were equally impressed with the results.
Later, I searched online and consulted books for more information and found that bitter melon has a bitter taste, is non-toxic, and has a cooling nature. It is known for its ability to clear heat, relieve summer heat, improve vision, detoxify, treat abscesses, and strengthen the body. Bitter melon can also moisturize and soothe the skin, especially in the hot and dry summer. Applying chilled bitter melon slices to the skin can provide immediate relief from skin irritation.
