Common Skin Conditions: Signs, Symptoms and Treatments

Our skin protects us from foreign bodies, regulates temperatures, helps to prevent dehydration, cushions are internal organs, along with many other things. But our skin is also a target for many types of contact rashes, inflammation type rashes, and other disorders of the skin. Proper treatment comes from knowing exactly what you're looking at and properly treating the area.

Contact Dermatitis: is caused by direct contact with a certain irritant that a person is sensitive to for example plants (poison ivy, poison sumac) detergents, chemicals, or soaps.

Signs and Symptoms: Pruritis (itching), burning, pain at the location of contact, area may also contact small raised solid bumps, which some may develop into vesicle, which is a small fluid like sac.

Treatment: Antihistamines, Corticosteroids and Antipuritis meds (Benadryl, Aveeno) and simply removing the cause of the contact dermatitis.

Herpes Simplex: is caused by herpes virus hominis, there are two types of of herpes simplex type 1 which is most common and associated with the common cold sore and type 2 which is associated with genital herpes.

Signs and Symptoms: Type 1: Area may be swollen and red, there may be small fluid filled areas in the affected areas, outbreaks usually occur after an illness or infection, may have feelings of malaise and fatigue. Type 2: Vesicles when ruptured will become crusty causing ulcerations and become painful, once area rupture patient may show signs of headache, fatigue, elevated temperatures, weight loss and myalgia.

Treatments: Medication may be given to lesson outbreaks, but there is no cure. Warm compresses may be applied to area to lesson pain of vesicles.

Cellulitis: is caused by an infection of the skin, while not contagious it can be transmitted through direct contact through an open wound. Cellulitis is most common in the lower legs and the face.

Signs and Symptoms: Swelling and redness of the skin, break in skin where bacteria can enter this can be a scratch, cut or even insect bite.

Treatments: Antibiotics, infection control, and wound care.

Impetigo Contagiosa: this is a skin infection that is high contagious that is usually cause by staph aureus or strep. Impetigo for short is more commonly seen in children and more noted on the face, arms, hands and legs.

Signs and Symptoms: is a pustulant lesion with a honey colored exudates, pruritis, a low grade fever, pain at site of infection, malaise, and ability to spread from one area of body to next.

Treatment: Antibiotics and antiseptics soaps to remove exudates

During times of contagious outbreaks it is best to keep washing your hands to keep from cross infecting other areas of your body. While applying any type of topical medications use disposable gloves or applicators making sure not to touch the container to infected part of your body infected the medication.