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Milk of Magnesia Eases Heat Rash

Our readers have had a lot of success using milk of magnesia topically to treat everything from heat rash to acne. Find out how.

One particular misery of hot summer days is heat rash. Warm muggy weather tends to make people sweat; if sweat glands get blocked, the result is an itchy, prickly red rash. What can you do to ease heat rash?

Milk of Magnesia for Heat Rash:

Q. I am in my late seventies, and my breasts are very large. In hot weather I used to have a serious problem with heat rash. Various creams and lotions didn’t help much. Then I tried milk of magnesia, and that took care of the problem.

As soon as I dry off after my shower, I rub milk of magnesia into my skin. No more heat rash.

A. Thank you for sharing your solution to this common complaint. Many women have found that “bra itch” is just as troublesome for them as jock itch can be for men.

One reader told us his story about using MoM:

“I am a man who has used MoM (milk of magnesia) to quickly and effectively treat both underarm rash and a rash in the genital area. The doctor recommended treating them with standard anti-fungal treatments, to no avail. I saw this and tried it and now swear by it. What a relief!”

Milk of magnesia (magnesium hydroxide) has drying properties when used on the skin. People report success using it for underarm odor, seborrheic dermatitis and acne.

Here is what one reader reports about using it for heat rash:

“I used MOM on a terrible heat rash in the private area between legs and body and even on privates, and it cleared it up in a very few days. It amazed me after using all types of medications such as calamine lotion, Solarcaine, and medicated powders, that this simple remedy would work so quickly in relieving terrible pain and itch.”

Others have found MoM useful on poison ivy, rosacea or eczema:

“Milk of Magnesia is FANTASTIC for rosacea, and it does a pretty good job on eczema. I use a cotton pad and dab it on affected areas morning and night. Let it dry, then apply whatever lotion or moisturizer you normally use. The moisturizer/lotion will make the white residue from the MoM disappear. Also, people with rosacea should not use foaming cleansers or toners with alcohol. They are too harsh chemically. Use cream cleansers instead. (I don’t use toners at all.)”

You can learn more about milk of magnesia for topical use here.

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About the Author
Joe Graedon is a pharmacologist who has dedicated his career to making drug information understandable to consumers. His best-selling book, The People’s Pharmacy, was published in 1976 and led to a syndicated newspaper column, syndicated public radio show and web site. In 2006, Long Island University awarded him an honorary doctorate as “one of the country's leading drug experts for the consumer.”.
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