When Do I Need to See a Dermatologist About a Skin Rash?

Your skin — which weighs about 8 pounds and covers, on average, 22 square feet — is your body’s largest organ. And it’s a good thing, since your skin is your first line of defense, protecting you from everything the world throws at you, from flying objects to bacterial infections.

In its shielding role, your skin has likely developed a rash or two over the course of your life, and these minor outbreaks simply went away on their own. But on the days you’re struggling with a persistent, growing, or painful rash, you want answers.

You’ve certainly come to the right place. At LaSante Health Center, we offer specialized dermatology services. Our medical team prides itself on having your healthcare needs covered from head to toe, and this care certainly extends to your all-important skin.

Here, we take a quick dive into skin rashes and when you should seek our help.

What is a skin rash?

Your skin is very much a part of your immune system, since it protects your body from foreign invaders and objects. For example, it bears the brunt of the radiation from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Your skin also forms a protective barrier and takes the hits, quite literally.

A skin rash is often an outward sign that your body is launching an immune or healing response. While people can develop different types of rashes, common attributes include:

• Red bumps
• Itchiness
• Lumps and hives
• Inflammation
• Dry, flakey skin

It’s also not uncommon for skin rashes to bleed, especially if you’re scratching the area.

Primary culprits behind skin rashes

There are many different issues that can lead to skin rashes — too many to get into here. That said, we do want to review the primary culprits responsible for a majority of skin rashes, such as:

• Allergies, which affect 100 million people in the United States
• Eczema, a chronic inflammatory skin condition that affects nearly 32 million Americans
• Psoriasis, an autoimmune disorder that affects more than 8 million people in the US
• Insect bites and stings
• Run-ins with poisonous plants like poison oak and poison ivy
• Viral infections like chickenpox and the measles

Of these, contact dermatitis is probably the most common. Contact dermatitis falls under allergies, and the condition occurs when your body reacts to an allergen or irritant.

When to seek help for your skin rash

As we mentioned, many skin rashes come and go within a day or two, and these episodes may not be worth coming to see us, since they’re only temporary.

But if you have a rash with any of these characteristics, we suggest that you come see us:

• The condition is spreading
• Your rash isn’t going away
• Your rash bleeds or is painful
• The rash keeps you up at night because of the itching
• The skin condition is accompanied by other symptoms, such as fever

You know your body best, and if you feel like the rash is problematic, we prefer that you err on the side of caution and have us take a look.

During your visit with our dermatology experts, we can review your symptoms, examine the skin rash, and perform some testing to see what’s driving the outward symptom. 

As much as testing can help to resolve the problem, we can also prescribe medications to minimize the symptoms of your rash, such as the itching and inflammation.

So if you have a rash that’s moderate to severe and shows no signs of going away quietly, it’s time to book an appointment online or call us at our Brooklyn, New York, office at 718-246-5700. 

We serve the Flatbush and East Flatbush, Crown Heights, Park Slope, Little Haiti, Little Caribbean, and Prospect Lefferts Gardens communities.