A Quick Guide to Mouth Rashes
Mouth rashes are some of the most common types of rashes but they are also among the worst to experience. That’s because the simple daily activities of eating and drinking can irritate them. These actions, along with the ever-present saliva, keep the mouth moist which makes a rash harder to treat.
Mouth rashes can be inside the mouth or on the outside skin around the mouth. A rash is an alteration to the skin, which takes it from being smooth to bumpy. There is usually a good amount of redness, along with swelling and pain. Both children and adults are susceptible to mouth rashes. These rashes can be solely related to the mouth or they can be spread throughout the rest of the body as well.
There can be several causes of mouth rashes. For instance, eczema is a skin condition which can cause rashes all over the body. It is common to have eczema around the mouth and on other parts of the face, even on the lips. A breakout of eczema can come from allergies, a reaction to heat or cold, and even from stressful situations.
Most rashes are caused by some type of allergy. But the worst of these is hives. Hives can be one of the symptoms of severe allergic reaction. It can be an allergy to just about anything, whether it be a food, a soap, a bee sting or thousands of other substances and chemicals.
Hives are one of the worst types of rash because they can appear along with trouble breathing or unconsciousness, known as anaphylactic shock. You can have hives on the lips, in the mouth and all over the rest of your body. There also is another condition called angioedema, which causes the same type of skin bumps and swelling, particularly on the face.
If you have a rash around your mouth, it might well be perioral dermatitis. Like other kinds of dermatitis, this one can cause dry, flaky skin along with the rash. Women are more apt to get this rash than men. All it takes for perioral dermatitis to develop is skin that is oily or lotions used to treat oily skin.
Children can have plenty of mouth rashes as well. In fact, a rash can develop around the outside of the mouth just from drooling. All of the food that makes its way onto the face instead of into the mouth is enough to cause a mouth rash all by itself. A viral rash, known as hand, foot and mouth disease, is quite a common rash in children as is impetigo. Chicken pox and measles are two other childhood diseases which cause mouth rashes.
Lichen planus is a rash that often occurs on the ankles, forearms and wrists but which can also appear in the mucous membranes in the mouth. It can cause sores which are burning and painful. It is also hard to get rid of and can linger off and on for many years. The bumps can range from pink to purple. Treatment is usually with steroids.
Another one of the rather unpleasant mouth rashes can be caused by syphilis. The initial symptom of syphilis is a sore which can be anywhere you touched the infected person including inside of the mouth. While this sore initially heals up and disappears, other mouth rashes, including sores in the mouth and throat do usually reappear in other stages of the disease.
Treatment for mouth rashes depends on your particular type. Many will just go away in a couple weeks naturally and need no intervention. If you have a severe allergic reaction or festering mouth sores, see a doctor right away as you will likely need some type of medication for successful treatment.