Diagnosing And Treating A Skin Rash

Often rashes suddenly appear and it can be overwhelming to figure it out. When you look at pictures on the net, a skin rash such as eczema, scabies and hives may all look similar. It's important to get the correct diagnosis as the treatment follows from the diagnosis. Unfortunately, many times this isn't always easy. For example, though classic scabies will show a red rash on the wrists, in the finger webs and around the waist area many people may not have any red marks on their wrists or in the webs of their finger. Biopsies also may not pick it up as there may only be a handful of mites on the body and the rash shows the allergic reaction, not necessarily their eggs.

When a rash is itchy, taking measures to control the itch is important since scratching it can result in a bacterial infection or lead to impetigo. Kids have a hard time resisting scratching and aside from the sleep problems itching can cause, the discomfort can drive children into deep levels of frustration. Using antihistamines and also anti-inflammatory creams are helpful to make this tolerable. Also oatmeal baths can soothe the itch, even if it's a temporary measure.

Getting a correct diagnosis on a skin rash also will determine if it's contagious or not. Chicken pox, scabies and impetigo for example are highly contagious. Rashes caused by food allergies are not passed on to others. Not knowing if a child needs to stay home from school or not adds a lot of uncertainty to the situation.

Food allergies have risen eighteen percent in children according to a recent study by the Centers of Disease Control. One expression of a food allergy is a rash and others are asthma and respiratory problems. If the rash is the result of a food allergy, testing can narrow down the foods that should be eliminated.

Treating a skin rash requires the correct diagnosis. Some rashes are easy to diagnose: For example, chicken pox may be going around your child's class. Other rashes can be trickier. In hot summer months, heat rash, hives and eczema can be more common. Seeing a dermatologist will help to get accuracy in those hard to name cases.