Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Allergies That Cause Allergic Rashes

Allergies That Cause Allergic Rashes

Allergies have many symptoms and reaction that manifest in our skin. In fact, many allergic symptoms include swelling, itchiness and some form of dermatitis. Allergic rashes are not actually life threatening to start with but they can be very inconvenient and they cam also develop in to some other health complication.

Urticaria

Urticaria is commonly known as hives and occurs mostly as allergic rashes. Hives is the common reaction of the skin when exposed to allergens. Varied allergens may invoke different kinds of allergic rashes in people. Hives are bumps that develop in our skin and have varied shapes and sizes. They are usually itchy but there is little risk of breaking the skin when you scratch them because they are hardy bumps.

The more common causes of hives are exposure to animal dander, insect bites or stings, food allergies, exposure to latex rubber, certain medications and some illnesses. These kinds of allergic rashes can be controlled with the use of antihistamines in varying doses. Avoidance of the allergens can be done but sometimes it is more difficult to do especially during the months when allergens are abundant.

Contact Dermatitis

Contact dermatitis is the condition where the skin reacts to elements or substances that they come into contact with. The most common allergens for allergic contact dermatitis are certain metals, rubber materials, cosmetic ingredients, certain plants and other substances. Allergic rashes caused by contact dermatitis can be very itchy and can also appear swollen and irritated. Clothes and some accessories can be the sources of these kinds of allergic rashes.

Antihistamines and some topical creams can have a positive effect to these kinds of allergic rashes. Avoiding the substances and elements that causes the allergic rashes can help reduce the risk of the rash presenting.

Eczema

Eczema is another form of the allergic rashes that occur when allergens are present in the atmosphere. This is a common occurrence for those individuals with atopic dermatitis. These kinds of allergic rashes often occur in creases of the skin for older children and some adults while in infants and younger children, these occur in the face and eyes.

Treating eczema can be as simple as not scratching the areas where the allergic rashes occur. Antihistamine works well with eczema while applying common moisturizers can also help alleviate the itchiness and redness.

Allergic rashes are not life threatening so there is no need to panic when they occur. You may need to consult a medical practitioner to be better able to diagnose what caused them.

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