When allergic skin rash appears very often. About how this phenomenon looks like, and how to treat it, we will tell in the materials of this article.
Basic information
The term "allergy" refers to the hypersensitive state of the human immune system during repeated exposure to an allergen on the body, previously sensitized by it.
If you have allergies, the rash may appear immediately or after a few days. This condition must be treated. How to do this, we will tell below.
Reason for development
Why does an allergy rash appear in children and adults? As mentioned above, the reaction in question is a personal intolerance to a particular factor. Such an unpleasant symptom as a rash is the result of a specific reaction of the human immune system.
Allergy skin rash can occur due to the following factors:
- certain medicines;
- Foods such as nuts, honey, citrus fruits, dairy products, chocolate (most often allergic rash due to food appears on the face);
- certain types of fabrics (such as synthetics or wool);
- chemicalsubstances, including household chemicals;
- cosmetics;
- animal wool;
- plant pollen;
- certain types of metals;
- insect bites (a similar reaction is called insect).
It should also be noted that the allergic rash, the photo of which is presented in this article, can even occur due to exposure to cold.
Appearance
What does an allergy rash look like? Such manifestations on the skin are distinguished by the following features:
- the color of the spots can vary from pink to bright red;
- rashes on the integument usually do not have a clear shape (they are spots with blurry and indistinct edges);
- scaling may occur at the site of the rash;
- most often, an allergic rash looks like a nettle burn, although such rashes can also look like nodules, spots, weeping vesicles and blisters;
- at the site of the rash, the skin is usually very irritated, sometimes there is swelling on it;
- Food allergies usually occur on the face, particularly on the cheeks and around the mouth (may also occur on the abdomen, arms, back, legs).
Where does it appear?
With allergies, the rash can be localized in different parts of the body. For example, irritation in contact dermatitis appears in the place where the skin came into contact with the allergen. A reaction to household chemicals usually occurs on the hands, and to wool or synthetics, for example, when wearing trousers made of this material, only on the lowerlimbs. With other types of allergies, irritation can occur anywhere.
Few people know, but with allergies, a rash does not always occur. Spots and dots on the body may not be. In some cases, such a reaction is manifested only by redness and swelling. Usually this phenomenon is observed with hay fever, that is, with an allergy to pollen.
Associated allergic symptoms
A rash is just one of several signs of intolerance to a particular allergen. In addition to skin irritation, such a pathological condition may be accompanied by other unpleasant phenomena. Usually they include:
- choking cough;
- teary;
- severe itching of the skin;
- redness of the visual organs;
- sneeze;
- annoying runny nose;
- photophobia.
As for the increase in body temperature, with allergies, such a symptom develops extremely rarely. Most often, this symptom does not occur due to the very fact of an allergy, but as a result of an infection. For example, if a child has multiple bites on their arms and starts scratching them vigorously, they will eventually become infected.
If the irritation on the skin really has an allergic etymology, then usually the person feels quite normal. At the same time, he does not have any ailments. Allergy rash in childrencause concern, but this is only a consequence of severe itching of the skin.
Other signs
How does an allergy to antibiotics manifest itself? A rash on the skin (treatment of such a condition should be carried out necessarily) when taking this or that medication is a medicinal urticaria. This reaction to a drug is called a side effect. Usually, its possible appearance is warned in the instructions that are attached to many medicines and even to multivitamin complexes. If a patient is allergic to pollen and the allergen enters their gastrointestinal tract, they may experience vomiting, nausea, and severe abdominal pain.
When to sound the alarm?
If an allergic rash (you can find a photo of such irritation in this article) has appeared on the body of a child, then it is necessary to measure his temperature. In this case, you need to pay special attention to whether your baby has any breathing problems. If it is difficult, then you should immediately consult a doctor, as this may indicate the development of such a serious complication as Quincke's edema.
Reasons for seeing a doctor
Types of rash with allergies can be different. Such irritation can be localized in one place or cover the entire body. In any case, when you see a rash of unknown origin on your skin, you should definitely contact a specialist. Why such urgency?
- If left untreated, an allergy rash can develop into a serious onecomplication, for example, in bronchial asthma.
- It is rather problematic to identify on your own what exactly caused the development of such irritation. In most cases, this requires laboratory testing. In order to determine the type of allergen, the doctor must do skin tests or refer the patient for a blood test.
- Not always skin irritation indicates the development of an allergic rash. Such a phenomenon may also be a symptom of an infectious disease (for example, rubella, chickenpox, herpes zoster, and others). All of these diseases are contagious and require constant monitoring by a specialist.
- A rash on the skin can also be a common dermatological disease (including lichen, psoriasis or eczema). It is extremely important to diagnose the disease at the initial stage of its development. Only in this case, the treatment will be most effective.
- A rash that appears on the skin may be the result of an insect bite. For example, after being bitten by an ixodid tick, irritation may not appear for quite a long time (from 2 weeks to 1 month). It is very difficult to identify on your own that it was the tick bite that caused the spots to appear. In this regard, you can skip the development of such a dangerous disease as borreliosis.
Even if the patient is completely sure that the rash on his skin is precisely of an allergic nature, only an experienced doctor should treat it. As a rule, special ointments are used to treat this condition. If the case is running andsevere, the patient may need a whole range of drugs.
How to get rid of a rash?
How long does an allergy rash last? On its own, such irritation disappears only after contact with the allergen has been completely stopped. It usually takes several days or even weeks. If the patient does not know why such rashes appeared on his skin, then he should consult a doctor. After the examination, the doctor will be able to create a hypoallergenic diet or teach the patient the principles that will minimize contact with the established allergen.
Also allergic rashes can be cured through immunotherapy. For this, the patient is given injections with a microdose of the allergen (sublingual drops can be used). To completely eliminate an allergic rash, a rather long course of treatment may be required, as a result of which the so-called "antidote" to the allergen is produced in the human body.
How is antibiotic allergy treated? A skin rash that should only be treated by an allergist very often occurs after taking certain drugs. Paradoxically, various medications are also used to eliminate it. As a rule, they are intended for topical application (for example, Triderm, Pimafukort and others). Although the doctor may prescribe them in combination with oral medications (for example, Clemastin, Tavegil, Suprastin, Loratadine, and others).
How to treat allergies in children?
Allergic rashes in children canarise for various reasons. When observing such irritation, you should remember what kind of food your child has eaten in the last few hours. Very often, the cause of the development of an allergy in a baby is a washing powder that has not previously been used in the family. Another reason for this phenomenon may be taking certain medications or replacing baby porridge.
A child prone to allergic reactions should, if possible, refrain from contact with cosmetics, creams or soaps. If irritation has already arisen, then antihistamines are used to treat the baby. To prevent the subsequent appearance of a rash, it is necessary to protect children from an established source of the allergen. To determine it, you need to contact an allergist.
With such a pathology, it is very important not to let the allergy “take its course”. If no action is taken, this reaction can worsen and develop into asthmatic dermatitis, hay fever, or bronchial asthma.
Prevention
What measures to take to prevent an allergic rash from developing? To do this, you must adhere to the following rules:
- Pregnant women should take antibiotics with extreme caution and follow a specific diet.
- Nursing mothers should not abuse foods that cause allergies (eg chocolate, eggs, fish, citrus fruits).
- Babies born with allergies need to breastfeed longer.
- Baby,those suffering from food allergies should avoid eating s alty and spicy foods, canned and pickled foods.
- Allergy sufferers should refrain from contact with animals and dust in the house.
