The Surprising Causes of Red Spots On Skin (and How To Treat Them)

Insufferable scabies

If the red spots on your skin are mostly on your hands or your armpits, you may be suffering from scabies. Another big sign is that these spots are itchy, getting particularly bad at night. If you do have scabies, though, what can you do about them?

Step one, as always, is to get a professional diagnosis from your doctor. He may prescribe some creams and ointments that can help treat both the pain and the outbreak. Additionally, you may be prescribed something like crotamiton, ivermectin, or permethrin in order to get rid of unwanted scabies.

Miserable measles

Do you have small red spots appearing all over your body? More importantly, are they not really very painful? In that case, you may be experiencing measles, and while you still need to get a professional diagnosis, treatment for measles is relatively straightforward.

In most cases, your doctor will recommend that you get plenty of rest and stay hydrated. He may also prescribe you some acetaminophen to take. Between the medicine, water, and rest, you can easily make measles a thing of the past.

Funky fungal infections

Are the red spots in your body appearing in large patches isolated to certain areas of your body? Are blisters in the area, and does the affected area look kind of scaly? In that case, you may be experiencing a fungal infection.

Exactly how to treat such an issue will be up to your doctor. In some cases, over-the-counter antifungal skin treatments may work. However, your doctor may also prescribe some antibiotics and antifungal medication to help deal with the unwanted fungal infection.

Annoying allergies

Are your red spots super itchy and appearing in midsized patches? Are they filled with fluid? In that case, your spots were possibly caused by allergies, and this diagnosis is even likelier if the spots didn’t appear until your skin touched an unfamiliar plant or until you were bitten by an insect.

The good news is that treating such allergies is usually straightforward; the bad news is that you can’t treat it yourself without getting a professional diagnosis. Different allergies have different treatments (for example, you might need specific medication such as corticosteroids, or you may just need a topical cream.

Hellish heat rashes

Take another look at the red spots on your body; are they appearing in small patches? When you look closer, do you see plenty of tiny spots? If the answer is yes and the spots are burning hot and appearing in areas like your face, back, chest, neck, or thighs, then you are almost certainly suffering from a heat rash.

Unfortunately, there are not any special medications or ointments you can get to help with a heat rash. All you can really do is to keep the affected area cool. One of the best ways to do this is by applying cold compresses, so make sure you have plenty of these on hand!

Itchy eczema

Are your red spots very itchy? Do they have a tendency to get swollen? In that case, you may have eczema; even though this condition frequently affects children, it can also affect adults, especially if you frequently wash your hands using antibacterial soap.

What are you supposed to do if you have Eczema? As with some of the other conditions we have touched on, it will be up to your doctor. Sometimes, a combination of corticosteroid creams and ointments may do the trick; other times, you may need to be prescribed a medication such as Ioratadine.

Zapped by the Zika virus

Not all red spots on the skin are exactly the same. For example, do your bumps appear to be a bit raised, and are they annoyingly itchy? In that case, you probably have the Zika virus, especially if the red spots first appeared on your face before migrating to other parts of your body.

The Zika virus is spread by mosquitoes, and after you get bitten, you may see symptoms of the virus appear about three days later. Most of the treatment for this virus involves getting as much rest as you can and staying very hydrated. Your doctor may also prescribe a special medication such as acetaminophen to help you recover from this annoying virus and get control of your body back.