There are plenty of contagious skincare conditions and treating them can make you infinitely more comfortable and can cut down on the ick factor at the same time. If you come down with one of these contagious skincare conditions, it’s also important to have them checked out by a doctor so you don’t spread them to other people. Your skin is never something you should leave untreated – no matter what condition you have, talk to your dermatologist ASAP.
I picked up this nastiest of the contagious skincare conditions when I was a kid, from a cat scratch. Impetigo is characterized by itchy red sores that eventually scab over. It’s more common in kids, but if you have children with the condition, you may wind up with it too, unless you take proper measures to keep it from spreading. The condition can also spread among body parts. Keep it covered and take any prescribed medications to get rid of it.
MRSA is a relatively new condition that experts blame on our propensity to load up on antibiotics. No matter the cause, this is a pretty scary, and rather contagious, skin condition. It’s spread from skin to skin contact so you’d have to touch someone with it to come down with it yourself. The problem is that many people don’t recognize it in its early stages. MRSA can lead to all sorts of problems, including death, so I highly recommend getting any strange boil or other skin issue checked out immediately.
Scabies is caused by a burrowing mite that cause itchy bumps where the burrows are. Gross, right? I remember utter disgust when my oldest son was in preschool and there was an outbreak in his classroom. Luckily, he never got it. Scabies requires medications to kill the mites, but many experts recommend that you treat the entire family since they can easily move from person to person.
True to its name, ringworm causes a rash that looks like rings on your skin. The condition is super contagious and can pass through skin-to-skin contact, from animals or from contact with the contagion on objects, such as sheets or towels. Ringworm isn’t as scary as some other skincare conditions, but it is unsightly and uncomfortable so you’ll want to have it treated.
If you ever walk around barefoot at the gym or pool, you are at risk of athlete’s foot. This condition causes itching, burning and stinging on your feet and between your toes and can also lead to cracked and peeling skin on your heels and soles. It can be hard to treat, so see your doctor right away.
True, fifth disease is more common in kids, but it pays to be able to recognize it. It’s actually contagious before you know it’s the problem. By the time the associated rash shows up, it’s not contagious anymore. Someone with fifth disease will have red cheeks as though they’ve been slapped and may have a red, bumpy rash on their arms and trunk.
I’d never heard of this one either. It’s highly contagious, but the good news is that it won’t cause major problems other than the way it looks. The condition causes pink, white or skin-colored bumps on your skin that look like warts. The problem is more common among athletes and people with weakened immune systems, but it’s spread through skin to skin contact as well as by touching things infected with the virus, so it pays to be careful.
Have you ever had one of these conditions? How did you treat it?