Some Common Skin Diseases That You Should Be Aware Of

Most people have suffered from one form of skin disease or the other. Those nasty, red, itchy rashes on the skin can be caused by factors like common allergens like excessive exposure to sunlight, cosmetics, or even excessively sweaty skin.

These skin irritants often go away on their own with routine self-care. However, in some cases, if they are persistent, one might need to visit a dermatologist, who might suggest anti-allergy medicines, antibacterial drugs, or antifungal creams like canesten, depending upon the cause of the irritant. Find out how do you catch a viral infection and how you can prevent them.

Some Common Skin Diseases To Know About

Atopical Eczema

This disease affects 10-15% of the Australian adult population and closes to a third of its infant population. This occurs when the skin’s outer surface comes in contact with an allergen that irritates the body. This allergen may include anything from pollen, dust, mites, etc.

These usually appear on the fingers and palms of the hand and give an appearance of scaly, itchy skin, peeling off at regular intervals.

Atopical eczema can be treated by avoiding the irritant which triggers the disease. This irritant can vary among people. So one has first to identify the irritant and then stay away from it so that it does not irritate the immune system.

Doctors may also recommend a corticosteroid to reduce the itch associated with this disease. Moreover, these days new-age treatments are coming up like light treatment, where limited exposure to either UV-A or UV-B light can help alleviate the symptoms of the disease.

Shingles

Shingles cause red, itchy tiny blisters on patients’ torsos and, at times, can be accompanied by headaches and fevers. They are viral infections caused by the same agent that causes chickenpox.

Treatment for Shingles includes strategies for pain management like analgesics or treating to cure the causal virus, in which case drugs like Aciclovir can be prescribed. Also, if people are vaccinated against chickenpox, they gain immunity from Shingles.

Athlete’s Foot

This is a common fungal infection of the skin most commonly characterized by the appearance of hard, scaly, itchy skin that develops around the toes. These occur in people who tend to sweat more or athletes who wear stuffy, tight-fitting shoes. This is because hot and humid conditions make it ideal for fungi like ringworms to grow.

Preventive measures for an athlete’s foot include keeping one’s foot dry and regular washing and cleaning of the foot to prevent the growth of fungus. To treat the disease, doctors often prescribe Antifungal creams like Canesten to apply to the affected skin area. 

Acne

Acne appears as red, itchy eruptions all over people’s faces. It is caused when the hair follicles in the dermis get blocked by oil or dead skin cells. The appearance of acne is usually correlated with factors like hormonal changes, as seen during puberty and under stress conditions.

Acne can resolve by itself with measures like regular washing of the face. However, if the conditions do not improve, one can visit a dermatologist who usually prescribes a cream or a foam-based product containing salicylic acid. Apart from this, preventive measures can be taken to avoid acne, including avoiding refined sugar and fast food in one’s diet, which is often associated with acne.

Conclusion

Most of the above-mentioned skin diseases occur routinely in an individual’s lifetime. They can be resolved with simple preventative measures like avoiding the triggers for the disease and curative measures like taking over-the-counter medicines, including anti-pain and anti-itch medications that can help manage the disease.