Rashes are usually quite miserable to deal with. They’re itchy, splotchy, bumpy and can oftentimes be painful, as well. So, what causes these terrible reactions, and are there ways that you and your family can avoid them?

Read on as our AFC Urgent Care Cleveland team provides some helpful answers.

What Is a Rash?

A rash is an area of irritated or swollen skin. Many rashes are itchy, red, painful and irritated, while some can also lead to blisters or patches of raw skin.

Rashes are a symptom of many different medical problems, such as allergies and other illnesses. Also, certain genes can make people more likely to get rashes. We’ve listed some of the most common reasons you could be dealing with a rash below.

Common Rash Causes

• Eczema
• Contact dermatitis
• Heat rash
• Allergy rash (from a plant, food or medication)
• Psoriasis
• Shingles

Are Rashes Serious?

Because rashes are caused by so many different things, it’s important to know what has caused yours to know the severity of it. Although most rashes clear up fairly quickly, others are long-lasting and need long-term treatment.

If it is a bad rash, if it does not go away or if you have other symptoms that we’ve listed below, you should visit our AFC center ASAP to get the necessary treatment to end your interaction with the rash once and for all! Treatments may include moisturizers, lotions, baths, cortisone creams that relieve swelling and antihistamines, which relieve itching.

Concerning Rash Signs

• A rash that is all over the body. A rash that covers the body could indicate something problematic, such as an infection or allergic reaction.
• A rash accompanied by a fever. This also could be caused by an allergic reaction or an infection. Examples of rashes caused by infection include scarlet fever, measles, mononucleosis and shingles.
• The rash is sudden and spreads rapidly. A common cause of this is an allergy to a medication. If breathing becomes difficult, go to the emergency room or call 911.
• The rash is painful.
• The rash is infected. If you have an itchy rash and you scratch it, it may become infected. Signs of an infected rash are yellow or green fluid, swelling, crusting, pain, warmth in the rash area, or a red streak coming from the rash.

Have you or your child run into some poison ivy at Johnston Woods or Camp Highland this summer? If so, don’t hesitate to visit our AFC Urgent Care Cleveland team to get the relief from your rash that you need!