PRINCE KUMAR
Ranchi, Mar 16: Holi is almost here. The festival of colours brings a lot of togetherness, enjoyment, fun, food and laughter with it. This is the time of the year when the houses and streets deck up in colours, people return from faraway cities to celebrate with their family, friends and near and dear ones and people indulge in lip-smacking food and drinks.
Holi will be celebrated on March 18 this year. A day before Holi, Holika Dahan is celebrated which brings with it a lot of mythological reference and significance. It is believed that on this day, Lord Vishnu saved his devotee Prahlad from the clasps of Prahlad’s father – the demon king Hiranyakashipu and his sister Holika – and defeated the evil. Hence, Holi denotes the triumph of good over evil.
In an exclusive interview with lagatar24.com, Dr Kumar Prateek, Consultant Dermatologist at Bhagwan Mahavir Medica Superspecialty Hospital gave tips to protect skin from colours and prevent allergies and other complications.
Telling about preparing oneself before the Holi celebration Dr Prateek said that one should moisturise the whole body and apply sunscreen to protect the body from colour. “Keeping the nails short, using nail polish, oiling the hair and wearing full sleeves will protect the skin from harmful effects of the colour and it will be easy to remove colour after Holi celebration.”
Sharing the tips for what to do after playing Holi, Dr Prateek said that immediate baths after playing Holi should be prevented. “Olive or coconut oil must be applied on the whole body and mild soap must be used for bathing. Mashed papaya and curd can be used to remove colours from different body parts, also lemon juice can be used to remove colours from hands, legs and nails.”
“Shampoo must be used to remove colours from the hair after which conditioner must also be applied for the better protection of the hairs,” Dr Prateek added.
Dr Prateek also suggested visiting a skin specialist in case of any reaction where rashes or blisters appear on the skin.