When To Go To Urgent Care For A Rash

30 October 2020
 Categories: Health & Medical , Blog

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If you ever find yourself staring in the mirror, surprised that you have a rash somewhere on your body, you are not alone. Many people develop sudden rashes at some point in their lives, and oftentimes they have no clue where they came from or what type of rash they have. While some rashes are no big deal and will clear up on their own, there are some times when you should definitely go to urgent care for your rash. Get to know some of those times. Then, you can be sure you are doing what is best for you and your health if and when you develop a skin rash. 

The Rash Covers a Large Area of Your Body

One of the signs that you will need to go to urgent care for your rash is if the rash covers a large swath or area of your body. For example, if you have a rash covering your entire abdominal region, you will want to go to urgent care to have it checked out. 

Similarly, if you have a rash covering an entire arm or leg (or both), you should absolutely seek the care of an urgent care center to determine what is going on with your body. The larger the rash, the more potentially serious it can be. 

The Rash Is Spreading 

If you see that your rash is spreading rapidly, you need to seek out urgent care or another care facility right away. Rashes that spread and do so quickly can be quite aggressive and severe.

There are issues, like necrotizing fasciitis (a flesh-eating bacterial infection), that need to be treated immediately if you want to survive them and not have any limbs amputated. These types of infections require swift and aggressive treatment. 

If you are unsure as to whether your rash is spreading, take a marker or pen and draw a line on the edge of the rash. If the rash spreads beyond that line (especially if it only takes a few minutes or an hour), you should seek out medical care as soon as possible.

The Rash Hurts

When your rash is painful, you should not hesitate to head to urgent care. This is a sign that the rash may be serious. It can also be a sign that your rash needs prescription medications like antibiotics or antifungal medications. 

For example, a severe bacterial infection can cause inflammation and pain. Steroid medications, hydrocortisone creams, and antibiotics in combination can help to improve the situation and help you overcome your rash more successfully and quickly. 

Now that you know when to go to urgent care for a rash, you can be sure you head to an urgent care center as soon as possible if any of these situations affect you. 

To learn more about rashes, reach out to a local urgent care facility.