Tag: rash

The Yeast Infection: Its Causes and Symptoms

What Causes a Yeast Infection to Occur?

An ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure, especially when it comes to yeast infections. Once you learn the yeast infections causes and symptoms, you will be armed in the fight against it. While you may not be able to avoid all yeast infections in the future, you will know how to protect yourself from most of them.

Yeast infections are caused by levels of yeast that have gotten out of control. This can happen due to a number of factors. Fingers and toes that develop yeast infection in their webs were infected due to excessive sweating. Invest in some loose, cotton socks; they help your feet get more air and dry the sweat that invariably occurs when feet are confined in shoes.

Vaginal yeast infections can come about when a woman is having her period or is pregnant. This is due to hormonal changes that occur in her body at these times. Birth control pills and steroids also contribute to vaginal yeast infections. A stressed-out emotional state or a compromised immune system can also allow a yeast infection to spring up. Yeast infections have been known to occur due to vaginal injuries.

All types of yeast infections can be caused by taking antibiotics. In the normally functioning human body, the yeast fungus is kept to reasonable levels because our good bacteria kills some of it. However, if we take antibiotics to kill off bad bacteria, we often get rid of the good stuff along with it. This leaves the yeast with no natural predator; so much yeast is allowed to grow that an infection takes place. This is a good reason to take antibiotics only when absolutely necessary.

How Can I Recognize a Yeast Infection?

The answer depends on which part of the body is being attacked. Oral yeast infections, also known as thrush, are fairly common in babies. Thrush will appear as a red patch of skin in the mouth; often, this rash will be coated with what appear to be milk curds. However, this is not milk; do not try to clean it off, or bleeding will result. A rash on the skin from a yeast infection will usually have a scalloped shape and may have several patchy, red areas on the surrounding skin.

A vaginal yeast infection will have symptoms including redness, irritation of the tissues, and swelling. There may be a white discharge that is noticeably thicker than the discharge that occurs with ovulation. In some cases, it may be clumpy to the point that it resembles cottage cheese. There may be discoloration. Urination is likely to cause burning pain, and intercourse may also be uncomfortable. The vaginal area will probably be very dry and itchy.

I Have a Yeast Infection; Now What?

Not so fast you still need to see a doctor to make sure that you do, indeed, have a yeast infection and not some other kind of infection. Your doctor will be able to prescribe a medication to help your body fight off the yeast infection.

The Truth About What a Yeast Infection Looks Like

How to Identify a Yeast Infection

At some time in your life, you will probably need to know what a yeast infection looks like. A yeast infection will have different characteristics depending on which body part it has attacked. In most cases, it looks like a patchy red rash that is not raised at all. After a while, this rash can generate pus.

Babies usually get yeast infections in their mouths, where the fungus finds a wet, enclosed space in which to live. This type of yeast infection often resembles a layer of white, milky mucus over a red area of the skin. When the mouth is in this condition, it makes drinking and eating difficult and painful.

Babies and children still in diapers may also develop a yeast infection from the wet, warm environment. The more vigilant you are in changing the diaper, the more likely your child can avoid a yeast infection. Dry clothing is key to keeping yeast infections at bay. The yeast infection on a babys bottom will look similar to the red patches of rash mentioned earlier in the article.

Yeast infections can also occur in the skin between fingers and toes. In this case, it will look red and dry and feel quite irritated. Sweaty socks can often contribute to this problem, so go for socks that provide a looser fit and allow your feet to have some circulation.

When found in the ear, a yeast infection looks like a standard ear infection, causing the ear to look red or swollen. There may be a cottony discharge that comes from the affected ear.

A vaginal yeast infection has to be the most well known type of yeast infection. Up to 75% of many women suffer from this condition at least once in their lives. It is important to know what this kind of yeast infection looks like.

Often, you will notice a red patch of skin that looks inflamed and swollen. The soft tissues surrounding the vagina may also become swollen and irritated. Excessive dryness of the vaginal area is another indicator that you may have a yeast infection.

Other Symptoms of Yeast Infections

Vaginal yeast infections also present with a host of other symptoms. A white, thick discharge will most likely occur; this will look different from the normal discharge a woman experiences when ovulating. It may have an odd smell, which some women compare to the smell of baked bread. You may notice a difference in coloration when discharge is due to a yeast infection.

Yeast infections in the ear can also be identified in children by the affected childs behavior. Often, the child will act fussy due to the ear pain, or repeatedly pull on or rub the infected ear. Children with ear infections usually have trouble sleeping.

Once you are acquainted with what a yeast infection looks like, you can begin treating this condition much more quickly than before. Always consult with a doctor before taking medications, as some medicines can actually cause a future yeast infection to be more resistant to drugs.

Poison Ivy and Children

Summer camps and family hiking sessions can sometimes result in children getting itchy rashes. To be blamed are plants such as poison ivy, poison sumac and poison oak. All of them produce the same substance or oil, called urushiol, which cause rashes. Urushiol is colorless and even odorless and is present within the leaves. Poison ivy can even grow in the backyards and parks. So any kind of outdoor activity should be monitored and the lawn should be de-weeded periodically. Bushes should be checked, as they grow as a regular plant and the child would not be able to distinguish the poisonous plant from the regular one.

Precaution is better than cure. Children should be educated and made to understand the description and ill-effects of poison ivy. They come in wide range and some change the appearance depending on seasonal variations. Urushiol is released from the leaves only when the leaves are damaged like when they are torn, get bumped or are brushed. The moment the leave is damaged, urushiol is released and the skin is affected immediately. Also, what many people do not know that to get a rash by poison ivy is not only by coming directly in contact with the plant. Human and animal carriers of urushiol can affect people coming in contact with them. The leaves of the plant can be flown by the air, which can cause damage when those leaves are handled or burned with the rest of the leaves and twigs.

Once the children are made familiar with the plants, they should be asked to steer clear on the sight of the plant or leaves. Parents should avoid places where there are possibilities of growth of such plants. When going on camps, etc., children should not be dressed in short sleeves and short length pants, so that the body does not brush off such plants. In spite of taking all these precautions, if the child comes in contact with such plants and contact with urushiol is suspected, the area should be washed with water and disinfectant. It is best to take shower and clean the whole body and the clothes should be removed immediately and washed. Pets should also be bathed after their outdoor adventures.

Basically, the urushiol causes an allergic reaction which irritates the skin and that is the reason why it is known as an allergen. This allergen wont harm all, but eighty percent of the victims get skin irritations. It not only creates itchy rashes, but can also swell the skin. The time period for the symptoms to surface is few hours to five days. The rash usually takes one to two week to heal completely. First the skin swells and rash develops. Blisters can also form as a result of regular rubbing of the skin to get rid of the itch. The blisters will form a crust after some days and will flake off.

If the rashes are accompanied with fever, a pediatrician should be contacted for appointment. And if the case isnt that serious, the doctor recommends home remedies. The child would be asked to be given showers with cold water and calamine lotion would have to be applied. If the redness and itching is intense, fluid medicine along with pills are administered to the kid. Antihistamine is very popular in such cases. Steroids are prescribed by the doctor.

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Chicken Pox in Children

A typical childhood disease in children chicken pox is very notorious for being contagious. A kid infected with chickenpox virus will develop numerous itchy blisters which are filled with fluid. These blisters burst later, which lead to crusts formation. Children get approximately five hundred such blisters which grow over a red skin spot. They show up on the face first and then spread to the trunk, scalp and the rest of the body. After a day of appearance, the fluid filled blisters become cloudy and later on, scabby.

The itchiness caused due to chicken pox is really intense and irritating. And the crust, if not treated, can leave marks for life. Within forty eight hours of getting infected, the symptoms begin to surface. It is only after ten to twenty days after contamination, that the pox appears. Symptoms include fever, abdominal pain, headache, loss of appetite and finally the pox rash. The condition can be confirmed by testing the pox blisters and by even taking blood test. The medical history of the child can be helpful in determining the severity of the condition.

The virus blameworthy for infecting a person with chicken pox is varicella-zoster or simply, varicella. The virus spreads through airborne transmission, droplet transmission and direct contact. Not only the infected carry these viruses and should be avoided, also people or kids who have taken the vaccination recently should also be avoided. Since the invention of chicken pox vaccine, there has been a decline in the chicken pox cases. Children who are under the age of ten should be highly prepared as they are more prone to getting infected by this virus. But on the contrary, when older children or adults catch chicken pox, they become sicker when compared to young kids.

A child or a person who has been infected by chicken pox virus becomes host to the virus for lifetime. But the number is kept under control by the bodys immune system. Infants, sometimes, get partial immunity from the blood of their mother, if the mother was already infected by chicken pox. Kids of mothers, who havent been infected by chicken pox, tend to get severe chickenpox. Children who have been administered with chicken pox vaccination get mild chicken pox. Skin condition of children with skin problems like eczema or sunburn can worsen. Such kids can be getting above one thousand and five hundred poxes. Children who have taken steroids can also face bad situation.

Along with the application of the prescribed lotion and intake of oral medication containing antihistamine, the itchiness can be eased by bathing the child in lukewarm water and oatmeal. The antiviral medications should be started within the first day itself. Other people living in the same household as of the patient should also take antiviral medicines recommended by a doctor. It is a must for everyone to take chicken pox vaccination as a part of immunization routine schedule. There is a hundred percent chance of not developing moderate to severe chickenpox and nearly ninety percent chance of not developing mild chicken pox. Chicken pox vaccine is the only vaccine which doesnt demand a booster. But a higher dose can be given to adolescents so as to avoid shingles or herpes zoster. But a doctor should be consulted before opting for the higher dose.

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