Could YOU tell a harmless rash from a fatal illness? Pharmacist warns over 9 tell-tale skin conditions

A pharmacist has warned Brits not to place changes to their tegument – because they could beryllium captious clues to a life-threatening condition. 

From a subtle discolouration to a alteration successful texture aliases feel, tegument tin service arsenic a silent messenger that beryllium nan first signs of an underlying wellness problem.

While you whitethorn deliberation a rash is harmless, it could really beryllium life-threatening - this is why it's important to beryllium capable to place superior changes and separate betwixt those that are mild, and those that could beryllium fatal.

George Sandhu, Deputy Pharmacy Superintendent from nan UK's biggest independent pharmacist, Well Pharmacy, said: 'Skin is simply a awesome organ, tin of revealing not conscionable cosmetic but besides perchance life-threatening conditions – it's not thing to return lightly. Through observation, we tin place changes that whitethorn signify deeper wellness issues.'

Here, MailOnline lays retired 9 of nan astir well-known tegument conditions, that could bespeak dermatological concerns - including those that could beryllium putting your life connected nan line.

Shingles

SYMPTOMS: Red blotchy skin, which turns into itchy blisters, that ooze fluid 

Is it contagious? YES

Could it beryllium life-threatening? NO

Shingles is an infection that causes a achy rash. First signs tin see tingling aliases a achy emotion successful an area of skin, headaches and emotion mostly unwell.

A rash will usually look a fewer days later, but successful uncommon cases shingles tin origin symptom without a rash.

Usually, nan shingles rash occurs connected nan thorax and belly, but it tin look anyplace connected your assemblage including connected your face, eyes and genitals.

You cannot dispersed shingles to others. But group could drawback chickenpox from you if they person not had chickenpox earlier aliases person not had nan chickenpox vaccine.

The NHS suggests avoiding pregnant mothers who person not had chickenpox earlier and group pinch a weakened immune strategy – for illustration personification having chemotherapy and new-born babies.

If symptoms of shingles occur, nan caller work Pharmacy First allows pharmacists to supply proposal and treatment.

Impetigo

LOOKS LIKE: Starts itchy, reddish and sore. Once healed a crusty, yellowish aliases 'honey-coloured' scab forms complete nan sore

Is it contagious? YES

Could it beryllium life-threatening?  NO

Impetigo is simply a very contagious tegument infection, but not usually serious. It often gets amended successful 7 to 10 days if you get treatment.

Conditions commencement pinch reddish sores aliases blisters, which quickly burst and time off crusty golden-brown patches. The NHS says nan patches tin look for illustration cornflakes stuck to nan tegument and tin beryllium painful.

Impetigo tin easy dispersed to different parts of your assemblage aliases to different group until it stops being contagious.

The information mostly stops being contagious 48 hours aft nan infected personification starts utilizing prescribed hydrogen peroxide pick aliases antibiotics aliases erstwhile nan patches barren retired and crust over.

Pharmacy First allows pharmacists successful England to supply proposal and treatments for Impetigo.

Atopic Eczema

LOOKS LIKE: Red, weepy, crusty, itchy, flaky patches, for illustration oval aliases circular-shaped areas connected nan skin

Is it contagious? NO

Could it beryllium life-threatening? NO

Atopic eczema, sometime called Atopic dermatitis, is 1 of nan astir communal forms of eczema.

The tegument information causes nan tegument to go itchy, dry, cracked and sore.

Some group only person mini patches of barren skin, but others whitethorn acquisition wide inflamed tegument each complete nan body.

Treatments for atopic eczema see emollients, which are moisturising treatments, and steroid creams. 

The NHS explains that you're much apt to get atopic eczema if you person allergies aliases different family members pinch conditions for illustration atopic eczema, asthma aliases hay fever. 

Sepsis

LOOKS LIKE: Blue, grey, ray aliases blotchy skin, which tin besides look connected lips aliases lingua – connected brownish aliases achromatic skin, this whitethorn beryllium easier to spot connected nan palms of nan hands aliases soles of nan feet

Is it contagious? NO

Could it beryllium life-threatening? YES

Sepsis is simply a life-threatening guidance to an infection. It happens erstwhile nan immune strategy overreacts to an infection and starts to harm nan body's tissues and organs. Other names for sepsis see septicaemia aliases humor poisoning.

Treatment successful infirmary is basal consecutive away. You should expect to beryllium fixed antibiotics wrong 1 hr of arriving astatine hospital.

If sepsis is not treated early, it tin move into septic daze and origin organs to fail, which tin origin death.

Patients whitethorn request different tests aliases treatments depending connected symptoms; these tin see curen successful an intensive attraction unit, being put connected a ventilator, room to region areas of infection and a enactment successful infirmary for respective weeks.

Most group make a afloat betterment from sepsis. But it tin return time. Physical and affectional symptoms whitethorn proceed for months, aliases moreover years, aft a personification has had sepsis.

These semipermanent effects are called post-sepsis syndrome, and tin see emotion tired and weak, deficiency of appetite, picking up illnesses much often, changes successful mood, flashbacks and PTSD.

Staph Infections

LOOKS LIKE: A achy reddish lump aliases bump connected nan skin

Is it contagious? YES

Could it beryllium life-threatening? YES

Staph infections are caused by germs called staphylococcus.

Symptoms see a achy reddish lump aliases bump connected nan skin, hot, reddish aliases swollen skin, sore, crusts, blistering and reddish aliases sore eyelids.

The infection tends to spell distant connected its ain but tin sometimes request antibiotics.

The germs that origin staph infections unrecorded harmlessly connected galore people's skin, often successful nan nose, armpits, groin and buttocks. They usually only origin an infection if they get into nan tegument – for example, done a wound aliases cut.

The NHS says nan germs tin dispersed done adjacent tegument contact, sharing towels and toothbrushes and little common, done droplets successful coughs and sneezes.

Pityriasis Versicolor

LOOKS LIKE: May beryllium darker aliases lighter than your normal tegument colour, main discolouration whitethorn beryllium red, brownish aliases pink

Is it contagious? NO

Could it beryllium life-threatening? NO

Pityriasis versicolor, besides known arsenic tinea versicolor is simply a communal fungal tegument infection.

The information is caused by a type of fungus that lives connected nan skin.

With astir group carrying this fungus connected their tegument without it causing problems, it tin thing turn and dispersed much than usual. It’s not ever clear why this happens.

The NHS has suggested that it’s not caused by not washing your tegument and astir group who person it are different healthy.

Meningitis 

LOOKS LIKE: A rash which starts pinch small, reddish pinpricks earlier spreading quickly and turning into reddish aliases purple blotches

Is it contagious? YES

Could it beryllium life threatening? YES

Meningitis is an infection of nan protective membranes that situation nan encephalon and spinal cord (meninges). The infection tin beryllium very superior if not treated quickly.

It tin impact anyone, but is astir communal successful babies, young children, teenagers and young adults.

With nan effects of meningitis processing abruptly it is important to beryllium alert of symptoms, which see a precocious temperature, sickness, headaches, a rash that does not slice erstwhile a solid if rolled complete it, a stiff neck, dislike to agleam lights, drowsiness and seizures.

Meningitis is usually caused by a bacterial aliases viral infection. Bacterial meningitis is rarer but much superior than viral meningitis.

Infections that origin meningitis tin beryllium dispersed done sneezing, coughing and kissing.

Meningitis is usually caught from group who transportation these viruses aliases germs successful their chemoreceptor aliases pharynx but are not sick themselves. It tin besides beryllium caught from personification pinch meningitis, but this is little common.

Bacterial meningitis usually needs to beryllium treated successful infirmary for astatine slightest a week while viral meningitis tends to get amended connected its ain wrong 7 to 10 days and tin often beryllium treated astatine home.

Cellulitis

LOOKS LIKE: Red, Hot and Swollen

Is it contagious? NO

Could it beryllium life-threatening? NO

Cellulitis is simply a tegument infection that's treated pinch antibiotics. It tin beryllium superior if it's not treated quickly.

The information makes tegument consciousness painful, basking and swollen. Skin whitethorn besides beryllium blistered, and good creating achy glands.

It's caused by germs getting into nan deeper layers of your skin.  Things that summation your consequence of cellulitis see mediocre circulation, inactivity and a anemic immune system.

You tin get cellulitis connected immoderate portion of your assemblage but hands, feet and little legs are communal areas. 

Molluscum Contagiosum 

LOOKS LIKE: 2 to 5mm wide spots usually look together. They are raised and dome-shaped pinch a shiny achromatic dimple successful nan middle

Is it contagious? YES

Could it beryllium life-threatening? NO

Molluscum contagiosum is an infection that causes spots connected nan skin. It is usually harmless and seldom needs treatment.

The spots caused by molluscum contagiosum are usually harmless and should clear up wrong 18 months without needing treatment.

The information is usually passed connected by nonstop tegument to tegument contact, nevertheless nan chance of passing it connected to different group during normal activities is truthful mini that normal day-to- time activities tin continue.

Molluscum contagiosum is simply a communal infection successful children and occurs erstwhile a kid comes into nonstop interaction pinch a tegument lesion aliases an entity that has nan microorganism connected it. 

The informing comes conscionable aft an master has revealed nan shocking point that nan mostly of women will use that tin origin awesome problems to their skin.

Dr Sermed Mezher is simply a UK medic, who, according to his YouTube curriculum vitae is an 'award-winning expert and published world writer successful nan UK, MBChB (Hons) MRes connected a ngo to make wellness elemental pinch precocious value technological content'.

In a short video he posted to his transmission @DrSermedMezher, he revealed that an anonymous 30-year-old diligent had ended up going to nan expert because of nan severity of her facial tegument rash.

They utilized steroids, antifungal medications, antibiotics, acne creams, nary of them would moreover touch it.

Because nan GP was stumped, and thing seemed to work, nan female was past sent onto a dermatologist to spot if they could thief - and it was discovered that her make-up brushwood was to blame.