Red rashes in the lower extremities are a symptom that accompanies a huge number of ailments. In addition, such a rash on the legs often causes considerable discomfort to the patient. Over time, ulcers, crusts, or scales may appear on the surface of the itchy spots. Depending on the nature of the underlying disease, such manifestations can regress on their own or transform into more complex forms with the addition of infectious agents. In any case, people whose rashes on their legs itch or peel need competent medical advice and treatment aimed at eliminating the main etiological factor.
Causes of a red rash on the legs of an adult, not related to pathologies
Mechanical stress associated with clothing or shoes
A red rash on the skin of the lower extremities is not always a sign of disease. It happens that the cause of its occurrence may be mechanical damage to the epidermis resulting from rubbing the skin with uncomfortable clothes or shoes, if a rash is diagnosed on the feet. In case of mechanical injuries to the skin, it is recommended to lubricate it with a moisturizing cream or menthol-based ointments, which will eliminate signs of damage. But still, experts do not recommend engaging in this kind of diagnosis and, if hemorrhagic rashes appear, contacting medical institutions.
Depilation
Many women know that often the cause of a red rash on their legs is such a procedure to remove unwanted hair. After depilation, irritation of the epidermis may occur, which, as a rule, goes away on its own and without a trace after a few days.
Insect bites
Another reason for skin redness and rashes is insect bites. Reactions can occur in response to bites from ticks, wasps, some beetles, and ants. In such cases, doctors recommend antihistamines to patients, which eliminate itching, swelling and visual manifestations of rashes.
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Care
Rashes often appear in children due to improper care. It is not dangerous to health and quickly disappears on its own when errors are corrected.
In newborns and babies up to 3 months, a rash on the face, arms, and torso is a normal physiological phenomenon caused by hormonal changes and the body’s adaptation to new conditions. This condition is called neonatal acne. It looks like small red pimples all over the body.
If the baby's skin has been wet for a long time or overheated, then sometimes a small pinpoint rash appears on the child's feet. A common cause is shoes that are too hot. Therefore, if possible, choose breathable shoes for your baby made from natural materials with good thermoregulation. For treatment, baths with decoctions of string, chamomile or oak bark help.
Diseases with a rash in the form of red dots
A red rash and itching on the legs are signs of many diseases that affect the skin or internal organs. These ailments often represent complex infectious pathologies, as well as systemic changes leading to disturbances in the properties of the blood. If the red rash on your legs itches, most likely the disease is inflammatory in nature, and therefore requires appropriate therapy.
The rash can appear on the lower extremities in patients of any age. This rash may itch, peel, swell, or spread into healthy areas of the skin. In this case, different parts of the legs are covered with red spots: shins, thighs, soles. All symptoms of the disease are valuable information that the attending physician uses in determining the main diagnosis. Therefore, if red rashes appear in the leg area, it is necessary to tell specialists everything in detail.
Allergic contact dermatitis
This allergic disease develops on healthy skin of the legs as a result of its contact with an irritant. In this case, symptoms such as the appearance of an itchy rash in the form of bubbles with a clear liquid (exudate) of different sizes on the red and swollen skin of the lower extremities come to the fore. Over time, painful erosions form in their place, which, as the inflammatory process subsides, become covered with yellow crusts and regress. The disease is persistent (chronic) in nature and can worsen with repeated contact of the skin with allergens.
Scabies
If the rash on the legs in the form of red dots in an adult is itchy, you should think about infection of the skin with scabies mites. The main symptom of the disease is rashes that look like stripes up to 20 mm long. Small bubbles are visible at one end of this formation. Scabies rash is most often localized in the natural folds of the body, and on the legs it can appear in the thighs and lower legs. A child is often diagnosed with a rash under the knees. The rash is accompanied by intense itching, which intensifies after taking a shower and at night. Therefore, if the rash on the legs in the form of red dots in a child is itchy, it is necessary to immediately show him to the doctor.
Read also: Itching of the shins: causes and treatment of rashes, redness of the shins
Herpetic lesion
As a rule, a herpetic rash on the legs is part of a complex lesion of the skin by the herpes virus involving nerve fibers in the pathological process. As the disease develops, blisters first appear on the covering epithelium, which are accompanied by severe itching. Then the formations burst, and the wound surface is covered with dark-colored crusts, sometimes hemorrhagic.
Hemorrhagic vasculitis (Henoch-Schönlein disease, allergic purpura, capillary toxicosis)
The disease is a complex set of symptoms associated with damage to the vascular wall. Among the causes of the disease are infectious diseases, viral diseases, allergic reactions, general hypothermia, stress, and heredity. Hemorrhagic vasculitis occurs against the background of increased body temperature. First, a hemorrhagic rash appears on the ankles and calves, which then spreads throughout the body. Each such spot is accompanied by swelling; over time, the patient begins to complain of pain in the abdomen and joints associated with hemorrhages in these areas.
Thrombocytopenic purpura
Another disease in which elements of a red rash appear, localized to the thighs and lower legs, is called thrombocytopenic purpura. The disease is a rare pathological condition and can be diagnosed in both children and adults. The disease is associated with premature destruction of platelets, which entails rheological changes in the blood. At the beginning of the development of the pathological condition, patients complain of small red dots on the legs below the knees, which over time turn into ecchymoses of significant size (large hemorrhages into the skin or mucous membrane).
Hives
The pathological condition is a manifestation of an allergic reaction. Its occurrence is indicated if a rash in the form of pale pink blisters appears on the patient’s skin and begins to itch, resembling nettle burns in appearance. Itchy urticaria develops quickly and just as suddenly, disappears without a trace without flaking crusts after eliminating the action of the allergen.
Meningococcemia
A severe form of meningococcal infection, which occurs mainly in children. Meningococcemia is manifested by symptoms of general intoxication, dysfunction of the central nervous system and rashes that affect the lower extremities, namely the feet, legs, and thighs. The rashes are star-shaped, irregular in shape and up to a centimeter in size. If a child develops a rash similar to meningococcal rash due to a high fever, you should immediately seek specialized help.
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Allergic reactions
Allergic rashes on the feet of a child are caused by various factors. Depending on the type of irritant and the method of contact with it, they appear only in certain areas or throughout the body.
What causes allergies on the feet?
- Medicines. Hypersensitivity reactions are caused by both active and excipients in the drug. Most often it is provoked by antibiotics, sweet syrups, solutions, and lollipops. Within 2–3 hours after taking the product, a red rash, swelling, and itching appear on the child’s body and feet;
- Poisonous plants (poison oak, ivy, sumac). When contacting them on the child’s feet, blisters, a rash in the form of spots or pimples, and swelling form. In this case, you need to thoroughly wash your skin with soap and water and wash your clothes. To prevent future exposure to poisonous plants, teach your children what they look like. When walking, avoid places where they grow;
- Insect bites (bees, wasps, mosquitoes, ticks, fleas). In addition to itching, red rashes on the feet and legs of a child from insect bites, severe reactions are possible - anaphylactic shock and Quincke's edema. These conditions are life-threatening and require emergency care. To prevent bites, stay away from areas where insects congregate. Make sure your child does not run on the grass barefoot or in sandals with bare feet. In the summer, before going outside, apply protective creams or aerosols to exposed areas of your baby’s skin;
- Physical factors. Allergies can be caused by cold, heat, sun rays, pressure, compression. In this case, when freezing or overheating, the child develops a hives-like rash on the palms or soles, which turns pale when pressed. If you notice this reaction, take steps to prevent it from happening in the future;
- Cosmetics for skin care. If a cream or soap contains synthetic fragrances and dyes, then there is always a risk of allergies. Choose products with natural ingredients and no fragrances. Test the effect of a new product on your skin on a small area first.
A tendency to allergic reactions can trigger eczema. This is a chronic disease with a hereditary predisposition. Very often it occurs in childhood. There are several types of eczema. One of them is dyshidrotic. Appears on the palms, soles, sides of the feet, and toes. The elements of the rash look like clusters of fluid-filled blisters up to 5 mm in size, accompanied by itching. After the bubbles open, erosions and crusts form.
If an allergy is detected, you need to be careful with irritants and, if possible, avoid contact with them. As first aid, give your child an age-appropriate antihistamine. Then be sure to contact your doctor to find out what to do next.
When do you need a doctor's help if a rash appears?
Timely contact with specialists is an important stage in the treatment of any disease. And the red rash on the legs, regardless of the reasons for its appearance, is no exception. A serious reason for urgently calling a medical team if such rashes develop in the lower extremities are the following alarming symptoms:
- a sharp increase in general body temperature with a rapid increase in signs of intoxication,
- development of a tingling and burning sensation in injured areas of the skin, which are accompanied by the appearance of blistering rashes with secretion or bleeding,
- the presence of dark, purple spots in combination with fever, intense headaches and confusion,
- the appearance of a characteristic rash with itching on the legs after taking medications,
- the appearance of itchy red rashes around the surface of the wound formed after an insect bite, especially a tick.
Competent diagnosis of the condition, which is accompanied by the appearance of a red rash on the legs with itching and peeling, makes it possible to timely detect the causes of the development of the pathological process and correctly influence them with the help of etiotropic medications.
Recommendations
Doctors' recommendations often allow ordinary people to avoid a number of problems associated with the appearance of a rash in the lower extremities. It can be easily prevented by following simple precautions, including:
- wearing closed clothing and high shoes when going out into nature, which will allow a person to protect himself from bites of ticks and other insects,
- avoiding contact with infectious patients,
- careful visiting of public places,
- maintaining personal hygiene rules,
- timely vaccination as a method of preventing infectious diseases, the symptoms of which include itchy rashes on the legs of children and adults,
- Immediate contact with doctors and adequate treatment of the first signs of the disease.
Before treating a rash on the legs in the form of red dots in a patient, the doctor must determine the nature of its origin. The effectiveness of the therapy and the person’s chances for a full recovery will depend on such a diagnosis.
