A skin rash is a change in the skin in the form of redness, rash, or blisters due to irritation or inflammation. Areas of skin that appear rashes can also feel itchy or burning.
Skin rashes can be caused by insect bites, diseases, allergic reactions, or side effects of medications and skin care products. Skin rashes there appear suddenly, some appear gradually in a few days.
Most types of skin rashes disappear on their own without treatment within a few days. However, there are also types of skin rashes that require intensive treatment to completely disappear.
Skin Rash Types and Causes
Skin rashes have different characteristics, depending on the cause of the skin rash. Below are a number of diseases that cause skin rashes that often occur in older persons and children, along with their respective characteristics.
Skin rash in older persons
Some diseases in older persons that cause symptoms in the form of skin rashes are:
Contact Dermatitis
Contact dermatitis is an inflammation of the skin that occurs due to contact with foreign elements that cause allergies. Treatment is also by avoiding foreign objects or elements, such as soaps, cosmetics, fragrances, jewelry, and plants.
Other causes of skin rash in older persons
- Shingles
- Genital herpes (herpes simplex)
- Ringworm
- Insect Stings and Bites
Skin Rashes on Kids
The following are some examples of skin rashes that often occur in children:
Diaper Rash
This diaper rash that usually occurs in babies appears due to wet, but rarely replaced diapers, sensitive baby skin and blistered skin. Treatment for diaper rash can be by changing diapers regularly, using ointments and drying in the wind.
Other causes of Skin Rashes on Kids
- Measles
- Chicken pox
- Singapore flu
- Scarlet Fever
Other causes of skin rashes
- Fungal Infection
- Shingles
- Medicine allergy
- Burns
- Lupus
- Eczema (atopic dermatitis),
- Heat rash,
- Freckles
- Lyme disease.
Risk factors of skin rash
Skin rashes are a common condition. However, women are more susceptible to the condition than men. Skin rashes can also occur in anyone of all ages.
Skin Rash Symptoms
Symptoms of skin rashes can usually be instantly seen when viewed with the naked eye. Generally, in older persons, this condition usually appears on the hands and elbows.
In children, symptoms of the disease are usually seen on the inner elbow, behind the knee, face, back of the neck, and scalp.
Common symptoms of this condition are:
- Itching
- Reddened skin,
- Thick and rough skin by scratching dry, scaly, or hardened areas of the skin,
- Blisters fester, as well as
- Infection of damaged areas of the skin.
When to go to the doctor because of a skin rash?
Contact your doctor immediately if a rash on the skin raises the following signs.
- Appearing throughout the body, this condition can indicate the presence of infection or allergic reactions.
- The rash is accompanied by a fever above 38° C.
- It appears suddenly and spreads rapidly.
- The rash begins to blister or turns into an open wound.
- It hurts and interferes with your activities.
- The rash turns crusty, emits a yellow or green liquid, or is swollen. It could be that this condition indicates an infection.
- Disrupt your bedtime.
- Feel joint pain.
Skin Rash Diagnosis
To know the presence of skin rashes and the underlying causes, generally doctors only need to perform an examination of the skin. If the rash is suspected to be caused by an allergy, a skin test or IgE examination of the blood can be performed to determine the cause of the allergy.
If the rash is suspected to occur due to a fungal infection, a skin scraping examination needs to be done to find out the cause of the fungus. If the rash is suspected to be due to a bacterial or viral infection, a fluid removal examination of the skin can be performed to determine the type of bacteria or virus.
