Skin Rashes And Treatments

It's almost summer time, which means fun outdoors. But the more time you spend outside, the more likely you could end up with a skin rash.

If you are not careful, you could be spending more time on the sidelines scratching than playing in the game. Dr. Sean Kenniff from WFOR-TV visits The Saturday Early Show to tell us about what causes skin rashes outside and how to treat it.

Even though the overwhelming majority of rashes go away on their own, rashes can sometimes be serious, or a sign of a serious problem. Thankfully, there are ways to tell the difference.

Heat Rash
The so-called heat rash is a common rash where parts of your skin itch or sting. It looks like tiny bumps surrounded by a zone of red skin.

You can get heat rash in hot humid conditions or in cold weather if you are overdressed. It begins with excessive perspiration. The perspiration damages cells on the surface of the skin, forming a barrier and trapping sweat beneath the skin, where it builds up, causing the characteristic bumps. As the bumps burst and sweat is released, you may feel the prickly, or stinging, sensation. You usually get it on clothed parts of the body such as the back, abdomen, neck, upper chest, groin, or armpits.

Treatment
In most cases, heat rash will clear up on its own in a few days if the affected area is kept cool and dry. So cool your body in an air-conditioned room or with a fan, or take a cool shower or bath and let your skin air-dry.

If you can't cool down right away and you continue to sweat, don't add any antiperspirant, lotion, insect repellent, or powder to your skin; these may trap more sweat, making your symptoms worse.

If cooling down does not work, then once the skin is cool and dry again, apply calamine lotion or an over-the-counter 1 percent hydrocortisone cream to relieve itching. Don't use any type of oil-based product, which might block your sweat glands. If it does not go away within a few days, or if you develop an infection where the bumps have burst, you may need medication, so call your doctor.Chemical/Sun Reaction Rash
Photoallergic dermatitis can be caused by the action of sunlight on skin exposed to certain chemicals. Chemicals could be common products like sunscreens, cosmetics, perfumes, soaps, and topical medications.

If so, the rash will look like streaking wherever you applied the chemical. They are streaks of bumps or redness.

Treatment
You can treat it with topical steriods.

Drug/Sun Interaction
Drug-induced photosensitivity occurs when an individual develops a rash on exposure to the sun while taking a certain drug. It is an immune process where the sun is causing you to have an allergic reaction to the drug.

It can manifest itself in two ways. It can cause a severe burn where a person goes out in the sun for five minutes, and it looks like they have been in the sun for five hours, or it can cause an itchy rash that tends to be red and scaly, sometimes with water blisters.

Drugs that may cause this reaction include: thiazides (diuretics), tetracyclines (antibiotics), NSAIDS (painkillers), as well as some birth controls, antibiotics, high blood pressure medicines, diabetes medicines, anti-inflammatories, anti-cancer drugs, and some herbal substances.

Your doctor or pharmacist will be able to provide advice about medicines that are likely to cause this reaction.

Treatment
You treat it by avoiding the sun or taking steriods like prednisone.

Rashes Caused By Plants
Poison ivy, oak, and sumac are plants that commonly cause an allergic skin reaction. The result is typically an itching red rash with bumps or blisters.

Here are characteristics of a poisonous plant rash:

• Red rash and extreme itching.
  
• Rash erupts in streaks or patches where the plant touched the skin.
  
• Rash includes red bumps and may also form large, weeping blisters.
  
• The reaction can vary from mild to severe. Hospitalization is sometimes required.
  
• Rash usually appears within a couple of days after contact with the plant's oils. The worst stage is often from days 4 to 7. The rash may last for one to three weeks.

You can spread the rash only if you have urushiol on your hands. (Urushiol is a toxic substance constituting the active allergen of the irritant oil present in poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac.)

Also, it can take longer for the rash to appear on certain areas of the body, especially areas such as the soles of the feet where the skin is thicker. This may give the appearance that the rash has spread from one part of the body to another.

You can also be re-exposed to the urushiol by touching gardening tools, sports equipment, or other items that were not cleaned after being in contact with the plants.

You can also spread it if urushiol is still on your clothes, so be sure to wash any clothing items that were exposed. Scratching or touching the rash and fluid from blisters will not cause the rash to spread, because urushiol is not present in the blister fluid.

Treatment
An allergic reaction to a poison plant cannot be cured, but the symptoms can be treated. You may take cool showers and apply an over-the-counter lotion, such as calamine lotion, to help relieve the itch, or topical steroids.

If your reaction is more severe or involves mucus membranes (membranes found in the eyes, nose, mouth, and genitals), you may need a prescription medication (for instance, an oral steroid like prednisone) to help control the reaction.

Rash From Bug Bites
You can have an allergy to a bug bites. Lyme disease is caused by a tick bite. The tick carries a bacterium that causes the disease. But at the area of the tick bite, a distinct rash can appear called a "target rash." It can be itchy, or look like a typical "hive," but sometimes you'll see a central area of redness, surrounded by normal-looking skin, then surrounded by a ring of red skin. It looks like a target. It's not that common, but it needs to be recognized, because prompt antibiotics can prevent full-blown Lyme disease, which is very dangerous.

Any long-lasting or serious rash should be brought to the attention of your healthcare provider. Any rash associated with a fever or a sore throat can be a sign of a serious infection. Any time you start a new medication and you develop a rash, you have to let your doctor know, because drug rashes can get very serious very quickly.