Holi colours may harm skin and hair, say experts

KOLKATA: It's the week of celebrations in India. Even as we gear up to join the festivities, colours may take toll on our skin and hair, say experts. They urge us to re-think our plans to celebrate the festival this Thursday.

The amount of colour and water one ends up playing with on Holi can have a serious toll on the skin unless you are well prepared in advance. So, take adequate precautions, says Madhumita Bhattacharya, consultant, department of

dermatology

, CK Birla Hospitals-CMRI. “Rub ice cubes on your face before you have a splash. Doing this helps close pores on your skin and ensures colours don’t seep into your skin and cause breakage. You may also apply oil on your face. For those who have dry or normal skin, one should apply oil on their face and body. Oil will act as a barrier between your skin and colours while keeping your skin moisturised all along. You can opt for coconut oil,

castor oil

and olive oil. Also, you should not forget to moisturise to ear lobes and neck. Also, use a waterproof

sunscreen

to protect your skin from sun damage,” said Bhattacharya.


Aritra Sarkar, Consultant Dermatologist, Medica Superspeciality Hospital, Kolkata pointed out that use of cheap artificial colours prepared with chemical solvents and toxic agents like lead oxide, mercury sulphite and copper sulphate can cause minor to severe damage to your skin, eyes, lungs, liver and kidneys.

“While most of us like the idea of heading out to play Holi with colours, it comes with its own set of issues like dry and frizzy hair, pimples and breakouts. The dry ‘gulal or abir’ and the wet colours of today are not derived from natural sources. They contain chemicals, shiny particles of mica and even lead, which not only irritates the skin, but collects on the scalp and gets deposited in the nails too.

There are toxic chemicals like lead, copper sulphate, aluminium bromide, zinc, asbestos and mercury (to name a few) that are used to manufacture coloured powders are extremely harmful. They can lead to temporary blindness, asthma, renal problems and in the case of mercury sulphite (used to make the red colour) it even causes skin cancer. There are possible chances of attracting allergic contact dermatitis over skin and allergic reaction to eye due to presence of these harmful chemicals. There may be red bumpy itchy skin rashes on and around exposed area.

Sarkar says that it is necessary to wipe off the colours with moist cotton wool. “We must avoid washing face with soap immediately because soap has alkaline content and causes further dryness. Instead, we must use a cleansing cream or lotion, apply and massage it on the face before stepping out to play. Girls must tie their hair in a bun and also cover it with bandana or caps. Pregnant women and small children must avoid playing with colours. Vigorous activities and harmful colours might be harmful to the baby in the womb, and could even lead to premature delivery, miscarriage or birth defects,” said Sarkar.

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