The skin is the barrier that separates the inside of the body from the outside environment. When the skin breaks or allergens from the outside environment find their way inside the body, a skin disorder may develop. According to Medline Plus, the main causes of skin disorders are infections. These infections may be viral, bacterial or fungal.
Viral Infections
MedlinePlus lists viral infections as one of the major causes of skin disorders. Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford states that exanthemata, the medical name for rashes, are the main characteristic of viral infections. There are three main viruses that cause skin disorders or infections: human papillomavirus, herpes simplex virus and the pox virus.
Bacterial Infections
One of the causes of skin disorders, according to Medline Plus, is bacterial infection. There are millions of bacteria on the skin, but healthy skin prevents the bacteria from entering the body. Bacterial infections may be localized or may spread out affecting a large area of the patient's skin. The bacterial infections that a patient can get will have different grades of severity from mild treatable infections to life-threatening skin disorders.
There are some conditions that will make the body more susceptible to bacterial infections. These conditions are diabetes, auto immune deficiency syndromes and damaged skin, which can occur due to sun exposure or scratching.
Fungal Infections
Fungal infections are one of the main causes of skin disorders in a majority of patients, according to MedlinePlus. Lucile Packard Children's Hospital states that skin fungi live in the dead top layer of the skin. They are mostly found in the moist areas such as between the toes, the groin and the diaper area. These will cause very minor skin disorders. Fungi that penetrate much deeper will form more serious and complicated skin disorders. The most common fungal infections come from candidiasis, a yeast infection, tinea or ringworms, and tinea versicolor.
