Skin rashes can arise due to different factors, from infections and allergies to illnesses and chronic conditions. The cause of rashes is not always implicit, but knowing what you are dealing with and when to seek medical care is vital. Here, we review five kinds of rashes and what they could mean.
Contact Dermatitis
There are two forms of contact dermatitis: irritant and allergic. With irritant contact dermatitis, which can be caused by chemicals and cleaning products, the skin becomes dry and scaly, producing an itchy rash. On the other hand, allergic contact dermatitis can cause a bumpy and itchy rash that often swells and sometimes blisters. This type of rash can appear due to contact with poison ivy or latex. Both are usually treated topically.
Intertrigo
Intertrigo is an inflammatory condition that occurs when skin rubs together, causing uncomfortable rashes. This type of inflammation is most prominent in warmer and moist areas of the body, such as abdominal folds, groins, between toes, and under the breasts. In severe cases, intertrigo can develop sores that ooze, and the skin may crack and even bleed. Wearing loose clothing and keeping the skin dry is the best way to avoid intertrigo; topical ointments may help, too.
Shingles
Shingles (herpes zoster) is caused by a virus known as varicella-zoster, which also causes chickenpox. Once you’ve had chickenpox, the virus stays dormant in your nerve tissue, and years later, it can reactivate as shingles. Shingles often begins with pain and no visible rash, but within days, blisters filled with fluid arise in a specific area of the body. Eventually, the blisters open, dry, and crust over. When you have shingles, you may experience pain and itching that can last months beyond when the rash clears up. Receiving medical treatment promptly reduces the chances of this prolonged pain.
Rosacea
If you are experiencing a persistent flush on or around the nose and cheek area and acne-like bumps around the forehead and chin, you may have a chronic condition known as rosacea. People living with rosacea will experience the occasional flare-up brought on by varying triggers, which can range from hot drinks to cosmetics, spicy food, and emotional stress. There are treatments to help manage the condition, but there is no cure.
Heat Rash
Heat rash, also known as miliaria, can occur when the flow of sweat becomes obstructed. There are two types of heat rash, prickly heat (miliaria rubra) and miliaria crystallina. The former is a heat rash that arises as a cluster of small bumps and feels like pricking and stinging. The latter appears on your body as clear fluid-filled bumps that break easily; neither are dangerous and can be soothed with cool compresses and wearing lightweight clothing.