Many kinds of skin rashes affect the health and comfort of most people at one time or another. Some, like insect bites, acne and allergic reactions to medication may be easily explained. Some rashes are associated with illness, pain, swelling and intense itching; others may cause barely noticeable changes in skin color and texture. Because many rashes are similar in appearance, troubling skin conditions should always be evaluated by a health care professional.
Eczema
Dry, inflamed and itchy skin may be due to eczema, or dermatitis. Associated with allergies and irritants, atopic dermatitis is a type of eczema that affects people of all ages, including infants. Scratching may lead to secondary infection. According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, as many as one in five children have atopic dermatitis. Typical sites include the cheeks, forehead, hands, ankles, inside the bend of elbows and behind the knees. In order to determine seasonal or environmental factors that contribute to eczema flares, British researchers studied 60 children, from infants to 15 years of age, over a period of nine months. The children were monitored daily. The results, published in the June 2009 issue of the British Journal of Dermatology, implicated nylon clothing, dust, sweat, unfamiliar pets and shampoo, particularly during winter months.
Infectious Rashes
Viral skin infections associated with childhood diseases include measles, rubella, chicken pox and roseola. Shingles is a painful form of herpes affecting adults who have had chicken pox; the sores erupt along nerve pathways. Infectious mononeucleosis and Epstein-Barr are other viruses that cause skin rash. The New Zealand Dermatological Society reports that both Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria may cause impetigo, producing sores on the head, neck and hands of small children. Folliculitis is a rash caused by bacteria that is associated with shaving or waxing hair. Methicillin resistant Staphlylococcus aureus, or MRSA, may cause boils that require medical treatment. The rashes of cellulitis and scarlet fever are caused by bacterial infections and can have serious complications unless treated with antibiotics. Ringworm, athlete's foot and jock itch are the result of contagious fungal infections.
Skin Cancers
The mutation, or abnormal growth, of skin cells is called cancer. Melanoma affects cells in the inner layer of skin, producing irregular shaped lesions that may be red, white, or black and may also change the appearance of moles anywhere on the body. The Mayo Clinic calls melanoma the most serious type of skin cancer. Basal cell carcinoma affects the middle layer of skin in exposed areas, producing brown spots on the face, ears and nose. Squamous cell carcinoma invades the skin's surface of the face, lips, ears and hands, producing red, flat or crusted lesions.
Psoriasis
Raised red or pink patches of thickened skin covered with white or silvery scales are characteristic of plaque psoriasis. The National Psoriasis Foundation states that this condition, characterized by the rapid growth of skin cells, is a chronic autoimmune disorder that affects over seven million Americans. The rash may be controlled with medication.
