What are the little red spots that suddenly appear on your body? The last one is the liver's alarm!

People often report that small red spots appear on their bodies inadvertently. Some of them will cause symptoms such as itching and swelling, which will disappear automatically after a period of time; some small red spots do not hurt or itch, but will not disappear, and may even grow larger.

Some people say that it is caused by staying up late and skin aging, while others say it might be some sexually related diseases (syphilis, AIDS...), which is really scary.

So, today I will teach you how to judge: what are the little red spots on your body? Here are the most common situations, especially the last one that needs special attention.

Cherry angioma

Cherry angiomas are usually red to dark red dome-shaped lesions, generally 0.1 to 0.4 cm in diameter, which usually do not fade when pressed . They are common in middle-aged and elderly people, can be multiple, and most commonly appear on the trunk.

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Cherry hemangioma generally does not require treatment . If you feel that it affects your daily life, you can go to the hospital for treatment. After evaluation by the doctor, you can adopt relatively easy and simple treatment methods such as intense pulsed light (commonly known as photorejuvenation), dye laser, carbon dioxide laser, and electrocautery.

Insect bite dermatitis

Insect bite dermatitis usually occurs after outdoor activities and is more common in summer. It is characterized by swelling, redness, pain and burning in the insect bite area (it is not only caused by mosquito bites, but also causes allergies in the body).

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More serious insect bite dermatitis symptoms may last for several days. We can do the following to treat it ourselves:

Handling TIPs

● Wash the area with soap and cool water, and apply an ice pack wrapped in a towel for 10 to 15 minutes after cleaning.

● Keep the area clean, reduce irritation, and try to avoid scratching.

● If there are multiple rashes and severe itching, antihistamines such as loratadine, cetirizine, ebastine, etc. can be used.

For some severe allergic reactions (such as feeling hard to the touch), you can actively use topical glucocorticoids (such as hydrocortisone butyrate cream, desonide cream, mometasone furoate cream), which can not only speed up the relief of symptoms, but also reduce the chance of pigmentation.

The mechanism may be to inhibit the release of inflammatory factors through the anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative effects of hormones, thereby reducing the activity of melanocytes and the production of post-inflammatory pigmentation.

Folliculitis

Folliculitis typically presents as follicular papules or pustules , which are like small red dots with white heads. It can be caused by a variety of pathogens such as bacteria and fungi. Different folliculitis may have different distributions. For example, bacterial folliculitis is more common on the face, while fungal folliculitis is more common on the chest and back.

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If the number of folliculitis cases is small and there are no symptoms, you can treat them yourself with topical antibacterial ointments (such as fusidic acid on the face and 2% ketoconazole cream on the back). However, if the skin lesions do not subside after self-treatment, or if symptoms such as enlargement of the lesions, swelling, pain, and fever occur, you need to see a doctor for treatment.

Guttate psoriasis

Guttate psoriasis is characterized by the acute appearance of many small scaly papules and plaques on the trunk and limbs, about 0.3~0.5cm in size, which look like small raised red dots with a layer of white film . It is most common in young people, and there is often a history of streptococcal infection before the onset of the disease (which can be understood as a "cold" before the rash often occurs).

Guttate psoriasis may resolve on its own within weeks or months, but it may also persist, so we recommend seeking medical treatment , using phototherapy, topical corticosteroids, or systemic antibiotics, depending on the specific situation.

Purpura

Purpura is the appearance of scattered, flat, red, small hemorrhages on the skin. These hemorrhages are less than 2mm in diameter, do not fade when pressed, and do not protrude from the skin surface.

Thrombocytopenia, abnormal coagulation function or increased vascular permeability are the main causes of purpura. Purpura is not a disease, but a skin manifestation . The most common causes of purpura are IgA vasculitis (which we used to call "allergic purpura") and pressure purpura (for example, small red spots appear around the eyes of a child after crying).

Generally, occasional purpura does not require special intervention and will disappear on its own. For example, the pressure purpura that occurs after a child cries will gradually disappear in about a week.

However, due to the risk of causing kidney damage, IgA vasculitis (often manifested as purpura on both lower legs) is recommended to be promptly consulted and followed up at the hospital.

In addition, if you find a large number of petechiae or purpura on your body, especially if accompanied by nose bleeding, joint pain, swelling around the joints, abdominal pain, stomach discomfort, or if you find a significant change in urine color, you should seek medical treatment promptly.

Spider Angiomas

Spider nevi (also called spider telangiectasias) consist of a central arteriole surrounded by many smaller blood vessels and are most common on the trunk, face, and arms.

Spider nevi are not a single disease, and their pathogenesis has not yet been fully understood. It is currently believed that they are caused by increased estrogen levels. They can be seen in patients with cirrhosis or severe malnutrition, as well as in normal people such as pregnant women . Spider nevi during pregnancy usually disappear about 3 months after delivery.

Generally speaking, healthy people usually have less than three spider nevi , while the number and size of spider nevi in ​​patients with liver disease are related to the severity of liver damage, and patients with many large spider nevi may have an increased risk of varicose bleeding.

So when there are more spider nevi on your body, it may be that the liver is sending out an alarm , and it is necessary to go to the hospital for a check-up.

References

[1] Takiwaki H, et al. The degrees of UVB-induced erythema and pigmentation correlate linearly and are reduced in a parallel manner by topical anti-inflammatory agents. J Invest Dermatol. 1994 Nov;103(5):642-6.

[2] Cheyasak N, et al. Topical corticosteroids minimize the risk of postinflammatory hyper-pigmentation after ablative fractional CO2 laser resurfacing in Asians. Acta Derm Venereol. 2015 Feb;95(2):201-5.

[3] Zhang Xuejun, Zheng Jie. Dermatology and Venereology[M]. Beijing: People's Medical Publishing House, 2018: 19.

[4] UpToDate: Etiology, clinical manifestations, and diagnosis of cirrhosis in adults

[5] Foutch PG, et al. Cutaneous vascular spiders in cirrhotic patients: correlation with hemorrhage from esophageal varices. Am J Gastroenterol. 1988 Jul;83(7):723-6.

Planning and production

Source: Health Express (ID: D-HealthExpress)

Author: Zhuo Zheng, a dermatologist and medical cosmetologist at Luo Jiefu Army Medical University, Master's degree

Editor: Zhong Yanping

Proofread by Xu Lailinlin

The cover image and the images in this article are from the copyright library

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