13 causes of red spots on the skin

Often you can see red spots forming on your skin. While most people consider the marks to be rashes or allergies, it is not always the case. These red spots won't disappear quickly, even after taking regular anti-allergic medicines like levocetirizine or hydroxyzine hydrochloride. 

Keeping this in mind, we have listed some of the leading causes of red spots you can often see on the skin. 

What are the reasons you see red spots on your skin?

In this section, we will list the top 13 reasons why red spots or inflammations can often appear on your skin according to different areas of your body. 

  • Heat rash: One of the leading causes of red spots on your skin is heat. Prolonged exposure to the scorching sun or hot wind can lead to heat rashes. It can happen in any exposed part of the skin and causes pain a lot. Sometimes, the rashes are itchy and start bleeding on scratching.

  • Acne bumps: Often, you will find red inflammations on your face, especially if you have oily skin and the pores are blocked due to sebum and dirt clogs. It is known as acne bump and can be treated using medicines and homemade remedies.

  • Rosacea: Rosacea is often observed on the face where the skin turns reddish and granular inflammations can appear when left untreated.

  • Tinea Versicolor: It is often caused due to yeast infection. People with weaker immune systems with sweaty or oily skin suffer from this disease. Medication, topical ointment, and change in diet are the three best treatment methods.

  • Hair follicle infection: Caused by yeast and other fungi, this disease is characterized by infectious red-colored inflammations or boils occurring at the base of the dermal hair follicles.

  • Petechiae: Also known as blood spots, it usually happens when the blood capillaries located under the skin layers burst. These can be flatter or in the shape of inflamed rashes. Also, it usually happens when the capillaries are ruptured or wounded.

  • Psoriasis: Psoriasis has become one of the most reported skin conditions. It is an auto-immune disease where the body's immune cells target healthy skin areas. The skin becomes rougher with cracks and hardness on the top. Flakiness and darkening of the skin patch are common symptoms.

  • Drug allergies: Drugs like aceclofenac, NSAIDs, and so on can easily cause allergies to your skin. The size of the red spots, affected areas, and severity depend on the drug's composition and usage.

  • Hives: Also known as Urticaria, hives are an exceptional skin condition where more prominent red spots form on your hands, back, abdomen, neck, and legs. It is caused due to allergic reactions to certain drugs, yeast, and fungus. Sometimes, it is also caused due to cancer, but it is seldom.

  • Herpetiformis dermatitis: is a particular disease caused in every ten patients out of a hundred. The exact reason for this dermatitis is not known yet. Sometimes, it can happen due to the prolonged use of NSAID drugs or excessive stress. It is not communicable but can spread to the rest of the body. Itchiness and red spots are the primary symptoms.

  • Eczema: Clinically termed atopic dermatitis, eczema can occur for several reasons, out of which the genetic carrier seems to be the primary cause.

  • Bug bites: A bug bite is another common cause of red skin spots. When you sleep on a bed with bed bugs or live in a house with dust mites, they can easily bite your skin, leaving behind slight red marks. It can be allergic and spread to other parts of the body.

  • Cercarial dermatitis: This skin disease occurs when you swim in water laden with chemicals and parasites. These parasites are named schistosomes and then cause infection on your skin. This disease is characterized by minor, red, bumpy inflammations on the exposed part of the skin.

Conclusion 

This article explains the 13 reasons you can see red spots and rashes on your skin. From the above guide, you can easily understand that not all red spots are due to rashes or simple allergies. 


DermatologySohaib Khan