At eight, Sia Domkundwar remembers scratching her scalp until it hurt.

A bacterial infection had left her with painful boils and clumps of hair falling out. There was no diagnosis for it. But for her family, it changed the way they thought about skincare.

Her mother became cautious about every product that touched her skin or hair. Shampoo labels were studied. Ingredients were questioned.

Nothing was casual anymore.

For Sia, that early discomfort became a lesson.

It taught her that healing is not only about medicine. Sometimes, it is also about what comes after: the choices people make every day to live comfortably in their own bodies.

Nearly a decade later, that understanding has led the 16-year-old Pune student to build something that may change recovery for many others.

It is called The Glow Guide: a 60-page, trauma-informed, survivor-led resource designed for burn and acid attack survivors trying to navigate everyday self-care after treatment ends.

What began as a mentored internship project has now become a practical guide already being shared with hospitals across India.

The Glow Guide does not prescribe or recommend medication.

It is designed as a recovery-stage, everyday-care guide for burn and acid attack survivors, to complement medical treatment rather than replace it.

The focus is on the practical questions that often come up after or alongside medical care, like skincare, clothing, hygiene, cosmetics, nutrition, hair and scalp care, nails and hands, and other aspects of daily life.

It brings together information across three broad categories: dermatologist-led and small-batch brands, relevant service providers, and NGOs and hospital programmes that may be useful to survivors.

The guide also has a trauma-therapy-informed component, so that the information is presented without placing pressure on survivors to “fix” their appearance or follow a prescribed timeline of recovery.

There is no commercial affiliation with the project. The guide is intended to remain a free, accessible resource rather than a commercial product directory. It is currently available in English.

A different kind of care

Sia was working through BuildUp, an internship programme that places students into real-world problem-solving, when she was introduced to the Chhanv Foundation.

The organisation has spent years supporting acid attack survivors, offering rehabilitation, community and long-term support.

For Sia, the connection opened a door into a world she had not fully understood.

She began speaking directly to survivors. She interviewed around eight survivors. At first, she expected conversations about surgeries, scars and pain.

But what she heard instead was somewhat harder to map.

Survivors spoke about sunlight. About clothes that hurt. About skin grafts that reacted unpredictably. About hair that no longer grew the same way.

About not knowing which creams were safe, what fabrics to wear, how https://thebetterindia.com/videos/health/he-lost-his-limbs-but-not-his-hope-nikhils-inspiring-journey-12206534to protect their skin, or whether makeup could trigger irritation.

The medical system, Sia realised, had done its job of saving........

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