Itching and red spots: how to distinguish urticaria from psoriasis?

Redness on the skin is a very unpleasant phenomenon for both adults and children. As a rule, they cause itching and flaking, which are sometimes accompanied by painful sensations. In addition, in each case, red spots look aesthetically unpleasant and repulsive. It is not surprising that every person strives to get rid of them as quickly as possible. And to do this, first of all, you need to understand the reasons for their occurrence, which can be very different. Moreover, sometimes redness on the skin indicates a very serious disease, including internal organs.

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What are the most common causes of red spots on the skin?

Allergic reaction

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Taking certain medications, as well as consuming a number of vitamins and foods, interacting with pets, getting bacteria or dust mites on the skin, inhaling pollen from flowering plants, etc., can trigger an allergic reaction. Most often, it manifests itself in the appearance of red spots scattered over the body and causing severe itching, which in particularly difficult cases can lead to Quincke's edema and even death.

In such a case, you will need to consult a dermatologist, who will identify the cause of the allergy and prescribe appropriate treatment. Eliminating provoking factors, using histamine blockers and local ointments will allow you to quickly forget about the problem and avoid complications.

Skin allergies: main causes

There are many reasons for the development of allergic dermatosis: various food allergens, medications, household chemicals, cosmetics, etc.

Skin allergies are caused by:

• Living in regions with unfavorable ecology.
• The presence of occupational hazards (prolonged human contact with aggressive objects: alkalis, acids, smoke, medications, etc.).
• Eating with a large number of allergenic foods.
• High drug load.
• Widespread use of household chemicals containing highly allergenic chemical compounds, dyes and fragrances.
• In young children, skin allergies can be triggered by early cessation of breastfeeding and early introduction of complementary foods.

Risk factors also include a hereditary predisposition to allergic diseases.

In addition, the causes of exacerbation of skin allergies can be diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, stress, etc.

Presence of an infectious or venereal disease

The “culprit” of red spots is often the viruses of scarlet fever, rubella, measles, chickenpox and other infectious diseases. This also includes the disease syphilis, which manifests itself as red rashes on the skin.

The danger of such diseases is that a person not only experiences discomfort (the appearance of a red rash all over the body in these cases is usually accompanied by fever, chills and other unpleasant symptoms), but also turns into a carrier of the virus. Therefore, at the first signs of an infectious or sexually transmitted disease, accompanied by redness on the skin, you need to consult a doctor and begin comprehensive treatment, including taking antibiotics, antihistamines, vitamins, topical ointments - this is the only way to protect others and quickly cope with the disease.

Red spots

This type is the most common. They have the following features:

• The appearance of spots accompanied by itchy skin may be the result of a dermatological or fungal disease.
• Red spots, which are combined with the development of skin itching and flaking, may be the result of dermatitis, lichen or eczema.
• Small spots with a dark red or crimson tint appear against the background of chickenpox, measles and meningitis. Itching during illness can be unbearable.
• Red spots on healthy skin are the result of allergic reactions.
• Stress exposure is characterized by the appearance of diffuse dark red and burgundy spots in the neck or chest area. Their disappearance is observed after calming down.

Dermatological problems

The most common dermatological disease, characterized by the appearance of red spots - they are located locally or throughout the body - lichen. Experts distinguish several types of lichen, each of which has its own characteristics.

Red flat and ringing, scaly (psoriasis) and shingles, pityriasis and weeping (eczema) - all of them require the mandatory intervention of a specialist who can make a correct diagnosis and timely prescribe therapeutic measures. In addition, some types of lichen are transmitted by contact, which requires isolation of the patient from others, compliance with a special lifestyle, and exclusion of provoking factors.

Pathologies of the cardiovascular system and the consequences of frequent or constant stress and nervous tension.

The human body is a complex system in which everything is interconnected. Therefore, you shouldn’t be surprised if one of the consequences of nervous overstrain is redness of the skin (it’s not for nothing that people came up with the expression: “stains from nerves”). The reason for this phenomenon most often lies in vegetative-vascular dystonia, leading to impaired blood flow.

Redness of the skin will most likely not cause any pain and will go away on its own in a couple of days. However, you need to remember that quite serious diseases of internal organs can also lead to the appearance of spots: the cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal tract, etc. Therefore, any change in the skin should be a reason to contact a skin specialist.

Types of pigment spots and methods for their removal

Pigment spots can be small, large, single or multiple. They can have different shapes, usually close to oval, and different colors from light red to dark brown. The most common age spots are freckles, birthmarks and age-related pigmentation.

Freckles. This type of pigmentation is characteristic of fair-skinned people. Freckles usually appear on exposed areas of the body - the face, arms, ears, upper back and chest. Their color changes depending on the intensity of the sun. It is believed that freckles are caused by an uneven distribution of pigment in the skin, so over time, when the body gets stronger and adapts, they fade or disappear completely. For many girls, especially red-haired ones, freckles suit them - they add individuality, but this is not always the case. Too contrasting and extensive pigmentation is a reason for complexes, so they are “taken out”.

There are different ways to remove freckles. Traditional medicine, for example, recommends using parsley juice to whiten the skin. Of course, this method will not work immediately - it will take several months. Cosmetology offers much more effective methods. You can quickly remove freckles using chemical peeling with a base of fruit or lactic acids or laser skin resurfacing.

Birthmarks. Moles (nevi) can form on any part of the body. They have an even shape and a rather dark color. Unlike freckles, the melanin that forms the pigment spot is located in several layers of the skin, so removing a mole is more difficult than freckles. Moles have one peculiarity - they can degenerate into cancer, so large and suspicious formations are recommended to be removed. Birthmarks located in places of contact with the seams of clothing, belts and in areas subject to shaving are also removed. An injured mole is a gateway to infection: it can become inflamed, bleed and become wet.

A direct indication for contacting the clinic is a change in the shape, volume and color of the birthmark. Black and asymmetrical moles, bleeding or flaky spots with cracks are especially dangerous.

Moles without signs of cancer are removed with liquid nitrogen, diathermocoagulation or laser. Laser removal of birthmarks is most preferable, since it does not injure surrounding tissues and does not leave scars. And removing moles with a laser does not hurt at all, which is why many patients choose this particular technique.

Age spots. Unfortunately, these signs of impending old age cannot be prevented. Lentigo, as this type of pigmentation is called, appears in people after 40 years of age. Such age spots are especially noticeable during menopause, when pigmentation is spurred by hormonal changes. Lentigines, like freckles, are localized in places where the skin has been exposed to constant sunlight - on the face, arms, chest and back. Women, noticing such pigmentation, are upset, because they cannot hide the brown spots and they clearly show their age.

Age-related pigmentation can only be removed using cosmetic methods - traditional medicine will not help here. You can try medium or deep chemical peeling or low-impact laser removal. The advantage of the latter method is undeniable - after the procedure, only slight redness remains at the site of the spots, which quickly passes. With deep chemical peeling, the cosmetologist completely removes the top layer of skin, so recovery will take at least a month.

Large pigment spots. Melasma is a significant cosmetic problem. Unlike moles, such age spots have an uneven shape and look very unattractive. Their color intensifies in the sun - in spring and summer, and in winter the pigmentation decreases. Large pigment spots are a sign of hormonal changes, so they often occur during pregnancy, taking hormones, and the onset of menopause.

Large age spots can go away on their own, but women do not want to wait for this moment, so many resort to the help of a cosmetologist. Light peeling, special whitening masks, laser skin resurfacing, etc. can reduce the color of such spots.

What will an examination with a dermatologist give?

Since there are a great many causes of skin redness, it is not recommended to “remove” and treat them on your own. And here it doesn’t matter whether we are talking about small rashes scattered throughout or locally located large spots. Flaky and itchy or not causing much concern.

Only an experienced dermatologist will be able to determine the disease, sometimes by the nature and location of the redness. But even in this case, he will definitely prescribe a comprehensive examination, including analysis of scrapings from the affected areas of the skin, which will allow timely clarification of symptoms, the correct selection of treatment therapy, and possibly diagnosis of a very serious disease, which at first glance has nothing to do with the condition of the skin. covers.

Therapy

If spots appear on the body, treatment is carried out only after the cause has been established. There are several main therapeutic measures aimed at eliminating the etiological factor and manifestations:

• Antibiotics - used for established bacterial dermatitis to destroy microbial cells.
• Antiviral drugs - prescribed systemically (in tablet form) in case of herpes zoster. Antiviral cream is applied directly to the rash.
• Drugs that destroy fungus (fungicides) of local action in the form of ointment or cream. In case of fungal infection of a large area of ​​skin that is not amenable to local therapy, systemic administration of drugs in the form of capsules or tablets is used.
• Replacement therapy with the amino acid tyrosine or enzymes that promote its conversion into the pigment melanin is used for vitiligo.
• Avoiding excessive insolation (exposure to direct sunlight).
• In case of residual effects after an inflammatory process, special cosmetic preparations are used to ensure their rapid disappearance.

The appearance of formations on the skin of the body, regardless of their size, location and color, is a sign of the presence of a pathological process in the body. Therefore, for proper adequate treatment, it is worth contacting a specialist who, based on clinical data and examination results, will make a conclusion about the nature of the cause of the rash. After this, therapeutic measures in our clinic in Rostov-on-Don will be aimed at eliminating the pathological effects of the causative factor on the skin.

Face and body

There are a huge number of different reasons why skin hyperpigmentation appears. It can occur not only on the surface of the face, but also on the arms, back, legs, and abdomen. This may be due to genetics, various autoimmune disorders, excessive uncontrolled exposure to ultraviolet rays, insurmountable external circumstances, for example, the climatic characteristics of the region of residence, the environmental component, smoke or dust in cities.

Darkening on the stomach or back, on the arms or legs can appear after an inflammatory process in the epidermis. For some, insect bites cause light or dark areas of varying sizes that last a long time. Why is this happening? There are many prerequisites, they are worth discussing separately.

Hair and eye coloring

Few people know that the color of the iris also directly depends on the amount produced, the depth of occurrence and the total mass of the main coloring pigment. The shade of the iris becomes darker when there is more melanin in the body and vice versa.

The situation with hair is approximately the same; the lighter it is, the fewer compounds are produced. Over the course of life, due to various internal and external circumstances, its release may intensify or subside due to various pathological or physical phenomena.

Pigmentation or hyperpigmentation of the skin - what is it?

In fact, there is nothing wrong with this term and such a defect has absolutely nothing to do with any diseases.
The dictionary definition states that this can be called the uneven distribution of coloring pigments over the surface of the epidermis. In our case, we are talking specifically about a substance such as melanin, produced by a certain type of cell (melanocytes). Excessive accumulation or deficiency can cause hyperpigmentation or, conversely, tissue discoloration. This is how dots and even extensive formations appear, which are clearly visible to the naked eye. However, not only this substance has coloring ability; there are others. These can be lipochromes, bilirubin, lipofuscin and many others, which are products of cell metabolism.