Optima Dermatology on Common Summer Rashes and How to Treat Them
August 2024
Summer Rashes
As we enjoy the summer activities, our skin can often react to various environmental factors, leading to uncomfortable and sometimes serious rashes. Let’s discuss the causes, symptoms, tips for prevention, and treatment options of some common summer rashes.
Board-Certified Dermatologist, Dr. Daniel Cuozzo sits down with CBS13 News to discuss the causes, symptoms, tips for prevention, and treatment options for some common summer rashes.
Poison Ivy & Poison Oak
Cause: Contact with urushiol oil from these plants.
Symptoms: Red, itchy rash, often in streaks or lines, blisters.
Prevention: Avoiding areas where these plants grow, wearing protective clothing.
Treatment: Immediately rinse your skin with warm, soapy water, and wash your clothing. To avoid getting any oil from the plant on your skin, wear gloves while touching or washing anything that may have oil on it. This includes your pet!
You can treat the rash at home if it is a mild rash in a small area my using a calamine lotion or hydrocortisone cream and applying cool presses. If your rash is not improving after 7 to 10 days, or you think your rash may be infected, see a board-certified dermatologist.
“Swimmer’s Itch” (cercarial dermatitis)
Cause: Allergic reaction to parasites in contaminated water. Swimmer’s itch occurs in both freshwater and in the marine coastal environments.
Symptoms: Itchy, patchy red pinpoint skin rash.
Prevention: Avoiding swimming in infested waters, toweling off immediately after swimming.
Treatment: You can apply anti-itch creams and cool compresses. Avoid scratching, scratching can cause abrasions leading to infection. If the symptoms persist for longer than 3 days, a dermatologist should be seen.
Bug bites
Cause: Bites from insects like mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, and spiders.
Symptoms: Red, itchy bumps, swelling, sometimes blisters or a rash.
Prevention: Use insect repellent, wear protective clothing, avoid areas with high insect activity, and pay attention to outbreaks in your area.
Treatment: For painful bites, such as a bee sting, take an over-the-counter painkiller, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen. For bites that itch, apply an ice pack or an over-the-counter anti-itch cream, such as hydrocortisone. Another option is to take an over-the-counter oral antihistamine. To reduce swelling, apply an ice pack to the bite.
If you experience any serious symptoms after a bug bite, such as a rash, fever, or body aches, see your doctor or a board-certified dermatologist immediately.
Tinea Versicolor
Cause: Overgrowth of yeast on the skin. Hot, humid weather, lots of sweating, oily skin, and a weakened immune system can cause yeast to overgrow. Tinea versicolor is more common in teens as they tend to have more oily skin.
Symptoms: Discolored patches of skin; the color of the spots can be white, pink, salmon, red, tan, or brown.
Prevention: Keeping skin dry, avoiding excessive heat and humidity.
Treatment: Antifungal creams, shampoos, or oral medications.
Skin rashes typically seem easily treatable at home, however some rashes can be a sign of a more serious condition or become infected. If you have a rash that persists for more than a week or shows signs of infection visit your local dermatologist for proper diagnosis and treatment.
For more information on skin best practices, please visit optimadermatology.com.