Dry Skin Rash Causes, Treatment for Hands & Legs – With Pictures

Dry skin rash is a common skin problem. Having knowledge on causes can help you find the best way on how to treat rash that comes with drying skin on the hands, legs and face. Find pictures below that will guide your reading to understand this problem clearly.

Can Dry Skin Cause a Rash?

Drying skin with rash can occur following exposure of the skin to drying elements and/or allergenic compounds that irritate the skin. It can also occur when skin dryness triggers skin ailments such as eczema and psoriasis. The rash can be paralleled by itchiness in some cases.

Dry Skin Rash Pictures

As they say, a picture speaks a thousand words. While we can describe dry skin rash in a thousand words, it is rather easier to create a mental image and understanding of this condition using pictures and words than with words alone, so we have included some dry skin pictures in this post to aid your reading.

What is Dry Skin Rash?

First of all, a rash is “an outbreak of skin inflammation and discoloration that change the way the skin looks and feels). [medicinenet.com] as you can see in the pictures above. A rash can be caused by various factors ranging from cosmetics and certain medications to allergies and other ailments e.g. erythematosus and eczema.

Skin rash is often associated with drying especially in patients suffering from contact dermatitis. Contact dermatitis is characterized by raised bumps, itching, red rash and sometimes dry, scaly, skin that look like a burn. The skin might also feel tight and stiff.

Certain elements that commonly trigger dryness in skin may also trigger rashes. These include cosmetics, soaps and detergents, dyes.

How to Treat Skin Rash

Skin rash can in most cases be treated at home. The first step in curing dry skin rashes at home is to eliminate the dehydrating practices and agents from your daily skin care regimen. If you use regular soaps, you will want to start by replacing them with gentle cleansers.

Cutting down on the time you spend in the shower or bathing is also a great step towards healing a dry skin rash. The water you use should also be warm as opposed to hot since how water might make the condition worse.

After shower, you should pat your skin dry rather than rub your towel across it since rubbing can make the rash worse.

It is important also that you don’t cover the rash with any clothing as this might make worse by keeping air out. Above all, do not give in to the urge to scratch the skin as this worsens the condition and makes the healing process slower. Instead, use a hydrocortisone (1%) cream to relieve the rash of itchiness.

Lotions are also good for dry skin rashes. You will especially look for those with calamine since it has a soothing effect. You may also consider having an oatmeal bath.

If your rash is painful, acetaminophen or ibuprofen may help. But if you have any kidney or liver disease or have ever had stomach ulcers, you should consult with your doctor before taking these medications.

Lastly, if you have recently acquired a new lotion or cosmetics, you should consider breaking off from using them as they could have triggered the skin rash.

As you can see from the dry skin rash pictures above, discoloration of the skin is expected, but should it continue increasing even after you have taken all the above procedures, or should it be accompanied by vomiting, swollen face, or difficulty in breathing, you should consider seeing your doctor.

Dry Skin Rash on Legs

The legs are as well prone to dry skin and in some cases, a rash can develop leading to a reddish, look which can as well appear scaly, flaky, cracked, or chapped. The proximity of the legs to the ground makes them especially prone to contact with rash-triggering allergens and bug bites.

When you have an itchy rash on the legs, it is important to avoid scratching the rash or having your clothes scouring it since this can make the rash worse. In addition to adequate moisturizing with good moisturizing lotions especially those with calamine, you can soothe the leg rash with one of the many topical creams available in your local drugstore.

It is also important to ensure maximum hydration of your body by drinking enough water daily.

Dry Skin Rash on Hands

Dry skin rash can also occur on the hands after their exposure to moisture-depleting conditions such as cold winter weather. This often leads to drying of the skin which can then trigger other skin ailments e.g. eczema leading to red rashes. The skin can also get chapped, cracked, flaky and scaly. The treatment options are the same as those of the legs.

Dry Skin Rash on Face

Dry skin rash on face can cause discomfort or pain in addition to causing embarrassment and may be low self-esteem to the affected person. It often tends to affect the “T” zone (below the eyelids, around the nose, and the chin, but it can be experienced anywhere on the face, including the cheeks. The rash is typically red in color and might at times be accompanied by a scaly, chapped, or even flaky look.

Dry skin rash tends to be experienced in cold weather especially in winter when the low humidity and temperature coupled with the harsh winds depletes the natural layer of lipid that is usually responsible for protecting the skin from drying elements. In winter, people also use heating furnaces and other sources of heat that usually take the moisture present in your house, resulting in low humidity.

The first step in curing skin rash on the face is to ensure proper moisturizing. This is important as even underlying ailments such as eczema (especially contact dermatitis) can be treated at home by restoring the skin moisture.

It is also important to minimize exposure to causal factors, such as harsh detergents and soaps and prolonged baths with hot water.

Medication, especially counter-top creams can also be used to improve the symptoms.

Rash on Other Body Parts

In addition to face, arms, and legs, skin rash can happen on other parts of the body including buttocks, neck and chest.