If you’re allergic to a drug, a rash can be the first sign of a serious reaction. Vaccines can prevent several rash-causing diseases, including chickenpox, shingles and measles.Ĭertain drugs, including antibiotics like amoxicillin, may also cause itchy skin rashes. Years later, in older adults, the same virus may reappear as shingles, bringing a painful rash and high fever. The chickenpox virus, for example, can cause itchy spots in children. Bacterial and viral infections within your body can cause your skin to break out in spots as well. The immune cells of the skin can also produce rashes when they react to invading germs-like bacteria, fungi and viruses. This eases swelling and itching and will protect your eyes and face. A doctor can prescribe medications that will tone down the immune reaction in the skin. But if the rash persists, is extremely uncomfortable or occurs on the face, it’s important to see a physician. Mild cases of allergic contact dermatitis usually disappear after a few days or weeks. The chemical can also remain in clothing for a long time, so it’s important to wash any clothes or shoes-or even pets-that come into contact with these plants. If you touch one of them, wash your skin as soon as possible. The stems and leaves of these plants produce a chemical that’s likely to cause allergies. Other common causes of allergic dermatitis are poison oak and poison ivy. “Why? Because of ear piercing.” Many inexpensive earrings are made of nickel, and over time, wearing nickel earrings can cause an allergic reaction to the metal. “The most common form of dermatitis that is seen anywhere is an allergic contact dermatitis to nickel,” says Katz. As a result, your next contact may lead to inflammation and an allergic rash. But over time, your immune system can become sensitive to the substance. Your immune system might not react the first time you encounter an allergen. Allergens can come from certain soaps, creams and even pets. The rash arises when the skin comes in contact with an allergen, a usually harmless substance that the immune system attacks. “If the barrier is broken somehow, you can become more allergic to things.”Ī skin allergy, or allergic contact dermatitis, produces a red, itchy rash that sometimes comes with small blisters or bumps. “The skin is the outermost sentinel for fighting off bacteria and noxious agents,” says Katz. People with certain versions of these genes are more likely to get atopic dermatitis. that are involved in maintaining the skin barrier. Researchers have recently identified specific genes Stretches of DNA, a substance you inherit from your parents, that define characteristics such as how likely you are to get certain diseases. That’s why people with atopic dermatitis have to moisturize their skin, and they’re more susceptible to skin infections. In this condition, the water-tight barrier between skin cells gets weak, which lets moisture out and other things in. It often improves over time, although it can last into adulthood or start later in life. While most rashes clear up fairly quickly, others are long lasting and need to be cared for over long periods of time.Įczema, or atopic dermatitis, is a dry, red, itchy rash that affects up to 1 in 5 infants and young children. Some types of rash can also lead to blisters or patches of raw skin. Many rashes are red, painful, and irritated. Katz, director of NIH’s National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. “Itching is a common symptom for all these problems,” says Dr. The symptoms of these different types of rashes often overlap. Other times, the immune system flares in the skin because of a whole-body infection or illness. Sometimes the skin’s immune cells react to something that directly touches the skin. There are many different types of dermatitis, and each has a distinct set of treatments. The medical name for this reaction is dermatitis. Whenever these cells detect a suspicious substance, they begin a chain reaction in the skin that leads to inflammation Heat, swelling and redness caused by the body’s protective response to injury or infection. These cells protect the skin and body against viruses, bacteria and other threats. But our skin is also filled with special cells of the immune system The system that protects your body from invading viruses, bacteria and other microscopic threats. We often think of the skin as a barrier-it keeps the insides of our bodies in, and it keeps the outside world out. Why does your skin break out in red blotches like that? More important, is there anything you can do about it? You’ve probably had a rash at some point or another, whether from poison ivy or the chickenpox or something more unusual.
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