What is skin inflammation?
Your immune system is important for maintaining your overall health. It works to detect and neutralize foreign invaders, such as infectious microbes and even cancer cells. When this happens, inflammation can occur.
Like any other part of your body, your skin can be involved in immune responses. Inflammation in the skin often causes a rash to form. It’s typically a response from your immune system to conditions such as:
Infections, internal disease or condition, and allergic reactions.
You may be familiar with some of the common causes of skin inflammation, which can include: dermatitis, psoriasis, and various skin infections.
Some of the symptoms of skin inflammation can include:
rash which may vary depending on the cause of the inflammation:
- may be smooth or scaly
- may itch, burn, or sting
- may be flat or raised
- skin redness
- warmth in the affected area
- blisters or pimples
- raw or cracked areas of skin that may bleed
- thickening of the skin in the affected area
What causes skin inflammation?
Inflammation occurs when your immune system responds to a stimulus or trigger. There are many different types of cells in the immune system that are involved in inflammation.
These cells release a variety of substances that can widen the blood vessels and make them more permeable. This allows the immune response to reach the affected area more easily. It also leads to many of the symptoms associated with inflammation, including redness, heat, and swelling.
What causes skin inflammation?
Your immune system is important for maintaining your overall health. It works to detect and neutralize foreign invaders, such as infectious microbes and even cancer cells. When this happens, inflammation can occur.
How is skin inflammation diagnosed?
In order to diagnose the cause of your skin inflammation, your doctor will first perform a physical exam and take your medical history. Many cases of skin inflammation caused by an infection can be diagnosed by an examination of the rash.
While taking your history, your doctor may also ask if you noticed the inflammation following eating a particular food, taking a certain medication, or coming into direct contact with a particular thing.
Your doctor may also perform some routine blood tests, such as a basic metabolic panel or complete blood count in order to rule out a specific disease or condition.
If an allergy is suspected, they may advise allergy testing.
When to call your doctor
You should always visit your doctor if your rash:
- appears all over your body
- occurs suddenly and spreads rapidly
- is accompanied by a fever
- starts to form blisters
- is painful
- appears infected, which can include symptoms like oozing pus, swelling, and a red streak coming from the rash.