Don't Ignore These Skin Problems
Whether your skin is itchy, broken out or covered in a rash,
see what might be causing your discomfort
& when you should see a doctor.
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Got Skin Problems?
- Is your skin itchy, broken out or covered in a rash or strange spots?
- Skin inflammation, changes in texture or color & spots may result from infection, a chronic
skin condition or contact with an allergen or irritant. - If you think you have one of these common adult skin problems, have your doctor check
it out. - Most are minor, but others can signal something more serious.
Shingles (Herpes Zoster)
- A rash of raised dots that turns into painful blisters, shingles causes your skin to burn,
itch, tingle or become very sensitive. - Shingles often shows up on your trunk & buttocks, but can appear anywhere.
- An outbreak lasts about two weeks.
- You’ll recover, but pain, numbness & itching might linger for months, years, or even the
rest of your life. - Treatment includes creams for your skin, antiviral drugs, steroids & even anti-depressants.
- It’s important to be treated early to help prevent complications.
Hives (Urticaria)
- Hives look like welts & can itch, sting or burn.
- They vary in size & sometimes join together.
- They may appear on any part of you & last anywhere from minutes to days.
- Causes include extreme temperatures, infections like strep throat & allergies to medications, foods & food additives.
- Anti-histamines & skin creams can help.
Psoriasis
- Thick, red patches of skin covered with white or silvery scales are signs of psoriasis.
- Doctors know how psoriasis works,your immune system triggers new skin cells to grow too quickly but they don't know what causes it.
- The patches typically show up on your scalp, elbows, knees, & lower back.
- They can heal and come back throughout your life.
- Treatments include creams and ointments for your skin, light therapy & medications
taken by mouth, injection or IV.
Eczema
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Eczema is a blanket term for several non-contagious conditions that cause inflamed,
red, dry & itchy skin. - Doctors aren't sure what makes eczema start in the first place, but they do know that stress, irritants (like soaps), allergens & climate can trigger flares.
- In adults, it often appears on the elbows, hands & in skin folds.
- Several medications treat eczema.
- Some are spread over the skin, & others are taken by mouth or as a shot.
Rosacea
- A tendency to flush easily, followed by redness on your nose, chin, cheeks & forehead
could be rosacea. - It can get redder over time with blood vessels you can see.
- You may have thickened skin, bumps & pus-filled pimples.
- It could even affect your eyes.
- Medications taken by mouth or spread on the skin are available.
- Doctors can treat broken blood vessels & red or thickened skin with lasers.
Cold Sores (Fever Blisters)
- The herpes simplex virus causes small, painful, fluid-filled blisters on your mouth or nose.
- Cold sores last about 10 days & easily spread from person to person.
- Triggers include fever, too much sun, stress & hormonal changes like periods.
- You can treat cold sores with antiviral pills or creams.
- Call your doctor if the sores contain pus, the redness spreads, you have a fever or
if your eyes become irritated. - These can be treated with prescription pills or creams.
Rash From Plants
- Contact with the oily coating from poison ivy, oak or sumac causes a rash in many
people. - It begins with redness & swelling at the site & then becomes itchy.
- Blisters usually show up within 12 to 72 hours after you touch the plant.
- A typical rash looks like a red line, the result of the plant dragging across your skin.
- An outbreak usually lasts up to 2 weeks.
- Treatment can include medicine spread on the skin or taken by mouth.
Soothe Itchy Plant Rashes
- Prescription or over-the-counter medication can help soothe the itch.
- Try cool compresses & oatmeal baths, too.
- Your doctor may prescribe medication for a severe rash & antibiotics for an infection.
- Learn to spot these plants so you can avoid direct contact.
- In general, poison oak grows west of the Rockies; poison ivy to the east.
Razor Bumps
- Razor bumps pop up after you shave, when the sharp edge of a closely cut hair curls back
& grows into your skin. - This can cause irritation, pimples & even scars.
- To minimize razor bumps, take a hot shower before you shave, pull the blade in the
direction your hair grows & don't stretch your skin while you pull the razor across it. - Always use a shaving cream or foam.
- Rinse with cold water, then apply moisturizer.
Skin Tags
- This small flap of flesh-colored or slightly darker tissue hangs off your skin by a stalk.
- They're usually found on the neck, chest, back, armpits, under the breasts or in the
groin area. - Skin tags appear most often on women and elderly people.
- They aren’t dangerous & usually don't cause pain unless they become irritated when
clothing or nearby skin rubs against them. - A doctor can cut, freeze or burn them off.
Acne
- Acne breaks out when a pore clogged with oil & dead skin cells gets inflamed.
- Pores that stay open & turn dark are called blackheads; completely blocked pores are
known as whiteheads. - Bacteria & hormones trigger acne, which most often shows up on your face, chest & back.
- You can also get pus-filled pimples & cysts.
- To help control acne, keep oily areas clean & don't squeeze even though this may cause infection & scars.
Athlete's Foot
- This fungal skin infection causes your feet to peel, turn red, itch & burn.
- You may also get blisters & sores.
- Athlete's foot is contagious & passed through direct contact.
- To prevent it, don't share shoes with an infected person or walk barefoot in areas like
locker rooms or near pools. - Treat it with topical antifungal lotions. A doctor can prescribe medications for more
severe cases. - During treatment, you’ll need to keep your feet & the insides of your shoes clean & dry.
Moles
- Moles, which are usually brown or black, can be anywhere on the body.
- They might show up alone or in groups & generally appear before age 20.
- Some moles change slowly over the years.
- They can go from flat to raised, grow hair or change color.
- Get your moles checked once a year by a dermatologist.
- See your doctor right away for any that change, have irregular borders, are an unusual or uneven color, bleed, or itch.
Age or Liver Spots
- These pesky brown or gray spots aren’t really caused by aging, though they do become m
ore common as you get older. - You get them from exposure to sunlight, which is why they tend to appear on your face,
hands & arms. - You can try bleach creams, acid peels, & light-based treatments to fade them.
- See a dermatologist to rule out serious problems like melanoma, a type of skin cancer.
Pityriasis Rosea
- A harmless rash, pityriasis rosea usually begins as a single scaly, pink patch with a raised border.
- Days to weeks later, it starts to itch & spread.
- The rash may be in the shape of a Christmas tree spread across your body.
- Doctors don't know for sure what causes it, but they don't think it's contagious.
- It often goes away in 6 to 8 weeks without treatment.
- Pityriasis rosea most often shows up between the ages of 10 & 35.
Melasma ('Pregnancy Mask')
- Melasma (chloasma) is tan or brown patches on your cheeks, nose, forehead & chin.
- It’s often called the 'pregnancy mask' because it happens in half of all pregnant women.
- Men can get it, too.
- If it doesn’t go away on its own after the baby comes, you can treat it with prescription
creams, over-the-counter products or with laser treatments. - Sunlight makes it worse, so always use a broad-spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen.
Warts
- In most cases, common warts appear on the fingers or hands.
- They're caused by the human papillomavirus.
- Warts spread when you touch something used by a person with the virus.
- To prevent more warts, cover them with bandages, keep them dry & don’t pick them.
- They're usually harmless & painless.
- You can treat them with topical medications or a doctor can freeze or burn them off.
- More advanced removal techniques include surgery, lasers & chemicals.
Seborrheic Keratoses
- Seborrheic keratoses are non-cancerous growths that often show up as you age.
- They can appear on many areas of the skin either alone or in groups.
- They may be dark or multicolored & they usually have a grainy surface, though they can
be smooth & waxy. - You don't need to treat them unless they get irritated or you don’t like the way they look.
- They're easy to mistake for moles or skin cancer, but a dermatologist can tell the difference.
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