Viral Skin Infections

• Pityriasis rosea gives you oval-shaped pale red patches scattered pretty much over all your body, apart from your face and head. It usually starts with a slightly bigger oval, typically on your tummy or chest, and then dozens, even hundreds, of tiny ovals come out. Although they look really bad, you can’t really feel them at all.
• Similarly, with the rash of measles or German measles you can’t really feel it at all even though it looks really bad: you just feel generally ill from the virus.
• Hand, foot and mouth disease causes tiny bumps – on the palms of your hands, the soles of your feet and even in your mouth. They can be a little bit uncomfortable but aren’t actually painful or itchy.
• Chickenpox gives small spots, scattered around the body. They are a bit sore and a bit itchy. They are almost always found on your tummy and chest. If the spots are just on your arms and legs but not on your tummy then it probably isn’t chickenpox.
• Cold sores cause a slightly itchy, tingly spot that is usually just on the edge of your lip.
• Molluscum contagiosum gives you small spots, usually clustered together on your arm or leg, rather than all over your body. They generally can’t be felt at all and aren’t itchy. Sometimes they get infected and feel a bit sore but this is unusual.
• Herpes simplex gives you tiny red spots which are really painful, more than itchy.
• Herpes zoster seens as grouped vesicular lesions that are usually confined to one side of the region and don’t cross the midline.
• Warts or verruca vulgaris , seen as bumpy growth with rough surface. It may start with one eruption but as it is contagious may rapidly spread to other body part as well or may infect other person who comes in contact with you.

Treatments

Molluscum contagiosum

• It requires medical attention at earliest as it is highly contagious. Usually seen in children but occurs in adult as well.
• Treatment includes topical cream, oral medicines.
• In clinic treatment includes radiocauterization , co2 laser removal, needle extraction.

Chicken pox and herpes zoster occurs with same virus.

• It requires oral medication and soothing cream application.
• The pin pricking pain of herpes zoster may last as long as more than 6 months.

Warts or verruca vulgaris

• Treatment includes co2 laser removal, radiocauterization, shave excision.
• Oral medication to prevent recurrence.