Definition
A skin rash describes a skin irritation, which can be caused by various factors. In the technical language the rash is also called exanthema. In this case the rash appears on the upper part of the body.
An exanthema can develop spontaneously and also regress spontaneously. A chronic exanthema can also occur in certain clinical pictures. Sometimes symptoms such as itching and pain can occur.
Causes
The causes of a skin rash on the upper body are manifold. On the one hand, it can be due to harmless causes. The sensitivity of the affected person also plays a decisive role.
If the skin is very sensitive, soap, detergent or even a certain substance can irritate the skin. This form of rash is not dangerous in itself, but should always be observed. Especially on the upper part of the body, the use of a new shower gel can cause skin irritation and rashes, as this area tends to be soaped.
An upper body rash can also be caused by sun exposure. The UV rays of sunlight cause cell damage in the skin, which the body repairs or breaks down in the form of an inflammatory reaction. This inflammatory reaction becomes visible to us as reddening of the skin.
In some cases, this can lead to pain, overheating and peeling of the skin. Stress can also trigger exanthema. Especially if the affected persons have a problematic skin anyway, rashes under stress occur more quickly.
In addition to the above-mentioned causes, however, infectious diseases can also be the reason for an upper body rash. Especially the children’s diseases measles, scarlet fever, rubella, rubella ring, three-day fever and chickenpox can lead to rashes. Shingles also often leads to rashes in a ring-shaped pattern (like a belt) around the body. Shingles is caused by the varicella zoster virus (also the trigger for chickenpox) and occurs when the immune system is weak. However, infectious diseases are usually easily diagnosed by other symptoms or specific patterns of the rash.
