Painful Rash Causes

Rashes are often associated with red, pink or white bumps on the skin.  Although unsightly and frequently itchy, they normally do not cause a lot of concern because in most cases, they are easily treatable.  Unfortunately, if you’re suffering from a skin rash that happens to be painful, consider your condition as something that requires special attention and care.

What causes painful rash?

There are reasons why your skin rash is painful.  It could be that the area of the skin where the rash appeared has been traumatized by frequent scratching or touching.  If the skin itself or the underlying muscle has been torn, it could be the reason why your skin rash is painful.

If that is the cause, then the only solution is for you to avoid scratching the area to prevent further tearing.  Try to have the underlying cause of the skin rash treated and the symptom will eventually disappear.

Another reason that may be causing a painful rash is Herpes zoster, more commonly known as shingles.  This condition is caused by a virus called Varicella zoster, which also causes chickenpox.  It belongs to the Herpes family of viruses, although it is quite different from the virus that causes genital herpes and cold sores.

Very often, shingles occurs in individuals who have suffered from a bout of chickenpox before.  Although treated, the chickenpox virus never actually leaves the body.  Instead, it lies dormant, making a home in the body’s nerve tissues.

In a person with a weakened immune system or in someone who suffers from a disease, illness or stress, the virus reawakens.  It will then spread out from the nerve tissues and cause a case of shingles.  This condition is characterized by itching, a burning or tingling sensation, followed by pain on the specific area where the skin rash will appear.

The painful rash will then burst, creating an open sore which will eventually heal, developing a protective crust.  The problem here is that the virus that causes shingles can infect another person, particularly one who has not had a previous chickenpox infection or vaccination.  The process from the reactivation to the time that blisters develop takes about three weeks.

Postherpetic neuralgia

The condition where pain is experienced is called PHN or postherpetic neuralgia.  This will often occur in individuals who suffer from shingles after the skin rash has cleared out.  The pain in PHN can vary.  Acute herpetic neuralgia, for example, can be experienced as soon as the rash appears.  It can last for as long as a month.  The pain associated with sub-acute herpetic neuralgia, on the other hand, can last from three to four months.  PHN is the worst of all, causing painful rash sufferers to experience pain at least six months after the rash appeared.

Who gets it?

One of the major disadvantages of this type of painful rash is that it can be spread to others.  Especially vulnerable are people who have weak immune systems, such as those who have HIV/AIDS and those who are undergoing chemotherapy.  However, the main group of people who are often affected by painful rashes are the elderly.  Nearly 50% of shingles cases involve people who are 60 years old and above.

Treatment

To treat the painful rash associated with shingles, the use of anti-viral drugs is often prescribed.  In some cases, analgesic drugs or steroids may be used to help manage the pain.

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