Publish 19 April 2022
Do not create secondary infections by scratching rashes, no matter how good it momentarily feels. For chronic skin eruptions, identify the source.
Don’t Make Itching Worse
Itch? Scratch. It’s a natural reaction. But this can damage your most important barrier against infection: skin. Swelling and inflammation are ways your skin signals to you that harmful invaders are present.
Infectious disease may either be trying to get in or has already breached your defenses. Too much scratching causes more inflammation and can break the skin. Whatever was trying to get in gains easier access to your bloodstream and residual scarring can result.
When rashes or whelps appear on your arms, you can conceal them with long sleeves. When they break out on your face, hypoallergenic makeup sometimes masks symptoms. Hydrocortisone can reduce inflammation for acute flareups. But for chronic skin eruptions, these solutions just scratch the surface. You need to go deeper, to the source. Medical professionals in the fields of dermatology and immunology are your best options.
Sacrifices Are Necessary
A newlywed couple moved into a nice home with a large tree shading their house during warm summers. Perhaps a homemade swing would hang from its bough. In time, they welcomed their first daughter.
A couple of years later, the second girl was born. Their personalities are quite different. One takes after the father. The other imitates the mother. As the girls grew up, the younger one began exhibiting severe allergies. Rashes on her arms and flu-like symptoms made her feel miserable.
The concerned parents took their cherished daughter to an immunology doctor. She had a skin prick test (A.K.A. puncture or scratch test) to identify immediate allergic reactions to as many as 50 different substances. This includes foods, pollen, dust mites, and mold. She reacted to several allergens. Though allergic to pet dander, the family had no pets.
Other sacrifices were necessary. They removed the large tree. Later, the father pulled out the carpet from the home. These were small prices to pay for the eventual relief from discomfort by their little girl.
People with asthma often have many allergies. Do you or a loved one experience skin rashes, sneezing, fatigue, or other unexplained symptoms. Consider visiting an allergist, also called an immunologist. Explain your symptoms and ask for an allergy test.
Your health insurance might not fully cover comprehensive allergy tests. At-home kits can test for hundreds of food allergies. After discovering the source, make the necessary environmental or dietary adjustments so you or your loved ones can flourish.
