Table of contents:
- Types of skin diseases
- Infectious skin disease
- Ringworm
- Impetigo
- Boils
- Chicken pox
- Scabies
- Warts
- Leprosy
- This type of skin disease is not contagious
- Acne
- Prickly heat
- Dermatitis
- Psoriasis
- Vitiligo
- Rosacea
- Melasma
- Calluses
- Dandruff
Skin disease is one of the most common health problems. There are various types of skin diseases with different causes and treatments. Come on, consider the following types of skin diseases.
Types of skin diseases
Skin disease is a disease that attacks skin cells, causing symptoms such as itching, redness, swelling, and others. Skin diseases not only affect the skin that covers the body, there are also various scalp diseases.
Depending on the cause, types of skin diseases are divided into two broad categories, namely infectious skin diseases and non-communicable skin diseases.
Below are the various skin diseases and their explanations.
Infectious skin disease
Infectious skin diseases are skin problems that easily pass from one person to another. Usually, this disease is caused by viruses, bacteria and fungi.
Disease can be transmitted through skin contact with infected patients, contaminated surfaces, or through animals. The following are the types of infectious skin diseases
Ringworm
Source: Healthline
Ringworm or ringworm is a fungal skin infection trichophyton, microsporum , and epidermophyton which attacks the top surface of the skin.
This disease is usually characterized by characteristics such as the appearance of an itchy red rash that is shaped like a ring. These patches can grow slowly and then get bigger and spread to other areas of the body.
Based on where it occurs, ringworm is divided into several types as follows.
- Tinea corporis, ringworm that appears on the neck, arms and body
- Tinea pedis (water fleas), ringworm of the feet
- Tinea manuum, ringworm of the palms
- Tinea capitis, ringworm of the scalp
- Tinea cruris (jock itch), ringworm of the groin or the area around the genitals
- Tinea unguium, ringworm of the nails, is also known as a toenail fungal infection
- Facial tinea, ringworm of the face
This disease can easily be spread through skin-to-skin contact from both humans and animals. Therefore, be diligent in washing your hands, especially after handling animals and coming into contact with objects in public facilities.
Impetigo
Source: Mom Junction
Impetigo is a skin disease caused by infection with Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria in the outer layer of the skin (epidermis). Often affects the face, arms and legs, this disease is more susceptible to children aged 2 - 5 years.
Impetigo is usually characterized by the following symptoms.
- Reddish spots clustered around the nose and lips.
- The appearance of blisters that break easily with fluid inside.
- The appearance of a yellowish crust due to broken blisters.
- The wound feels itchy and sore.
- Fever and swollen lymph nodes if they enter a severe phase.
Water flea infections usually spread easily from skin to skin. For this reason, avoiding skin contact with people who have impetigo is a wise choice to prevent transmission.
Boils
Boils are skin infections that appear when hair follicles or oil glands become infected. Staphylococcus aureus including bacteria that usually cause ulcers.
These bacteria enter the body through small cuts in the skin and eventually enter the oil glands. The face, neck, armpits, shoulders and buttocks are among the areas of the body most commonly affected by boils.
Signs and symptoms include:
- a red lump that is hard and sore,
- over time the lumps get softer, bigger, and more painful, as well
- the appearance of pus at the top of the boil which makes the surface yellowish white.
Boils are spread by skin-to-skin contact when you touch the boil that has burst. Therefore, do not occasionally squeeze an inflamed boil.
Chicken pox
Source: Verywell Health
Chicken pox is an infection caused by a virus Varicella zoster . This type of skin disease is very contagious, especially in people who have never been attacked by this disease and have never been vaccinated.
Chicken pox usually appears in a person in childhood. However, it is possible for people to develop this disease in adulthood.
The following are various symptoms that usually appear before getting chickenpox, namely:
- fever,
- loss of appetite,
- headache,
- feeling unwell, and
- an itchy blister rash.
After the rash begins to appear, there are three phases that will be passed, namely:
- pink bumps that break easily,
- small fluid-filled blisters that also break easily, as well
- crusts and scabs that make the skin appear covered in tiny black sores on the skin.
The chickenpox virus can be contagious 48 hours before the rash appears. After that, the virus will remain contagious until all the blisters break and harden.
Scabies
Source: The Pediatric Center
Scabies or scabies is a type of skin disease that causes itching and rashes caused by the bite of the sarcoptes scabiei mite.
In people who have had scabies, the infection appears only 1 - 4 days after the bite. However, for people for the first time symptoms usually appear 2-6 weeks after infection.
Here are the various signs and symptoms of scabies.
- Rash around the skin folds that form a tunnel-like line.
- Itching that usually gets worse at night.
- Open wounds because the sufferer often scratches without realizing it.
- Thick crust on the skin, appears when the number of mites on the skin reaches thousands.
Mites can easily spread when you have prolonged physical contact. Living with someone with scabies can put you at high risk for this skin disease.
Warts
Warts, including skin diseases that arise due to viruses. The virus causes warts to overgrow skin. The virus infects the top layer of the skin and makes its growth very fast. This disease is mostly caused by Human papillomavirus (HPV).
Here are the various symptoms that appear when you get warts.
- It appears most frequently on the fingers, around the nails, and on the backs of the hands.
- The lump feels like a lump of rough skin.
- Has black dots on the surface of the wart.
The viruses that cause warts are highly contagious. Usually, warts are spread by skin-to-skin contact or through surfaces that have been touched by the wart.
Leprosy
Source: Medical News Today
Leprosy is a skin infection caused by bacteria Mycobacterium leprae . Not only attacks the skin, leprosy also attacks the nerves, eyes and mucous membranes.
The bacteria grow very slowly and take up to 20 years to develop symptoms of infection.
Reporting from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, various symptoms that arise due to leprosy are as follows.
- Patches of skin that look lighter than the surroundings.
- The appearance of nodules or lumps on the skin.
- The skin is thickened, stiff, and dry.
- The appearance of painless boils on the soles of the feet.
- Swelling or lumps on the face or ears that don't hurt.
- Loss of eyebrows or eyelashes.
Meanwhile, if the nerves are damaged, the symptoms that appear are as follows.
- Numbness in the affected area.
- Paralysis of the muscles, especially in the hands and feet.
- Enlarged nerves especially around the elbows, knees and sides of the neck.
- Eye problems that can lead to blindness.
This type of skin disease is not contagious
Non-communicable skin diseases are usually caused due to autoimmune disorders, exposure to allergens, and various other causes. This needs to be considered so that there is no need to automatically move away from the sufferer just for fear of contracting it.
The following are the types of non-communicable skin diseases that attack a lot.
Acne
Acne is one of the most common non-communicable skin diseases experienced by people. This problem is caused by a buildup of dead skin and sweat that clogs the pores, causing an inflammatory reaction.
More commonly suffered by adolescents, acne can occur due to the influence of androgen hormones that increase at puberty.
The appearance of pimples can be marked by the presence of whiteheads, blackheads, red rashes, or pustules (pus-filled bumps).
Prickly heat
Also known as heat rash, This one disease is characterized by the appearance of red bumps and bumps that feel itchy on the skin. This condition can occur when sweating, when bacteria are trapped under the skin, or when the sweat glands become blocked.
Prickly heat is more susceptible to people who live in areas where the weather tends to be hot. In addition, this condition is more commonly experienced by children and babies. This is caused by the formation of immature sweat glands.
Dermatitis
Source: American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology
Dermatitis is a type of inflammatory disease of the skin. This disease has many causes. Therefore, the signs and symptoms that appear vary.
This skin disease is divided into various types, but the three most common types are as follows.
- Atopic dermatitis (eczema), often affecting the skin folds, is characterized by an itchy red rash accompanied by thickened dry skin.
- Contact dermatitis, which occurs when the skin is exposed to certain objects or substances that cause an allergic reaction such as rashes and itching.
- Seborrheic dermatitis, generally affects oily areas of the body such as the face, upper chest, back and scalp. Characterized by red and scaly patches.
Psoriasis
Source: Medical News Today
Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes skin cells to produce too quickly and out of control. As a result, too many skin cells and accumulate on the surface of the skin.
Normally, the skin will be replaced once a month. However, in people with psoriasis this process takes only a few days.
This causes skin cells to accumulate on the surface, causing a crust. The hallmark of this type of skin disease is the appearance of red patches accompanied by silvery scales that feel itchy and sore.
Psoriasis most commonly affects the hands, feet and neck.
Vitiligo
Source: GP Online
Vitiligo is a skin problem that arises when the body is deficient in melanin. Melanin is the coloring pigment in the skin. As a result, the skin color becomes uneven and gives rise to parts of the skin that are lighter in color than the others.
Vitiligo can appear in any part of the body. But usually this type of skin disease most often affects the neck, hands, face, genitals, and skin folds.
This skin disease is usually characterized by:
- loss of skin color in certain parts so that some are paler and some are darker,
- the growth of gray on the eyebrows, eyelashes, and hair,
- loss of color to the mucous membranes for example the mouth and nose, as well
- loss of color in the inner lining of the eyeball.
Rosacea
Rosacea is a type of skin disease that causes redness on the face so that the blood vessels are clearly visible. This disease usually affects women more often than men. Especially middle-aged women who are white.
Characteristics include a red patch that appears on the center of the face, small blood vessels that are more visible on the cheeks and nose, and a feeling of heat and pain to the touch.
People with rosacea do have fairly distinctive signs and symptoms. Sometimes, red bumps appear on the face filled with pus. Being close to someone with rosacea will not catch you because it is not contagious.
Melasma
Melasma or chloasma is a type of non-communicable skin disease characterized by the appearance of brown or brownish gray patches on the face. Usually these marks appear on the cheeks, bridge of the nose, and forehead.
It is not clear what causes this condition. But chances are, chloasma is caused by melanocytes (cells that make skin color) producing too much color.
Calluses
Calluses are a condition in which the skin experiences thickening and hardening. This condition can occur because the skin is often rubbed against other objects, is often exposed to pressure, or is irritated.
Calluses are very easy to spot. When touched, calluses feel thick and hard. However, they are soft on the inside of the skin when pressed. It looks cracked and dry, sometimes causing pain.
Dandruff
Included as a type of skin disease that attacks the scalp, dandruff is a problem in the form of the shedding of dead skin flakes originating from the scalp.
Dandruff is not a dangerous condition, but sometimes it can be itchy and interfere with appearance, especially if the splinters fall over the shoulder.
Dandruff can occur due to oil production, secretions, and an increased amount of fungus on the scalp. Sometimes, dandruff can be one of the signs of other skin conditions such as seborrheic dermatitis or scalp psoriasis.
In order to avoid the various conditions above, always take care of your condition and pay attention to various unusual symptoms that appear on the skin. If you begin to feel some of the annoying symptoms of the above conditions, please consult a dermatologist.