A skin rash, also known as dermatitis, is an area of the skin that has variations in texture or color and may look inflamed or irritated. The skin may look red, scaly, dry, swollen, and may have blisters or cracks. Rashes are often itchy and painful and can appear in one area or all over the body. There are several potential causes of rashes, including allergies, diseases, reactions, heat, infections, environmental stimulants, and medications. Infections with bacteria, fungi, viruses, or parasites may also be to blame.
Although most rashes clear up quickly, others are long-lasting and need long-term treatment. It's critical to identify the type of rash you have prior to treatment because there are numerous potential causes of rashes. This article is a compilation of the symptoms of 5 most common types of rash and their treatment.
1. Atopic Dermatitis:
Also known as eczema, it is the most common type of skin condition. It can affect both adults and children. Even though it is unclear what causes eczema, the condition often affects people with a family history of allergies (1).
The factors that can trigger eczema include stress, allergens, climatic condition, and even skin irritants like soaps, skincare products, or even some fabrics.
Symptoms:
The various symptoms of atopic dermatitis are:
- Itching
- Redness on skin
- Skin becomes dry, scaly, and crusty
- Small blisters filled with fluid might ooze out when you scratch them
- Infection may happen in the broken skin areas
Diagnosis and treatment:
Your doctor may check your skin and ask questions related to your symptoms to diagnose atopic eczema. He/she might conduct some tests of the scaly to eliminate other skin diseases or infections.
Medications include fragrance-free moisturizers (containing ingredients like ceramides, glycerin, and mineral oil), over-the-counter ointments containing steroid hydrocortisone (Cortizone-10, Cort-Aid, Dermarest Eczema, Neosporin Eczema). These may help relieve itching, swelling of the skin, and redness. Prescription-strength cortisone creams, cortisone pills, and shots are used in case of more severe cases.
Other drugs that might be used to treat eczema include antibiotics for infected skin and antihistamines that help control itching.
2. Contact Dermatitis:
When you come across a substance that is allergic to your body, you may develop a rash-like skin condition called contact dermatitis. Though the rash is not contagious, it can be very uncomfortable. Contact dermatitis is of two types: irritant contact dermatitis and allergic contact dermatitis.
The possible causes of contact dermatitis can be substances such as soaps, cosmetics, fragrances, jewelry, latex, leather, hair dyes, or maybe plants like poison ivy, poison oak, or sumac. The rash generally appears within hours of exposure (2).
Symptoms:
Symptoms of contact dermatitis include:
- An itchy rash
- Dry, cracked, scaly patches typically on white skin
- Leathery patches that are darker than usual, typically on brown or black skin
- Bumps and blisters
- Swelling, burning, or tenderness (3)
Diagnosis and Treatment:
Your doctor may ask you some questions to help identify the cause of your contact dermatitis and to learn more about the substance that triggered it. A skin exam will be done to assess the rash.
Your doctor may prescribe topical corticosteroid creams or ointments such as clobetasol propionate 0.05% or triamcinolone 0.1% that help soothe the rash. Antihistamines such as cetirizine and hydroxyzine are also prescribed for itchy skin. In severe cases, your doctor may advise systemic steroids to reduce swelling, relieve itching or fight bacterial infection (4).
3. Psoriasis:
Psoriasis is a proliferative and inflammatory skin disease that builds up rapidly on the knees, soles of the feet, face, elbows, trunk, nails, scalp, and lumbosacral region. Psoriasis is a chronic disease having no cure. In this condition, there is a formation of thick, gray, and silvery patches of the extra skin cells. It can be itchy, sometimes painful, interfere with sleep, and make it hard to concentrate (5).
The rash might look red or purple, which might be difficult to see on black or brown skin. The causes of psoriasis include a genetic tendency, infections, cuts or burns, and stress. The condition tends to flare up periodically, exacerbate for a few weeks or months, then subside for a while (6).
Symptoms:
Symptoms of psoriasis include:
- A patchy rash that ranges from small scaling to major eruptions, affecting the body considerably.
- Rashes may vary in color
- Dry, cracked, or bleeding skin
- Itching, soreness, or burning sensation
- It is a cyclic rash that spreads rapidly for a certain period and then recedes
Diagnosis and Treatment:
Your doctor will ask you to describe your symptoms and examine your skin, scalp, and nails. He/she may also take a sample of your skin in order to conduct some tests that should help determine the exact type of psoriasis you have and rule out other disorders.
Treatment of psoriasis aims to stop the rapid growth of skin cells and the removal of scales. Medications include corticosteroid ointments or creams such as triamcinolone or clobetasol. Vitamin D analogs such as calcipotriene and calcitriol and retinoids such as Tazarotene cream slow down skin cell growth. Calcineurin inhibitors such as tacrolimus and pimecrolimus calm the rash and reduce scaly buildup (7). However, retinoids and calcineurin inhibitors are not recommended if you are breastfeeding or pregnant.
Salicylic acid shampoos reduce the scaling of scalp psoriasis. Light therapy, oral, and injections are also used to treat psoriasis. Your line of treatment depends on how severe the psoriasis is and how responsive it has been to you.
4. Ringworm of the Body (Tinea Corporis):
Ringworm of the body is a superficial fungal skin infection caused by dermatophytes. It's usually a circular rash with clearer skin in the middle. Alternative names for dermatophyte infections that affect the other areas of the body are the scalp (tinea capitis), the face (tinea faciei), hands (tinea manuum), the groin (tinea cruris), and feet (tinea pedis) (8). Ringworm often spreads by direct skin contact with an infected person or animal.
Symptoms:
The symptoms of ringworm are:
- Formation of scaly ring-shaped rash mainly on arms, legs, trunks, and buttocks
- Severe itching with raised and expanding rings
- A ring-like rash with clearer skin in the middle
- Skin becomes red with scaly and cracked patch
- Ring patches that overlap one another
Diagnosis and Treatment:
Your doctor may do a skin examination if he/she suspects that you may have ringworm. He/she may test your skin sample to see the growth of the fungus.
Medications may include antifungal creams containing clotrimazole, miconazole, ketoconazole, and terbinafine. In cases of severe infections on the scalp or nails, your doctor may prescribe oral medicines such as terbinafine, itraconazole, fluconazole, etc (9).
5. Shingles:
Also known as herpes zoster, shingles is a painful rash caused by the varicella-zoster virus. The causes of shingles are unclear, but it may be due to lowered immunity to infections as you grow older. Though shingles can affect anywhere on your body, it most often appears on either the left or the right side of your torso. Shingles isn't a life-threatening condition, but it is very painful and contagious (10).
Symptoms:
Symptoms of herpes zoster may include:
- Pain, burning, numbness, or tingling
- Sensitivity to touch
- A red rash appears after some days of pain
- Fluid-filled blisters that break open and crust over
- Itching
- Fever
- Headache
- Fatigue
Diagnosis and Treatment:
Your doctor can diagnose shingles by seeing your symptoms and by doing a physical exam of the rash and blisters.
Antiviral drugs such as acyclovir, famciclovir, valacyclovir, etc., can help you heal faster. Topical antibiotic creams like mupirocin or soframycin help to prevent the infection. Anticonvulsant medicines like gabapentin, antidepressants like amitriptyline, cool compresses, numbing medications like lidocaine, and over-the-counter drugs like acetaminophen or ibuprofen, etc may help reduce the pain (11).
Conclusion:
Rashes can be caused by various conditions. While some skin conditions can be cured, some may be chronic or recurring depending upon the underlying conditions. It’s important to see a doctor if you’re dealing with a concerning skin issue accompanied by fever or pain, especially if lifestyle and over-the-counter treatments don’t provide relief.