Blotchy rash face

Rosacea, Hives, Psoriasis, and More

Medically Reviewed by Debra Jaliman, MD on May 24, 2021

These red welts usually itch. They can be a sign of an allergic reaction, but stress or an illness can cause them, too. A hive will usually go away within a day, but a new one could pop up in its place. You may only get a few, or you could have a bunch that connect and spread across your body. If they get worse or don’t go away, see your doctor for treatment. If you have trouble breathing or swallowing, get medical help ASAP.

This prickly red rash, which may be bumpy and is usually itchy, happens in hot, humid weather. It tends to show up in places where your skin rubs together, like your armpits and groin. It’s common in babies but can also happen to adults who get sweaty and overheated. It usually goes away on its own in 3-4 days. If it doesn’t, or if it starts to swell or ooze, call your doctor.

This happens when your skin reacts to something it touches. Sometimes it’s an allergic reaction (such as to poison ivy), and sometimes it’s irritation (from perfumes in soap, for example). Contact dermatitis can be a rash, hives, dry skin, or blisters. Your skin can turn thick or flaky, and it may darken or crack. Sometimes it takes time to figure out what’s caused it. Work with a dermatologist, especially if it gets worse.

There are a few types of this disease, but the most common, plaque psoriasis, shows up as raised red patches with a scaly layer of dead skin cells on top. You’ll usually see it on your scalp, knees, elbows, and lower back, but the blotches can appear anywhere on the body. Most people first notice it between the ages of 15 and 35, but the disease can crop up at any time.

The condition causes patches of very dry, itchy skin. Over time, these areas can thicken and turn lighter or darker than the rest of your body. Most people who have eczema first get it before age 5, and about half will outgrow it by the time they're adults. But it’s not uncommon for adults to start having symptoms.

If you notice blotches or flushing across your cheeks, nose, chin, or forehead, you might have this skin condition. Sometimes, small pimple-like bumps form and blood vessels get more visible. Usually, it starts after age 30, then gets redder and more constant. Many things can trigger rosacea or make it worse, including drinking alcohol, eating spicy foods, stress, and menopause. There’s no cure, but treatments can control the symptoms.

This painful rash with blisters usually shows up as a single stripe on one side of the body. (You might have tingling or itching a few days before you see it.) It’s caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox -- the virus stays in your body and, even decades later, can flare up and cause shingles. It’s most common in people over 60. It should clear up in 2-4 weeks, but see your doctor to get medicine to prevent lasting nerve pain.

Also called broken capillaries, these are tiny blood vessels, located close to the surface of the skin, that get larger and more visible. The result is blotchiness and uneven skin tone on areas like the legs and face. Spider veins have many causes and are twice as common in women. They’re not harmful, but you can have them treated if you don’t like how they look.

These brown or gray-brown patches on the face come from sun exposure, hormone changes, or both. Melasma is much more common in women -- pregnancy or birth control pills are common triggers. The patches usually show up on the forehead, upper lip, cheeks, chin, and nose. They can fade on their own after pregnancy or once you stop taking the pill, but treatments can help, too. A broad-spectrum sunscreen and strict sun avoidance will keep them from getting darker.

With this condition, patches of your skin lose color and appear lighter. Sometimes it happens on only a few parts of the body, but vitiligo can cover large areas (even the hair, eyes, and inside of the mouth). It happens when the cells that give skin and hair their color, called melanocytes, die. Vitiligo affects men and women of all races. A few different treatments may restore your skin.

This fungal infection, which is especially common in tropical climates, makes white, pink, red, or brown spots form on the skin. They can show up anywhere on the body, and sometimes they’re dry, scaly, and itchy. Tinea versicolor is most common in teens and young adults with oily skin. A doctor can prescribe medicine, cleansers, or pills to treat it.

When you drink, especially if you have one too many, your face can flush and look blotchy. And if you have a hangover the next day, the dehydration will make any redness worse. If your skin gets very red when you imbibe, you may have alcohol flush syndrome, which is caused by an enzyme problem (it’s common in people of East Asian descent). Or you could have rosacea, and alcohol triggers your symptoms.

Whether it’s with a chemical peel or a scrub, exfoliation removes dead skin cells and leaves your skin looking brighter and refreshed. But doing it too often or too aggressively can make your face redder, make skin problems worse, and cause dark spots to show up. Ask a dermatologist about the best way to exfoliate your skin type.

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SOURCES:

National Psoriasis Foundation: “About Psoriasis. ”

American Academy of Dermatology: “Psoriasis,” “Atopic dermatitis,” “Hives,” “Contact dermatitis,” “Melasma,” “Vitiligo,” “Tinea versicolor,” “Evaluate before you exfoliate.”

American Academy of Family Physicians: “Heat Rash,” “Exercise-induced Urticaria.”

National Rosacea Society: “All About Rosacea,” “Factors That May Trigger Rosacea Flare-Ups,” “Tips for Controlling Alcohol Flare-Ups.”

CDC: “About Shingles (Herpes Zoster).”

American Osteopathic College of Dermatology: “Spider Veins.”

Stanford Health Care: “Telangiectasia.”

Alcohol Health & Research World: “Alcohol Hangover: Mechanisms and Mediators.”

International Rosacea Foundation: “Rosacea Symptoms.”

National Institutes of Health: “Alcohol Flush Signals Increased Cancer Risk among East Asians.”

Cleveland Clinic: “Flushing.”

Inflammation & Allergy - Drug Targets: “Brain-Skin Connection: Stress, Inflammation and Skin Aging.”

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Enteroviral infection

Published: 28. 07.2016 11:21

Enteroviral infection

Enterovirus infection is caused by a large group of viruses from the picornavirus family. Viruses are stable in the external environment, they persist for a long time in soil, water, on infected objects, but quickly die when boiled, under the action of disinfectant solutions and ultraviolet radiation. They get sick more often in the autumn-summer period. Infection occurs from patients with enterovirus infection and virus carriers, which are most often children of preschool age. The infection is transmitted both by airborne droplets when coughing, sneezing, and by contact - when using objects contaminated with the secretions of the patient. Transmission through contaminated food and water is possible. Congestion and unsanitary conditions contribute to the spread of infection. Children aged 3-10 years get sick more often. Breastfed babies rarely get sick because they get immunity from their mother. After an enterovirus infection, repeated cases of the disease are possible due to the diversity of the pathogen.

Periods and forms of illness

The following periods of illness are distinguished:

• incubation, latent period - from 2 to 10 days;
• period of pronounced manifestations of the disease;
• recovery period.

The duration of the disease may vary depending on its form and severity. Enterovirus infection is characterized by common symptoms that are detected in all patients.

The onset of the disease is acute: the condition worsens, weakness, lethargy, headache, and sometimes vomiting appear. The temperature rises, sometimes up to 39-40°. There may be redness of the skin of the upper half of the body, especially the face and neck, redness of the eyes - scleritis. In the pharynx, reddening of the soft palate, arches, graininess of the posterior pharyngeal wall is visible. The tongue is coated with white. A rash of a different nature may appear on the skin of the trunk. The cervical and axillary lymph nodes are enlarged, the liver and spleen may be enlarged. In addition to these common signs, enterovirus infection can take various forms. Against the background of the general symptoms of the disease, a leading symptom appears, which determines the form of enterovirus infection.

One of the most common forms is herpetic sore throat. It occurs more often in young children. Against the background of elevated temperature, which lasts 1-3 days, small raised spots (papules) appear on the oral mucosa, in the pharynx, quickly turning into vesicles (vesicles), which last for 24-48 hours, after which they open, forming erosion with white bloom. Often the upper anterior cervical lymph nodes are enlarged.

Epidemic myalgia (Bornholm's disease, "devil's disease") is the most striking form of enterovirus infection, which makes it possible to diagnose on the basis of severe intoxication and pain in the muscles of the chest, abdomen, lower back and legs of a paroxysmal nature, lasting from several minutes to an hour. The disease often has an undulating course, sometimes the temperature drops for 1-3 days, and then rises again. The liver is enlarged; in boys, especially in adolescence, the testicles may be involved in the process.

Enteroviral exanthema is characterized by a rash that appears 2-3 days after the temperature drops. The rash can be varied - punctate, spotted, with small hemorrhages. It appears simultaneously, is located on the body, less often on the shins and feet, lasts 2-3 days, after which it disappears without a trace.

As with other forms of the disease, a combination of a rash with changes in the pharynx, muscle pain, swollen lymph nodes is possible.

With enterovirus infection, the nervous system can be affected: the meninges (serous meningitis), tissues of the brain (encephalitis) and spinal cord (myelitis). These forms are characterized by manifestations of intoxication, headache, vomiting, convulsions, even loss of consciousness and paralysis are possible. In such cases, you should immediately consult a doctor and hospitalize the patient. Very rarely, severe forms of infection occur in newborns with damage to the heart and brain. Heart failure is also possible in older children.

Enteroviral diarrhea is one of the forms of enterovirus infection, occurs more often in children of the first years of life. Within 2-3 days, against the background of a moderately elevated temperature and intoxication, loose stools appear, sometimes with an admixture of mucus.

With enterovirus infection, eye damage is also possible in the form of hemorrhagic conjunctivitis and inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eye - uveitis. With hemorrhagic conjunctivitis, photophobia, lacrimation, swelling of the eyelids, redness, and pinpoint hemorrhages on the conjunctiva of one or both eyes are observed.

The listed forms do not exhaust the whole variety of clinical manifestations of enterovirus infection. With this disease, damage to the kidneys, biliary system, liver, lungs, and pancreas is possible. Combined forms of enterovirus infection are often observed, for example, herpangina and myalgia, etc.

Treatment

Patients with enterovirus infection can be treated at home, children with moderate and severe forms of the disease, with damage to the central nervous system, eyes, heart, liver, as well as young children are hospitalized.