Skin Disorders

Common Skin Conditions

Causes Of Skin Disorders

Common known causes of skin disorders include:

  • bacteria trapped in skin pores and hair follicles
  • fungus, parasites, or microorganisms living on the skin
  • viruses
  • a weakened immune system
  • contact with allergens, irritants, or another person’s infected skin
  • genetic factors
  • illnesses affecting the thyroid, immune system, kidneys, and other body systems

Numerous health conditions and lifestyle factors can also lead to the development of certain skin disorders. Some skin conditions have no known cause.

Temporary Skin Disorders

1. Contact Dermatitis

  • Appears hours to days after contact with an allergen
  • Rash has visible borders and appears where your skin touched the irritating substance
  • Skin is itchy, red, scaly, or raw
  • Blisters that weep, ooze, or become crusty

2. Keratosis pilaris

  • Common skin condition most often seen on the arms and legs, but might also occur on the face, buttocks, and trunk
  • Often clears up on its own by age 30
  • Patches of skin that appear bumpy, slightly red, and feel rough
  • May get worse in dry weather

3. Herpes Zoster

Shingles virus (herpes zoster) results in a red, blistered rash that may wrap around your torso or appear anywhere on your body. A fever, fatigue and headache may occur, too.

4. Sunburn

There's no doubt - it's easier to prevent a sunburn than to treat one.

Sunburns occur when there is too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun or sunlamps. The skin turns red, painful, hot to the touch, and may even peel away.

Skin Disorders in Children

5. Atopic dermatitis

  • Appears hours to days after contact with an allergen
  • Rash has visible borders and appears where your skin touched the irritating substance
  • Skin is itchy, red, scaly, or raw
  • Blisters that weep, ooze, or become crusty

6. Seborrheic eczema

Seborrheic eczema has a distinct appearance and set of symptoms:

  • Skin develops scaly patches that flake off. The patches may be white or yellowish in color. This problem is commonly known as dandruff. It can occur in the scalp, hair, eyebrows, or beard.
  • Skin in the affected area tends to be greasy and oily.
  • Skin in the affected area may be red.
  • Skin in the affected area may be itchy.
  • Hair loss may occur in the affected area

7. Diaper Rash

A wet or soiled diaper left on too long can lead to red bumps and rash in the diaper area, the buttocks, genitals, and skin folds. Urine and stool can break down skin, and chemicals in a disposable diaper can dissolve out and irritate the skin. Candida (yeast) or bacteria can also take advantage of the inflammed, broken, skin and complicate the rash.

8. Acne (Acne vulgaris)

Acne, the most common skin disorder in the U.S., can be a source of anxiety for every teen. Plus, the incidence of acne is growing in adults, too.

Acne is caused by blocked hair follicles and oil (sebaceous) glands of the skin, often triggered by hormonal changes. The term acne refers to not only pimples on the face, but blackheads, cysts, and nodules as well. Some people get acne on other parts of their body too, such as the back and chest.

9. Athlete's Foot

It's an unfortunate fact, but your feet are prone to fungal infections. Athlete’s foot can lead to extreme itching, redness, and cracked skin on the feet and in between the toes. A type of fungi called dermatophytes are commonly found in warm, moist areas like pool decks, shower stalls, and locker rooms.

Permanent or Severe Skin Disorders

10. Rosacea

  • Chronic skin disease that goes through cycles of fading and relapse
  • Relapses may be triggered by spicy foods, alcoholic beverages, sunlight, stress, and the intestinal bacteria Helicobacter pylori
  • There are four subtypes of rosacea encompassing a wide variety of symptoms
  • Common symptoms include facial flushing, raised, red bumps, facial redness, skin dryness, and skin sensitivity

11. Psoriasis

  • Scaly, silvery, sharply defined skin patches
  • Commonly located on the scalp, elbows, knees, and lower back
  • May be itchy or asymptomatic

12. VITILIGO

  • Loss of pigment in the skin due to autoimmune destruction of the cells that give skin its color
  • Focal pattern: loss of skin color in only a few small areas that may merge together
  • Segmental pattern: depigmentation on one side of the body
  • Premature graying of scalp and/or facial hair

13. Lupus

  • Symptoms include fatigue, headaches, fever, and swollen or painful joints
  • Scaly, disc-shaped rash that doesn’t itch or hurt
  • Scaly red patches or ring shapes most commonly located on the shoulders, forearms, neck, and upper torso that worsen with exposure to sunlight
  • Warm, red rash that spreads across the cheeks and bridge of the nose like butterfly wings and worsens in the sun

14. Basal Cell Carcinoma

  • Raised, firm, and pale areas that may resemble a scar
  • Dome-like, pink or red, shiny, and pearly areas that may have a sunk-in center, like a crater
  • Visible blood vessels on the growth
  • Easy bleeding or oozing wound that doesn't seem to heal, or heals and then reappears

15. Melanoma

  • The most serious form of skin cancer, more common in fair-skinned people
  • Mole anywhere on the body that has irregularly shaped edges, asymmetrical shape, and multiple colors
  • Mole that has changed color or gotten bigger over time
  • Usually larger than a pencil eraser