To make a correct diagnosis, you need to undergo a comprehensive examination, because, for example, a skin rash can be a sign of various health problems. Having noticed any violations of the skin condition, it is necessary to consult a specialist for advice and examination.
Skin rashes
Let's start with general data on rashes. Many diseases have one of the symptoms of a rash on the skin in the form of red spots. It can be quite harmless, if I may say so, urticaria or traces of insect bites, or serious diseases like rubella or chickenpox, skin tuberculosis or neurodermatitis. Specialists rash on the skin are divided into local irritation and the manifestation of serious systemic diseases.
Often, only the specialist who needs to be contacted can determine the cause of the appearance of a rash on the skin. Often, such violations of the skin in the absence of high-quality treatment or with inadequate measures lead to serious consequences by attaching a bacterial infection. In this case, specialists will need a more thorough diagnosis in order to identify the initial problem of a secondary infection, prescribe a multi-component treatment, which may affect the state of the organs responsible for cleansing the body of toxins and harmful substances - the liver and kidneys. Therefore, a rash on the skin requires an early visit to a medical institution for examination and the appointment of high-quality therapy for the causes of its appearance.
Possible reasons
Medicine constantly examines various diseases, trying to find the exact cause of their occurrence and the possibility of adequate treatment. Rash spots on the skin by specialists are divided into three large groups, combining the causes of the appearance of such visible signs of a health problem:
- allergy;
- infections
- disorders in the condition and functioning of the hematopoietic and cardiovascular systems.
The most common reason for the formation of incomprehensible formations on the skin is an infection caused by various causes. Such diseases are almost always accompanied by fever, itching, soreness of the localization site, deterioration of overall well-being. The most commonly reported diseases are chickenpox, herpes, measles, rubella, scarlet fever and others. In this case, the rash can have a different form, which serves as a characteristic sign of a certain infection.
Red skin rashes are often a sign of an allergic reaction, although in some cases, having a certain structure and color, such a rash is an indicator of problems with the hematopoietic system or the cardiovascular system. In any case, you do not need to engage in self-diagnosis and self-medication, you need to visit a doctor and undergo the necessary examination to establish the cause of the appearance of rashes on the skin.
How is a rash classified?
Many diseases of various etiologies have skin rashes as one of the symptoms. Photos of such signs of certain diseases can not accurately identify a particular health problem, because in some diseases the rash may look the same. Specialists of such violations of the skin are divided into several types:
- spots that can be of different sizes and have a different shade - red, brown, white;
- blisters are a fluid-filled formation on the skin, it can be of different sizes, and as exudate it should have a clear liquid, blood, pus, the surface of the blister can be either smooth or rough;
- vesicles - small formations with turbid or transparent contents;
- papules - small nodules located subcutaneously without an internal cavity;
- bubbles are like blisters, they can also be of different sizes, but the liquid in them is always transparent;
- erosion and ulcers are characterized by a violation of the surface layer of the skin, may have a different area and nature of the violations;
- crusts - such a rash on the skin is the result of blisters, blisters, pustules, ulcers and other disorders of the skin.
All types of skin rashes do not appear just like that, there must always be a reason for their appearance. And it is precisely this that the specialist should establish after a thorough examination, collection of anamnesis and the necessary diagnostic procedures. To make a diagnosis, the doctor during the examination evaluates the nature of the rash, the time of its appearance, the size and nature of the localization, as well as the shape and color of the elements.
According to the number of rash elements, experts distinguish:
- single elements;
- not too plentiful rash, the elements of which can be quickly counted during external examination;
- profuse rash.
The color of the rashes is also of particular importance, since the red tint - from light pink to crimson-cyanotic - has a rash during inflammatory processes. If available, the doctor determines the secondary components of the rash, namely the presence of peeling, crust, the time of their formation and falling away.
Allergic rash
Rashes on the skin in the form of red small spots are most often a sign of an allergic reaction. The complex process of the pathological reaction of the immune system to certain stimuli is still not fully understood by scientists. An allergic rash can vary in appearance - from mild redness to weeping eczema. It depends on the reasons that caused such a reaction. Very often, an allergic rash is accompanied by itching, which has a different intensity. The correct name for skin disorders as a reaction to allergens is allergic dermatosis. It can be of a different nature, due to which each variety has its own name:
- atopic dermatitis;
- contact dermatitis - a reaction to contact of the skin with an allergen;
- urticaria - a characteristic feature is itching and the formation of blisters of various sizes;
- Quincke's edema has a clear sign of swelling, urticaria, hoarseness, coughing may join;
- Lyell's syndrome, the signs of such an allergic reaction are similar to burns of 2 severity - vesicles, wounds and cracks appear on the skin integument, the infection often joins; the main allergen for such an organism reaction is drugs, if urgent medical care is not provided, the patient is at risk of death;
- Steven-Johnson syndrome is a toxic-allergic disease, experts call it malignant exudative erythema, manifested by extensive rashes on the skin and mucous membranes, eczema has an inflamed appearance, accompanied by severe itching, in the place of serous vesicles, dense, grayish crusts form after opening them.
These are the main types of rashes. Allergic types of skin rashes appear only as a reaction to an allergen-irritant. To establish that a rash is a sign of an inadequate reaction of the immune system can only be done by a specialist after laboratory tests and collecting a patient’s history.
Infections and rashes
In addition to an allergic reaction, quite often infectious problems are manifested by a symptom such as skin rashes. A photo of such manifestations of disorders in the body will not allow you to determine the problem without examining the patient, history and collecting information about the course of the disease, as well as, if necessary, laboratory tests. Experts have several ways to classify this type of rash. At the location of the violation of the skin are divided into:
- exanthema - the main spread of the rash occurs on the skin;
- enanthema - mainly mucous membranes are affected by rashes, including the genital tract, respiratory tract and oral cavity, eyes.
They are also divided according to their appearance into classical ones, roseola, pustule, papule, hemorrhagic rash, blisters and acne.
Many infectious diseases have a characteristic sign of a certain rash on the skin. Red spots of varying intensity, localization, size and shape become a symptom that helps the doctor determine the cause of the disease and make an accurate diagnosis.
Disease symptoms
Red rashes on the skin, itching, swelling are the result of any disturbances in the body. Such symptoms become an occasion to consult a doctor, especially if it is not a safe burn for nettles or a mosquito bite. After all, any disease requires accurate identification and timely adequate treatment, so as not to lead to a deterioration in the well-being of a sick person. A doctor must establish a history of health status and related disorders without fail to make a diagnosis. So, for example, skin rashes resulting from abnormalities in the liver can be accompanied by such additional symptoms as stool disorders, nausea or vomiting, sudden weight loss, and yellowish skin color. It is important to indicate exactly where the spread of the rash began, because, for example, rubella is characterized by the appearance of a rash first on the face, then spreading it on the delicate areas of the skin - in the folds of the elbows, on the buttocks. For quality treatment, you need to know the exact cause of the health problem, this also applies to a symptom such as a skin rash.
What to do?
The appearance of red rashes on the skin is an incentive to contact a specialist even if they seem completely harmless at first glance and are not accompanied by a significant deterioration in well-being. Lost time can allow the disease to prevail over a person. And therefore, if the cause of the appearance of a rash on the skin in adults and children is not clear, you need to seek emergency medical help. Many believe that the rash that appears can be cured using only external symptomatic agents, for example, ointments, lotions. But often fullness is only one of the symptoms and the disease itself is not. What to do in case of a rash on the skin? Consult a doctor - an infectious disease specialist, an allergist, a dermatologist. Pass the prescribed examinations, take tests. Only then will it be possible to accurately determine the cause of the appearance of rashes on the skin and get quality treatment.
Diagnostic Methods
Any rashes on the skin of a child or adult require the establishment of the exact cause of their appearance. For this, the doctor prescribes such examinations as:
- visual inspection;
- history taking;
- blood analysis;
- Analysis of urine;
- sowing exudate on the microflora.
Differentiation of the rash can be complicated by concomitant problems, therefore, a comprehensive examination of the patient's health status in some cases allows you to diagnose existing problems and prescribe treatment. The types of skin rashes in adults and children and the collection of anamnesis for a competent specialist can in some cases make a diagnosis without prescribing tests, for example, it may be sweating or diathesis. Although the detection of an allergen during diathesis will avoid not only violations of the skin, but also more serious allergy problems.
How is the treatment carried out?
Rashes on the skin in the form of spots can have a very different etiology. To find out what is the reason for such formations is the task of a specialist. A rash is not a disease, it is only a symptom. And in order to get rid of an external problem qualitatively, it is necessary to cure the disease. If red skin rashes in adults and children are caused by an infectious disease, it is necessary to find out the type of virus or bacteria. In this, virological blood tests come to the aid of the doctor. A confirmed laboratory diagnosis allows you to choose drugs and treatment methods that match the diagnosis. In the vast majority of cases, infectious diseases, one of the symptoms of which is a rash, occur with an increase in body temperature, catarrhal symptoms - cough, runny nose and so on. All this requires symptomatic and antiviral or antibiotic therapy.
Rash on the skin, whatever its origin, can cause a lot of inconvenience to the patient. The formations can be painful on their own or cause pain when in contact with clothing, they can get wet or vice versa, be very dry, which causes peeling, the appearance of cracks and wounds. In any case, experts recommend using additional funds to treat the rash (as a symptom). The following methods will help get rid of skin manifestations of the problem faster:
- Redness and slight swelling can be removed by using baths with a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) and subsequent treatment with fucorcin, a broad-spectrum antiseptic.
- Doctors recommend opening the blisters and blisters to remove exudate from them for local anesthesia; To do this, first the surface of the skin with the formations must be treated with alcohol or iodine, then open the blister or bubble with a sterile instrument - scissors or a needle; with a large area of opened tissues, it is necessary to use antiseptics (aniline dyes like “greenbacks” or fucorcin) and apply a bandage with epithelizing and disinfecting drugs that the doctor prescribes for use, small bubbles can not be opened, since tissue healing under a natural coating (epidermis) occurs faster.
- Itchy blisters (as with urticaria) require several steps - taking a laxative and enterosorbent to cleanse the stomach and intestines from toxins, then taking an antihistamine prescribed by the doctor and eliminating the allergen from the patient’s environment - food, household items, it is recommended to use antipruritic drugs to eliminate itching means - ointments with menthol, weak solutions of citric acid or table vinegar for lotions and rubdowns.
- The chickenpox rash is treated with a brilliant green solution to reduce the likelihood of infection of the cavities of the opened vesicles and the appearance of a bacterial infection.
- Wet eczema requires consistent treatment - cold lotions from lead water to eliminate irritation, then treatment of the affected skin surface with special drying agents containing tar, zinc, sulfur, bismuth nitrate; the use of ultraviolet radiation, a bath with oxygen, radon, sea salt is also effective in eczema; only a physiotherapist can prescribe such procedures in accordance with the course of the disease.
- With any rashes on the skin, vegetable baths, baths, rubdowns or lotions actively help - a string, chamomile, oak bark, St. John's wort, valerian, celandine, calendula will help to cope with the existing skin problem, but which plant will be most effective in solving a particular problem specialist.
Skin rashes should be treated with a complex to eliminate the root cause of their appearance. If the cause is a viral or bacterial infection, then a course of treatment with appropriate drugs is necessary. If the rashes appear as a result of an allergic reaction, then it is necessary not only to take antihistamines, but also to establish the allergen and, if possible, remove it from human life. Additional funds are also needed to strengthen immunity, because it is this system that is responsible for health, preventing diseases from appearing.
Preventative measures
A rash on the skin does not appear on its own, it is always a consequence of certain health problems. It is necessary to carefully observe preventive precautions in order to avoid any diseases or pathological conditions. Allergy requires the establishment of an allergen substance and its removal from human life, as well as the use of antihistamines on the recommendation of a physician. Infectious diseases are less likely to affect those who have good immunity, which can protect the body from bacteria, diseases of the hematopoietic system or the cardiovascular system require careful attention to their health and compliance with the rules of regular medical examination to identify potentially dangerous conditions. Do not forget about such diseases, for which one of the symptoms is a rash on the skin, transmitted by contact - scabies, some types of lichen. They require strict observance of the rules of personal hygiene, a ban on dirty hands touching mucous membranes and open wounds on the skin.
Strengthening immunity, observing the rules of personal hygiene, and if necessary, taking special medications, carrying out the necessary medical procedures will significantly reduce the risk of severe, extensive rashes that can lead to a significant deterioration in the quality of human life.