Identifying and Treating Skin Rashes

A rash is an area of irritated or swollen skin. Most rashes present themselves as itchy, red, painful, and irritated protrusions or discolorations along the outer dermal layer. However, certain rashes have “roots” that are established a few layers below the skin, due to bacteria, virus, allergy and other factors. Some rashes can also lead to blisters or patches of raw skin. Rashes are a symptom of many different medical problems. Leading causes include irritating substances and allergies. Rashes are also a product of genetics, as certain genes can make people more likely to get rashes.

How to tell the type of rash? The issue with a rash is that it can be caused by a number of factors, and it would be impossible for a dermatologist to truly make a determination of its cause without careful examination and testing. Certain common causes of a rash are:

• Allergic reactions
• Genetic disorders
• Irritating substances, such as drugs, chemicals, facial creams, topical ointments, anything that can be applied to the skin can essentially cause a rash to the right person.
• Mental stress
• Skin disorders; eczema, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, chicken pox, herpes zoster, herpes simplex, rosacea, acne , rubella, measles, athlete’s foot, certain infections, etc.
• Changes in temperature, hot or cold.

These are only some of the more common causes, in reality, a rash is a fairly general symptom of what could be millions of issues. Therefore, your doctor must carefully examine any rash that doesn’t disappear on its own within a few days.

Treatments There are a number of treatments for rashes. We will likely provide patients with topical creams, and ointments to get rid of rashes. However, in order to truly treat the source of a rash, your dermatologist must know exactly what is causing it. Certain cosmetic treatments may be necessary as well, such as skin resurfacing (laser or otherwise), chemical peels, dermal fillers, microdermabrasion, dermabrasion, and many more.