Caring For Your Daughter’s Hygiene
Dear Readers,
As some of you may have noticed, pharmaceutical giants spend large sums of money to market their products. Many of us automatically associate “health” and “cleanliness” with certain brands such as Johnson & Johnson. And as you walk down the aisle to purchase diapers, more often than not, you will see an array of baby wipes with many catchy labels, such as “natural” or “Sensitive” .
It turns out however, that many of the common household products could actually harm our skin. That distinct scent of the Johnson and Johnson shampoo doesn't just smell “delicious”, it also dries and irritates the skin of millions of babies every winter. And the so called “sensitive” wipes, often cause irritation and bleeding diaper rashes.
Today, I would like to discuss measures you could take to prevent young girls from developing dysuria burning on urination. In pediatrics, the most common cause of dysuria is not urinary tract infection but simply overdried and irritated skin.
Preadolescent girls lack the proper hormones that normally lubricate. As responsible parents, we should be careful to avoid over drying their “privates”. So please use these tips to make your girls urinations less painful:
Soaping Never use soap in the “private” area while bathing. To keep the area clean, you could dab it with bathwater. Even the gentlest soaps dry out the skin, especially in the sensitive areas.
Bathing When taking baths, shampoo your child’s head and soap the body at the end of the bath so the soap doesn’t irritate their skin. “Sitz baths” (letting your daughter sit for 10 minutes in warm water)are helpful in decreasing the pain, but minimize the soap in the bath.
Hydration Make sure that your child is well hydrated. If she doesn’t drink enough fluids, her urine is going to be super concentrated cause more burning and irritation.
Antibiotics The use of oral antibiotics may cause irritation – this is because antibiotics kill all the good bacteria in the area, and allow for more fungus to grow. Probiotics may help restore the normal bacterial flora (composition) in the area and decrease the growth of fungus. Having a yogurt with probiotics daily may help prevent these uncomfortable rashes.
Witch Hazel – dab a cotton ball with witch hazel and apply to her itchy area when she complains of painful urination or burning. You can purchase Witch Hazel over the counter, no prescription is necessary.
Antifungal creams can also be helpful in preventing the itch associated with painful urination. These creams can be purchased over the counter i.e lotrimin cream, or prescribed by your physician.
Educate teach your girls to wipe from “front to back”. This is a simple but very important habit that will prevent discomfort and possible urinary tract infections.
Start with the right habits early right when you have a baby, minimize the use of wipes in the sensitive areas. Baby girls often have normal discharge and should not be overwiped zealously by her parents. I like to encourage the use of warm water from the faucet rather than commercial wipes, right from the first newborn visit.
Lastly, if you tried these tips and your daughter still complains of pain or if she has fever, please call in to make an appointment with your doctor. Some girls may suffer from Urinary Tract Infections that could produce painful urination, lower abdominal pains and fevers.
Wishing you the best of health,
David Elazar Simai M.D.