The appearance of any spots on the body is disturbing. Despite the fact that such manifestations are a very common problem, it is impossible to determine its cause right away. Dermatologists, for example, can name more than five dozen ailments for which spots on the body are one of the characteristic symptoms. Their occurrence most often serves as a signal of infection or the presence of a serious violation in the body. Itching and rough spots of the body cause discomfort more than others, which increase not only in size, but also spread quantitatively.
Most likely causes
It is immediately worth noting that hyperemia, swelling and any rashes on the epidermis indicate internal problems in the body, unless, of course, their cause was an injury, shock, burn, insect bite and other exogenous factors. Sometimes red spots on the body are harmless in nature, appear suddenly (due to sharp temperature jumps, excitement, fear, worry, shame) and go away on their own. But unfortunately, such changes on the skin often indicate serious violations in the functioning of internal organs and systems.
Allergy
The most common cause of spots on the body can be called a pathological reaction of the body to a specific irritant. With allergies, rashes and hyperemia of the epidermis are not systemic phenomena, they occur periodically due to exposure to allergens. In most cases, the body is covered with acne or spots:
- Against the background of taking medications, vitamin preparations (antibiotics, sedatives, antidepressants).
- With a single or prolonged use of allergenic food. This group includes citrus fruits, chocolate, honey, nuts, mushrooms, milk protein, tomatoes, etc.
- Due to contact with the skin of chemical irritants (detergents, hygiene, cosmetics, perfumes). Sometimes allergies in the form of red or pink spots on the body cause synthetic and woolen things, fabric dyes.
Often, small pimples that terribly itch are attached to seemingly safe hyperemia. Stains on the body must be shown to a dermatologist or allergist. Basically, they pass without medical intervention, as soon as the provoking factor, that is, the allergen, is eliminated.
Diathesis
In fact, this is the same allergy that occurs on the skin of infants. Red flaky spots on the baby's body indicate a malfunction in the body. Diathesis redness brings a lot of inconvenience to the child. Rashes on cheeks, handles, legs, in the groin are localized. The spots constantly itch, peel, get wet, causing irritation and anxiety of the child. In a predominant number of cases, diathesis is observed in babies who are breast-fed. Specific bright pink rashes can appear on the skin due to an allergic reaction to the product that the mother ate - this applies to children who are breast milk. The principle of combating diathesis is exactly the same as with allergies - first of all, it is necessary to exclude the irritant.
Diet
Improper diet with a predominance of fast carbohydrates, fried, smoked, fatty and spicy foods in the daily menu can cause redness of certain sections of the epidermis. By the way, an unbalanced diet is the first thing you need to think about if spots appear on the skin. Redness can provoke a lack of vitamins and minerals in the body, however, as well as their overabundance.
All that is needed is to visit a gastroenterologist who will help to make a competent diet. It is important to make sure that the beauty of the skin is lost precisely because of errors in nutrition, and not because of more serious reasons. To eliminate the problem, it is enough to revise your diet and make appropriate adjustments to it. After some time, all redness will disappear and the skin will shine with health again.
Infections
The list of diseases that are transmitted by airborne droplets, domestic or sexual, and are manifested by rashes on the body, is almost unlimited. Most often, redness of the skin occurs immediately after the end of the incubation period, accompanied by fever and other specific symptoms. Red spots on the body of a child in almost half of the clinical cases are caused by infection. Among the infectious diseases that affect mainly in childhood, it is worth noting:
- chicken pox;
- measles;
- rubella;
- scarlet fever.
With the slightest damage to the skin in children, it is urgent to go to the doctor. The pediatrician will establish a diagnosis and prescribe treatment. To combat any of the "childhood" infections, specific therapy is required, which includes isolation of a small patient, taking vitamins, using external medicines, drinking plenty of water and bed rest.
For the treatment of chickenpox and measles, the spots on the body are spotted with a solution of brilliant green greens, "Fukortsin", processed with potassium permanganate. With scarlet fever, a small point rash appears on the skin, and after a week it begins to peel off.
In children, these diseases are easily tolerated, which cannot be said about adults - in addition to external rashes, patients are very weak, quickly tired, drowsiness, headaches, persistent fever, and chills appear. Often, the course of infectious diseases in them is accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Dangerous infectious ailments, which in the early stages also manifest as skin redness and peeling, include typhoid fever, meningococcal infection, syphilis, AIDS.
Disorders of the cardiovascular system
Since everything in our body is interconnected, pathologies of internal organs can express themselves through skin lesions. Often, red spots on the body of an adult serve as a direct sign of vegetative-vascular dystonia: small vessels of the epidermis lose their tone and expand to provide normal blood supply to tissues - against this background, local redness appears. It is unlikely to cure such spots. The only way the patient can help himself is to maintain the tone of the capillaries and large blood vessels with the help of regular physical exercises, a contrast shower.
Stress
If the cause of red spots on the skin naturally becomes a strong psycho-emotional overexcitation, the treatment will be to strengthen the nervous system. To restore mental balance and inner harmony, patients are prescribed sedatives, antidepressants. If it is not possible to consult a specialist, you can use natural products that are sold in any pharmacy without a prescription (tincture of valerian, motherwort or peony). Homeopathic sedatives “Persen”, “Sedaten”, “Novo-Passit”, “Alora”, “Deprim” have a stronger effect.
Fungus on the skin
Multi-colored lichen in the initial stages is manifested by a slight reddening of multiple areas, but just a few days later white spots appear on the body. The surface of the skin in the affected area is covered with a thin scaly film. Treatment of multi-colored lichen requires the use of systemic and local antifungal agents. The disease is not characterized by a prolonged course - from the moment the first spots appear until recovery takes 2-3 weeks.
More serious skin lesions can occur in patients with ringworm. This disease is characterized by the appearance of red, constantly itchy spots, which quickly increase, grow and affect the deep layers of the epidermis. Often, patients begin to self-medicate, which significantly complicates the course of the disease and puts members of their family at risk of infection. If you suspect a ringworm, you should immediately seek help from a dermatologist who can make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe effective drugs.
Age spots on the body
These formations on the skin are distinguished by a characteristic color. Brown spots do not cause any anxiety and discomfort, because in most cases they are not a pathology, but rather a cosmetic defect. But at the same time, increased pigmentation on the body can be a symptom of a dangerous disease and indicate serious malfunctions in the body.
The darkening of individual areas on the human body occurs due to exposure to the skin with ultraviolet radiation. In small amounts, ultraviolet is necessary for the normal functioning of the body, but its accumulation in tissues sometimes leads to the development of pathologies. Melanin is called to protect the skin from excessive exposure to sunlight - this is the pigment that is responsible for the formation of peculiar barriers on the epidermis. If the cells of the skin work fully, when exposed to ultraviolet radiation, a person develops a tan. In some cases, dark spots remain in places of acne and acne. The natural causes of increased pigmentation on the skin include age-related aging processes.
That is why age spots on the body more often appear in people who are staying for a long time in direct sunlight or prefer regular visits to the solarium. Sometimes light brown fragments on the skin appear as a result of an allergic reaction to a specific irritant.
Speaking about the internal causes of the appearance of age spots on the skin, one cannot fail to note such a predisposing condition as hormone imbalance provoked by disturbances in the endocrine system. Hormonal changes may occur:
- against the background of oral contraceptives;
- during pregnancy and lactation, after childbirth;
- in menopause in women.
Often, active pigmentation of the epidermis is provoked by a violation of metabolic processes in the body, poor nutrition. In addition to harmless reasons, it is worth noting the dangerous factors that provoke darkening of the skin:
- infectious diseases of the epidermis;
- skin cancer (melanoma);
- diseases of the liver and gall bladder.
Skin diseases
If an allergy or infection is excluded with a high degree of probability, spots on the body in a child or in an adult may well mark the beginning of a dermatological pathology. Diseases of the skin require complex and lengthy therapy, but at the same time it is almost impossible to recover from them forever. Little is known today about the true etiological factors of these ailments; therefore, the autoimmune nature of origin is often attributed to skin pathologies. Symptoms of most dermatological diseases are manifested by flushing of the skin in combination with severe itching.
One of the most common skin pathologies is eczema. It is manifested by blistering rashes, has a predominantly allergic nature, proceeds chronically. Eczema develops as a reaction of the body to various irritants, including preservatives, dyes and aromatic additives present in food and cosmetics. This type of dermatosis causes disturbances in the work of the gastrointestinal tract, often a rash occurs against the background of stressful situations.
Symptoms of eczema are very similar to atopic dermatitis. This ailment is also chronic. With atopic dermatitis, spots appear on the body, itch and flake, the epidermis of the affected areas becomes thicker as the disease progresses. As a rule, this pathology worsens in the cold season. Antihistamines and ointments with corticosteroids are used to treat atopic dermatitis, due to which the tissue regeneration process starts faster.
Bright and rough spots on the body are one of the main signs of psoriasis. First of all, the disease affects the surface of the skin in the extensor zones (elbows, knees, buttocks, lower back).
Over time, the size of the spots increases to such an extent that they merge with each other and form a continuous inflamed surface without clear boundaries. Peeling, severe itching and swelling worsen the well-being of the patient, interfere with full-time performance. In advanced stages, psoriasis can affect the joints. Therapy should be carried out only under the supervision of specialists who make up an individual treatment program for each patient.
Diagnostics
The main task of a specialist is to determine the etiology of red spots on the body of an adult or a child, regardless of whether this problem is permanent or arises due to certain circumstances. For consultation, you should consult a dermatologist, who will first prescribe a series of laboratory tests. According to the results of the study, a specialist will diagnose and prescribe treatment. It is impossible to choose drugs on their own and use them without consulting a doctor, as this can only aggravate the problem.
Experienced dermatologists can make an assumption about the diagnosis immediately after examination and conversation with the patient. To confirm the disease, a specialist will recommend consulting with an allergist. If you suspect the allergic nature of the spots on the body, the patient will have to undergo tests to determine the type of irritant. If the cause of the rashes on the skin is another, not related to allergies, the next step in the diagnosis will be clinical tests:
- Examination of scraping from a spot. The procedure helps to establish the type of fungal pathogen, confirm scabies.
- General blood analysis. By the indicators of leukocytes, neutrophils, ESR, it is possible to establish the presence of an inflammatory process in the body.
How and how to treat spots on the body
Depending on the identified cause, the doctor selects the appropriate therapeutic tactics. Treatment will depend entirely on the diagnosis, so there is no universal cure for red spots on the body. It is also worth noting that the use of folk remedies usually does not bring significant results, since in fact it does not guarantee the final elimination of the disease. Despite the fact that in each case the treatment is made individually, it is not difficult to identify the general provisions of therapy.
If the cause of red flaky spots on the body in a child or adult is associated with an allergic reaction, treatment should be based on the elimination of the provoking factor and the use of:
- local funds to relieve swelling and inflammation of the skin;
- antiallergic drugs.
It is faster to achieve desensitization of the epidermis if the external application of ointments and creams is supplemented with oral administration of antihistamines. Among the antiallergic agents that are used to damage the skin, the most popular and effective ones should be noted:
- "Tsetrin."
- Fenistil.
- Zirtek.
- Tavegil.
- Claritin.
- Suprastin.
- The Zodak.
- "Loratadine."
- Telfast.
It is equally important to follow a diet that involves the use of only hypoallergenic products.
If skin problems arise due to infection, the doctor selects effective anti-inflammatory and antibacterial drugs. The dosage and duration of the course is also established by a specialist. By the way, it is impossible to ignore his recommendations: most potent drugs contain hormonal components that, if used illiterately, can cause serious side effects and cause addiction. Ointments and creams with glucocorticosteroids are prescribed strictly according to the patient's age, since only some of them are suitable for use in childhood. Hormonal drugs are chosen very carefully, and the duration of the course is usually limited to 1-2 weeks. Steroid preparations for external use include:
- Advantan.
- "Elokom."
- "Celestoderm."
- "Prednisolone ointment."
- "Hydrocortisone ointment."
- Sinaflan.
- Lokoid.
- "Elidel."
- Afloderm.
- Dermoveit.
Local drugs with antibiotics are most often prescribed when erosions, abscesses, abscesses are attached to the spots on the skin, as well as in case of secondary infection:
- Levomekol.
- Gentaxan.
- Oflokain.
- "Streptonitol".
- "Erythromycin ointment."
- "Fusiderm."
- "Tetracycline ointment."
- Synthomycin.
- Oxycort.
- Pimafukort.
To treat stains on the body caused by a fungus, antimycotic drugs are prescribed to the patient. Ointments and creams with an antifungal substance are advised to be applied to the skin:
- "Exoderyl."
- "Zalain."
- "Mykoket."
- "Clotrimazole."
- "Terbizil."
- Orungal.
- "Flucanazole."
- "Terbinafine."
As soon as the peak of the disease is overcome, steroids and antibiotics are replaced with non-hormonal anti-inflammatory drugs (Radevit, Bepanten, Traumeel, Panthenol, Skin-Cap, salicylic ointment). Such drugs are allowed to be applied until recovery, since they practically have no side effects and contribute to the speedy elimination of spots.