When is a rash something to be concerned about? Is a medical appointment necessary for that rash?
According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), rashes can appear similar, but although some can be treated with over-the-counter drugs, others may indicate a more serious illness. “When a new rash appears, it’s crucial to monitor your symptoms closely,” Baton Rouge, Louisiana, dermatologist Dr. Mallory Abate advised. “Noting any changes or new developments is essential to assessing the medical condition’s severity and whether immediate assistance is required.” An important indicator of more serious issues is an infected rash. Pus, yellow or golden crusts, soreness, swelling, warmth, or an offensive odor are examples of infection-related symptoms. The skin surrounding an infection may seem red, purple, or brown, and you may experience intense heat
“If you have a rash and your symptoms are not improving, make a medical appointment to see a board-certified dermatologist,” Abate said in an AAD news release. Abate and the AAD recommend people with rashes use these clues to know when to seek medical attention:
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Medical Appointment Necessary For That Rash
- A rash over most of your body.
- A rash that blisters or turns into open sores or raw skin
- Fever or illness with a rash
- A rash that spreads rapidly
- A painful rash
- A rash involving the eyes, lips, mouth or genital skin
- If you have trouble breathing or swallowing, or if your eyes or lips swell up, emergency medical care may be necessary and should be sought immediately.
Medical Appointment Necessary For That Rash
Definition
Rashes involve changes in the color, feeling or texture of your skin.
Alternative Names
Skin redness or inflammation; Skin lesion; Rubor; Skin rash; Erythema
Considerations
Often, the cause of a rash can be determined by how it looks and its symptoms. Skin testing, such as a scraping or biopsy, may also be used to help with diagnosis. Sometimes, the cause of the rash remains unknown.
Medical Appointment Necessary For That Rash
Causes
A simple rash is called dermatitis, meaning inflammation of the skin. Contact dermatitis is caused by things your skin touches, such as:
- Chemicals in elastic, latex, and rubber products
- Cosmetics, soaps, and detergents
- Dyes and other chemicals in clothing
- Poison ivy, oak, or sumac
Seborrheic dermatitis is a rash that appears in patches of redness and scaling around the eyebrows, eyelids, mouth, nose, trunk, and behind the ears. If it happens on your scalp, it is called dandruff in adults and cradle cap in infants.
Age, stress, fatigue, weather extremes, oily skin, infrequent shampooing, and alcohol-based lotions aggravate this harmless but bothersome condition.
Other common causes of a rash include:
- Eczema (atopic dermatitis) tends to happen in people with allergies or asthma. The rash is generally red, itchy, and scaly.
- Psoriasis tends to occur as red, scaly patches over joints and along the scalp. It is sometimes itchy. Fingernails may also be affected.
- Impetigo: Common in children, this infection is caused by bacteria that live in the top layers of the skin. It appears as red sores that turn into blisters, ooze, and then form a honey-colored crust over all or part of the rash.
- Shingles: a painful blistered skin condition caused by the same virus as chickenpox. The virus can lie dormant in your body for many years and re-emerge as shingles. It usually affects only one side of the body.
- Childhood illnesses such as chickenpox, measles, roseola, rubella, hand-foot-mouth disease, fifth disease, and scarlet fever.
- Medicines and insect bites or stings.
Many medical conditions can cause a rash as well. These include:
- Lupus erythematosus (an immune system disease)
- Rheumatoid arthritis, especially the juvenile type
- Kawasaki disease (inflammation of the blood vessels)
- Certain body-wide (systemic) viral, bacterial or fungal infections
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Disclaimer: The opinions and suggestions expressed in this article are solely those of the individual analysts. These are not the opinions of HNN. For more, please consult with your doctor
