Causes and treatments for skin rash or contact
dermatitis.
The first line of defense against
infection of foreign bodies from outside and from dehydration from within is our
skin. And for the majority of the time our skin does an excellent job. However,
as chemical components of the skin play a role in protecting us, other chemicals
can break down and counteract the effect of these chemicals, leaving us open to
infection. When this happens, the skin lets us know by breaking out in a skin
rash.
Symptoms, causes and
treatments for contact dermatitis.
There are many causes and types
of skin rashes, some of them as a result of a serious physical condition such as
cancer, therefore its important to get any skin damage checked out by a
physician or dermatologist as self diagnosis is very difficult and the more
rashes a doctor has seen the better he is able to give a correct diagnosis. As
we are a beauty site and not a health site, we will consider just one type of
rash that is often a result of a reaction with beauty products, and that is contact dermatitis.
Contact dermatitis is a rash that
can occur anywhere on the body and is a result of contact with a substance that
causes skin irritation. It cannot spread to other parts of the body and is not
contagious. The most common symptoms of this type of rash are itchy skin,
redness, swelling, heat, cracks in the skin and formation of small blisters on
the skin that weep. If its allergic contact dermatitis, then the rash is a
result of an allergic reaction to something and could appear on parts of the
body that did not have direct contact with the allergen.
The most common causes of contact
dermatitis are chemical based. It could be the chemicals in cosmetics,
shampoo,
lotions, hair dyes,
soap, nail
polish remover or artificial nail products, perm solutions and bleaching agents.
It can also be caused by certain metals in jewelry and plants like poison ivy
and poison oak.
So what is an effective treatment
for a rash caused by contact dermatitis? The most important rule is DO NOT
SCRATCH! Why? Scratching skin that has a rash can easily become infected and
scratching releases more histamine which makes the rash itch even more. Most
rashes of this type can be treated effectively with creams and ointments, or
even UV light. However, the sensitive skin should be protected from any types of
burn including sunburn.
For stubborn rashes, your doctor
might prescribe antibiotics if the rash is caused by bacterial or fungal
infections , such as athletes foot. Topical steroids could be used to reduce
inflammation. Products that contain extracts of coal tar have proved
particularly effective in reducing itchy skin, especially on the scalp in
anti-dandruff shampoos. If the rash is the result of an allergy, then maybe
antihistamines can be used to reduce the itching and control the allergy
symptoms.
Of course, prevention is better
than a cure. The best way to treat a rash is to avoid skin contact with
irritants by wearing gloves or protective clothing. Wash thoroughly and quickly,
including clothes, if we are exposed to a known skin irritant. Be sure to use
the mildest soap possible as washing can cause dryness to the skin by removing
essential oils. Choose
natural skin care products that do not contain any
chemicals that could be harmful to the skin.
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