rashes

[lukeomahony]

i'm a pretty bad surfer, but last time i went i got some kind of rash or irritation on the back of my knees from where the wetsuit was rubbing it, is there anything i could put on them to prevent or heal it? preferably something you could buy anywhere as i'm in chile and there aren't many good shops. also, i've got cracks in my heels from where they've dried out, i went to the pharmacy for it and they tried to sell me a girls cream that cost a tenner, does anyone know of a cheaper way to sort it out?
thanks a lot,
luke

[smallwavegrovellerchick]

Usually surf rash heals on its own, but petroleum jelly can help to prevent chafing. Are the cracks in your feet caused by wearing booties? It's possible, although I can't say for sure, that you have a fungal infection on your feet aka athlete's foot. One clue could be a bad odor in your shoes or booties. Over the counter anti-fungal creams are available at most pharmacies, although not cheap. Fungal infections take a while to heal so need to keep applying cream for at least a week.

[Jonah_Fro]

i've got cracks in my heels from where they've dried out, i went to the pharmacy for it and they tried to sell me a girls cream that cost a tenner, does anyone know of a cheaper way to sort it out?
thanks a lot,
luke

Can't remember where I saw it, but apparently, rubbing the inside part of banana skins works on cracked heels.

[Sar]

does the irritation on the back of your knees happen every time? It happened to me once or twice but not all the time - I think perhaps I hadnt pulled the suit on properly and it bunched in the back of my knees causing the irritation. If it does happen all the time try petrolium jelly as already sugested and then something soothing like aloe vera afterwards.

With the cracked heals - rule out anything like atheletes foot (usually between the toes) and then get all the dead skin off with a pumice stone - or just soak and pull all the dead skin off - last bit not that recommended just an option. Moisturise daily, you dont need anything fancy just a regular emoliant/cocoa butter/coconut oil will do. Do it at night so the cream gets time to work its way in and (if you really want) put more oil (olive and fish oils) into your diet so the skin moisturises and heals itself better.