Red blotches on the skin can occur due to various reasons, such as sun damage, dry skin, rosacea, and weakening of blood vessels. Here are the causes as well as treatment options.
Red blotches on the skin can be experienced anywhere on the body. Sometimes they might be limited to the facial skin, sometimes to the legs and sometimes they might affect the whole body. Some people may experience red blotches that itch and some may experience those that don’t itch. The symptoms of this skin disorder vary, and hence, so do the conditions that cause it. There can be a host of conditions which can lead to the development of red skin bumps. Given below is a list of some of the most commonly observed ones.
Causes
Allergy
Large red blotches can be caused due to an allergic reaction. Allergies can be caused due to a number of reasons such as by eating certain kinds of food or by wearing certain clothing items or by taking certain medicines, leading to itchy skin. Some people are even known to develop redness of skin after drinking alcohol.
Weather Condition
If the weather is extremely cold and dry, some people can develop red skin blotches, particularly on the face. Due to the dry weather, the facial skin loses moisture, leading to reddening of skin. Also, people tend to bathe with extremely hot water to beat the cold, leading to dryness and reddening of skin.
Unhygienic Conditions
People who do not maintain good hygiene, i.e. wear dirty clothes, do not bathe everyday or after undertaking a strenuous physical activity, are prone to developing big red blotches on the skin. The reason being that bacteria and viruses are more likely to manifest in body parts that are not cleaned properly, leading to skin rashes.
Sun Damage
If the skin is exposed to the ultraviolet rays of the sun for a very long time, it can cause reddenning, sun burns, tenderness, swelling, and pain.
Purpura
Purplish red blotches can be caused due to purpura, a condition that occurs due leakage of blood under the skin. Some of the causes behind this condition are weakened blood vessels, congenital rubella syndrome, vasculitis, intake of drugs which affect platelet function, meningococcemia, etc.
Rosacea
Red blotches on the skin, especially on the nose, forehead, and cheeks, which are accompanied by small pus-filled bumps could be due to this skin condition. The causes behind rosacea have not yet been identified but it can arise due to a number of reasons such as eating spicy food, exposing the skin to sun, stress, taking hot baths, drinking alcohol, or by taking medicines that affect vascular dilation.
Treatment
The treatment depends upon the underlying cause of the condition. Hence, in case of an allergy, avoiding contact with the allergen is the solution. Some other measures that can be taken to get rid of red skin blotches are as follows.
- Taking shower with lukewarm water
- Maintaining good hygiene
- Taking bath everyday, especially after undertaking any activity that has caused sweating
- Giving up oily and spicy food
- Applying sunscreen with minimum SPF 30 before going out in the sun
- Keeping the skin well moisturized by drinking enough water
- Applying suitable moisturizing creams.
Most of the time, red blotches can be cured with a few preventive measures. However, sometimes, they can be caused due to certain serious health conditions too. So, the affected person should get them thoroughly examined by a dermatologist, and start treatment as soon as possible.
Disclaimer: This article is for informative purposes only, and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.