What Causes Skin Rashes?

Rash can be caused by a number of things, such as irritants from external sources, certain medications, or responses from the immune system. Most of the time, they are red, swollen, itchy, and annoying.

Moksha Dermatology and our expert dermatologists can identify and address and treat common skin rashes in a comprehensive way, helping patients get rid of irritation and itching and find healthy, glowing skin.

What is a Skin Rash?

A rash is when the color or feel of the skin changes. Dermatitis is the name for simple rashes, which means that the skin is red and swollen. Other common causes of rashes are eczema, psoriasis, impetigo, chicken pox, measles, scarlet fever, insect bites, and diseases like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.

Most of the time, a dermatologist can figure out what the rash is by looking at it and asking about other symptoms. Mild rashes are often easy to treat at home. For example, you can avoid soaps and take warm baths. Some people may need moisturizing creams, prescription drugs, or a longer treatment plan.

Rash can happen for many different reasons, some of which are not too bad and some of which are very bad. Since many rashes look the same, it can be hard to figure out what caused them.

Types of Skin Rashes We Treat

Allergic Rashes
Patients can also get allergic rashes from eating allergens, which is different from contact dermatitis. Some foods and medicines can cause hives or other rashes in people who are sensitive.

Bacterial or Viral Skin Conditions
Rash is often caused by other skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, impetigo, or pityriasis rosea. Each can be identified by its pattern, whether the rash is flat or has pustules, and where it shows up on the body, though sometimes it can be hard to tell them apart.

Contact Dermatitis
Something that hurts your skin is what causes contact dermatitis. In some cases, like with certain chemicals, the thing is irritating to everyone. In other cases, the irritation is caused by an allergen, like latex, perfume, dye, or animal dander, that only bothers people who are sensitive to it. Some people get rashes from things like poison ivy and bug bites.

Seborrheic Dermatitis
Red, flaky patches of skin are characteristic of seborrheic dermatitis. The outer ear, the eyebrows or eyelashes, the forehead, the sides of the nose, the chest, and the upper back can all be affected by the disease often known as dandruff or cradle cap, which is most commonly found on the face and scalp.

Stress Rashes
Some people, under specific conditions, may break out in hives due to stress alone, without any other obvious triggers.

Systemic Diseases
A skin rash is a common sign of internal illness. Illnesses that are typically associated with children include measles, mumps, rubella, and scarlet fever; shingles, which is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox; autoimmune illnesses including rheumatoid arthritis and lupus; and some sexually transmitted diseases like syphilis.

Rashes Caused by Sun Or Heat
Itchy red lumps or patches on the skin caused by a heat rash are prevalent in babies, but anybody can get one. Clogging of the skin’s sweat ducts causes this rash by preventing perspiration from occurring normally. A rash may appear after prolonged exposure to the sun or the UV radiation used in tanning salons. Despite its common name—”sun poisoning”—this rash is formally known as polymorphous light eruption (PMLE).

When It’s Time to See A Dermatologist for Skin Rashes

Rash is usually not a serious medical emergency. Hydrocortisone cream or antihistamines are common over-the-counter remedies. Nonetheless, medical attention is required at times. Get medical attention immediately if you experience any of these signs and symptoms:

• The rash appears all over your body.
• You have a fever in addition to the rash.
• Your rash appeared out of nowhere and suddenly.
• Your rash is blistering or painful.
• Your rash is infected.
• If you’ve been dealing with this rash for a while and it’s been making daily activities difficult.

The Difference Between Skin Rashes and Acne

Acne might be mistaken for other sorts of skin rashes by someone who hasn’t had much experience with diagnosing skin conditions. One must be able to distinguish between a simple breakout and something more dangerous, like heat rash. Whiteheads, blackheads, pimples, cysts, and nodules are all types of acne. Rashes on the skin, on the other hand, don’t have any of these features. Rashes may require treatment programs prescribed by expert dermatologists, whereas acne is often treated with at-home solutions and over-the-counter medications.

Skin Rash Biopsy in Cincinnati, Ohio

An in-office skin biopsy is a diagnostic option. Taking a little piece of the damaged skin and examining it under a microscope is what’s needed. A skin biopsy can be performed in a number of ways to identify the source of a rash, including by carefully shaving away the top layers of skin or by using a skin punch instrument to remove a sample of the deeper layers of skin.

You won’t feel a thing when the skin rash biopsy is performed thanks to the topical anesthetic. Little bleeding and discomfort are possible side effects. Please call our office with any questions you may have after your biopsy, and remember to follow all post-biopsy care recommendations carefully.

Rash Treatment in Cincinnati, Ohio

Treating the rash alone is insufficient when the rash is the result of a systemic problem. Antibiotics are used whenever doctors suspect a rash is due to a bacterial infection. Antiviral drugs may be used to treat a rash if the cause is determined to be viral. Antihistamines and, in extreme cases, corticosteroids are standard treatments for allergic rashes. Oftentimes, avoiding the irritant that was causing the rash is all that’s needed to get rid of it.

Antihistamines, calming lotions like Calamine, topical or oral corticosteroids, colloidal oatmeal baths, moisturizing creams, and cold compresses are all effective symptomatic treatments for itch-causing rashes. In addition to taking pain medicines, wearing loose, comfortable clothes and putting on a soft pillow may help.

Contact Moksha Dermatology for Your Skin Rash Treatment Appointment in Cincinnati, Ohio

Skin rashes are annoying because they itch and might make you feel bad about yourself. Moksha Dermatology, located conveniently in your area, has the expertise to assist you in dealing with this issue. If you have a rash that isn’t responding to over-the-counter treatments, contact Moksha Dermatology right away so we can effectively eliminate your skin rash.