Itching All Over

Pityriasis rosea is a skin disease marked by patches of pink, oval rash. Although its exact cause is unknown and its onset is not linked to food, medicines or stress, it is thought that this essentially non-contagious condition is set off by a virus. Pityriasis rosea can affect members of either sex of any age. Pityriasis rosea is uncommon in those over 60 years old. It may last months longer when it occurs in this age group. A single scaling patch often appears one to twenty days before the general rash. It is an oval plaque 2-5 cm in diameter, with a scale trailing just inside the edge of the lesion. The herald patch is often mistaken as ringworm. It can also be confused with psoriasis. Often, the patches are confined to the upper body and may follow the ribs in lines. The rash lasts around one or two months then clears up completely.

What causes it?

Pityriasis rosea may be set off by a viral infection but it does not appear to be contagious. Herpes viruses 6 and 7 have sometimes been associated with pityriasis rosea. It is not related to foods, medicines, or stress.

Pityriasis rosea clears up by itself in about six to twelve weeks. When clear, the skin returns to its normal appearance. It leaves no scars, although pale marks or brown discolouration may persist for a few months in dark skinned people.

What are the symptoms?

Pityriasis rosea causes a rash.

* The rash often begins with a single, round-to-oval, pink patch that is scaly with a raised border (herald patch). Its size ranges from 2 cm to 10 cm. The larger size is more common. See an illustration of a herald patch.

* Days to weeks later, salmon-colored, 1 cm to 2 cm oval patches appear in batches on the abdomen, chest, back, arms, and legs. Patches sometimes spread to the neck but rarely to the face.

*Itching of the lesions (mild to severe)

* Fever & fatigue (but rare)

Pityriasis Rosea Treatment

Treatment may include external and internal medications for itching. Aveeno oatmeal baths, anti-itch medicated lotions and steroid creams may be prescribed to combat the rash. Lukewarm, rather than hot, baths may be suggested. Strenuous activity, which could aggravate the rash, should be discouraged. Ultraviolet light treatments given under the supervision of a dermatologist may be helpful. Recently, both the antiviral drug Famvir and the antibiotic erythromycin have been claimed to produce healing in one to two weeks. For severe cases a few days of oral anti-inflammatory medications such as prednisone may be necessary to promote healing

more posts of interest:

• Pityriasis Lichenoides Chronica Facts and Pityriasis Lichenoides Chronicatreatment
• Therapy For the Treatment of Psoriasis
• Psoriasis and Self Esteem
• Psoriasis defined
• Psoriasis: Treatment According to Symptoms Types

Pityriasis lichenoides chronica, short form PLC, is the chronic version of the Pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta, also called Mucha Habermann’s Disease. Pityriasis lichenoides encompasses a spectrum of clinical presentations ranging from acute papular lesions that rapidly evolve into pseudovesicles and central necrosis (pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta or PLEVA) to small, scaling, benign-appearing papules (pityriasis lichenoides chronica or PLC). The condition can range from a relatively mild chronic form to a more severe acute eruption. The mild chronic form is known as pityriasis lichenoides chronica. It is characterised by the gradual development of symptom less, small, scaling papules that spontaneously flatten and regress over a period of weeks. It is a disease of the immune system.

Causes:

A number of acute exanthems (eg, Mucha-Habermann disease, pityriasis rosea, acute lichen planus, guttate psoriasis, erythema multiforme) are believed to be caused by a hypersensitivity reaction to infectious agents. Familial outbreaks, clustering of cases, and comorbid symptoms have been used to support these relationships in Mucha-Habermann disease, although clear causality is lacking.

Signs and Symptoms of Pityriasis lichenoides chronica

Pityriasis Lichenoides start out as a small rash that is red-brown in color that appears to be raised. Sometimes these bumps can have a clear fluid inside them. Unlike pityriasis lichenoides et varioliformis acuta, lesions are not painful, itchy or irritable. Pityriasis lichenoides chronica most commonly occurs over the buttocks, arms and legs, trunk. It almost feels like you are coming down with a case of the flu.

Treatment of pityriasis lichenoides

Pityriasis lichenoides may not always respond to treatment and relapses often occur when treatment is discontinued. If the rash is not causing symptoms, treatment may not be necessary. Large ulcerations found in febrile ulceronecrotic Muchas-Habermann disease require local wound care.

In cases where treatment is necessary, there are several different therapies available. Current recommended first-line therapies include:

* Sun exposure may help to resolve lesions but sunburn should be avoided.

* Topical steroids to reduce irritation. In more recent years concerns raised about their side effect profile has led to the increased use of nonsteroidal topical immunomodulators.

more posts of interest:

• Therapy For the Treatment of Psoriasis
• Pityriasis Rosea Facts and Pityriasis Rosea Treatment
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Eczema is a chronic condition characterized by dry, red, swollen and extremely itchy skin. Eczema is not contagious but it is believed to have a hereditary connection. Research has identified the common trait that most of the time atopic dermatitis, the most common form of eczema, is inherited from one or both of an individual’s parents. If a person has one parent who suffers from eczema, they have a one-in-four chance of developing the condition. If both parents have eczema, the likelihood is increased to one-in-two chances. Most individuals who have two parents who suffer from eczema do indeed develop the skin disorder. Additionally, many people who develop eczema also have a genetic tendency to develop other allergy-related health problems such as hay fever and asthma.

Approximately thirty percent of infants will develop eczema. Luckily, many will outgrow it by the time they reach three to five years of age. In babies, it generally first appears between the ages of four to six months and it begins with the appearance of a red rash that might ooze fluid. It then spreads to the cheeks and the forehead and sometimes continues to the baby’s arms and legs. In the most severe of cases, a baby’s entire body may be covered with the skin disease. When a baby has cradle cap, or infantile seborrhoeic eczema, a great deal of scaling appears on the scalp although it does not itch.

Some infants are not lucky enough to outgrow their eczema; they carry it into their childhood years. For those who are predisposed to develop it for heriditary reasons, but did not do so in their infancy, they have the potential to develop it anytime between the ages of two and four years of age. In typical bouts of childhood eczema, the rash first appears behind the knees, the ankles, in the creases of the elbows and sometimes will even affect the child’s face, neck and ears. It is generally very itchy and subsequently requires a topical steroid cream. Childhood eczema normally disappears sometime between the ages of ten and twelve, although some children continue to suffer from it well into their teenage and adulthood years.

Adult atopic eczema often begins during a person’s twenties. In this case it often continues throughout the majority of a person’s life. It is normally characterized by large spots of itchy, swollen, red, and oozing skin. Adult eczema tends to affect people in the wrists, elbow creases, neck area, behind the knees and the ankles. Sufferers of adult eczema often see an improvement during middle age, particularly in their forties or fifties. Atopic eczema rarely begins in senior citizens. There is another form of eczema that shows itself in older people; it is called varicose eczema. This kind of eczema afflicts the ankles and is, for the most part, a result of poor circulation to the legs.

Despite the fact that many children outgrow their eczema, they commonly have a lifelong tendency to have skin problems. These problems include hand dermatitis; dry skin that chaps and gets easily irritated; skin infections like staph, yeast infections and herpes simplex, like cold sores, and eye problems such as cataracts and eyelid dermatitis.

more posts of interest:

• Eczema Or Atopic Dermatitis, Anyone?
• Eczema Treatment How to Regain That Youthful Skin
• A Short Classification of Eczema
• What You Should Know About Eczema
• Eczema – Causes, Symptoms and Treatment