Types of skin rashes

Skin – a shield

As we are all already aware of it, our skin is there to protect us from the various unwanted environmental influences and guard us from various microorganisms that pose a serious threat to our overall well-being. Once there appears a certain abnormality on our skin – such as the rash, this is a sign that our skin has been affected by some foreign “entity”. What lies at the bottom of just about any rash is the irritation of the skin, which is known to be caused by a great variety of culprits. The good news is that, in most cases, the rash tends to go away by itself, since it presents only a minor and not that serious skin defect. But there are also cases of more severe rashes that stubbornly refuse to go away on their own, and not only that, but they reach such a level of irritation that immediate care by a doctor or dermatologist is rather a must. When having grown ups and children in mind, the rash occurs as a direct consequence of coming in touch with a specific substance that causes the person’s skin to become irritated, also known as the contact dermatitis. The incubation time is usually within the first 48h after the contact has been made. The condition in question has the potential to induce minor skin redness, and also a rash comprised of tiny reddish bumps. Those much serious reactions may bring about the occurrence of serious swellings, redness and even blisters much larger in size. Given the fact that they occur systematically, one of the ways to determine the culprit is by paying close attention to the area being affected.

Contact dermatitis

Though it is not considered as a particularly severe or serious condition, contact dermatitis is nevertheless quite unpleasant and most of all extremely itchy. Among those most frequent culprits for its occurrence are various plants of poisonous nature (e.g. oak, poison ivy, sumac etc.), different soaps, shampoos, detergents, lotions, perfumes and cosmetics, but also specific fabric and even jewelry. Not to be forgotten are also new tools, appliances, toys and similar objects. Rashes as such, are quite often accompanied by various infections viral in nature – herpes zoster, then fungal infections – yeast infection (e.g. Candida albicans), bacterial infections (e.g. impetigo) and sexually transmitted diseases. At the bottom of rashes, there can also be even those more severe conditions and illnesses such as liver and kidney disease, as well as cancer.