“One of the most common, but unexpected, causes of contact dermatitis is actually a common medication: Neomycin, found in triple-antibiotic cream,” Dr. You can also apply a topical hydrocortisone cream or take an oral antihistamine to ease the itching. The best remedy is to avoid the allergen or irritant altogether. You may get itchy, red or swollen skin, and can develop blisters near the site of contact.
But you could be allergic to anything from a certain type of fabric to a chemical in your laundry detergent.Īllergic contact dermatitis typically takes a few days to show up, so it’s not always easy to identify the source. Nickel and rubber are lesser known yet common causes of contact dermatitis. You may have had a brush with poison ivy, leaving behind a line-shaped or streaking rash. The most likely source of this rash is an allergic reaction where your skin comes into contact with an irritant. Avoiding these triggers is the first step of treatment but gentle skincare, a daily moisturizer and healthy sleep habits go a long way. It flares up in response to stress, weather changes, poor sleep and irritating fabrics or products. Atopic dermatitis is a chronic, inflammatory type of eczema that can start in childhood but reappear in adulthood. Instead, it’s a skin response triggered by your immune system and due to genetic and environmental factors. It looks brown, purple, gray or ashen in darker skin tones.Įczema is not something you can catch from someone else. Eczema is evident by its itchy, red, inflamed patches of skin in light skin tones. It’s the most common skin rash, affecting more than 31 million Americans. Most people associate eczema with itchy children but you can get it as an adult, too. Talk to your doctor to end the itching and relieve the redness Tyler Olson, MD, a Family Medicine physician at The Iowa Clinic in Johnston, helps clear up concerns about the rashes you’re most likely to develop in adulthood. Luckily, the most common types of skin rashes in adults are ones you can typically wait out, treat with over-the-counter medications or resolve with the help of your primary care provider. But before you consider applying a little lotion to relieve the itch, you should understand exactly what kind of rash you have. They might be small and appear easy to treat. Most skin rashes clear up as quickly as they come. It’s just any noticeable change in the texture or color of your skin. Rashes are the most common skin problems for adults.Ī rash isn’t a specific diagnosis. And there are a number of things that can cause it to break out in blotches, bumps, blisters, scales, spots or just general redness. Your skin is the largest organ in your body. Even something that never touched your skin. You can get a rash at any age and from almost anything. Before you try home treatments, understand what's behind the break-out.īy Featured Provider Tyler Olson on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 The rashes you get often change as you age. The Most Common Skin Rashes You Get as a Grown-Up