Skin pain can be caused by a mild bruise, various injuries, or underlying health conditions. Some conditions that can cause skin pain include bruises, cuts, burns, scrapes, fibromyalgia, or peripheral neuropathy. Requirements vary, and sometimes you have to seek medical attention, and other times, you can handle the skin pain by yourself.
We all desire to have healthy skin, and this takes consistent effort.
Ways in which you can keep your skin hygienic include:
- Cleansing properly
- Eating healthy
- Keep yourself hydrated
- Scrub properly
- Steaming
- Wiping your skin with a cotton towel.
Most people use towels after cleansing, but towels can be bad for our skin. Healthy skin experts often criticize them for capturing bacteria and dirt; using good quality cotton towels will protect you from these issues. The rubbing and friction of towels can also irritate freshly cleaned faces. You can know more about the proper towels to use to prevent or reduce skin pain by going to the Towelogy website at https://towelogy.co.uk/collections/cotton-towels
Treating skin pain depends on the cause. Most skin pain such as scrapes and cuts can be treated easily at home using conservative means, while sunburns and heat burns can be treated using salves. Conditions such as peripheral neuropathy or fibromyalgia require more robust approaches and treatment methods.
Skin pain is a result of an injury to the skin or pressure on a nerve. Exposure to extreme cold, heat or toxic compounds can also lead to skin pain. Neuropathic pain can be caused by peripheral neuropathy; this is a disorder wherein nerves that send signals between the brain, spinal cord, and the body loses their function. Peripheral neuropathy is due to diseases and conditions such as diabetes, alcoholism, HIV infection, autoimmune nerve disorder, and Guillain-Barre syndrome.
Burns from heat, the sun, radiation, and chemicals cause skin pain, and injuries like bruises, abrasion, and lacerations also do the same.
Symptoms of skin pain include:
- Bleeding
- Bruising
- Prickling sensation
- Crusting
- Itchy skin
- Pus
- Burning feeling
- Redness
- Swelling
- Soreness
- Changes in sensation
- Extreme sensitivity
- Disability
- Impaired balance
- Nerve pain
- Muscle weakness
- Tingling
- Shock
Have you experienced tingling, itching, or tenderness on your skin? Several conditions can result in pain or discomfort, and the reasons for pain may not be what you expect. Causes of skin pain include:
Sunburn:
- Sunburn results when a person is overexposed to ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet light is known to damage skin cells. Sunburn causes include pain, redness, blistering, and peeling. Sunburns can be treated with medications like aspirin or ibuprofen and a cool bath. It is essential to stay hydrated when you experience a sunburn because you might have experience fluid loss. Treatment for severe sunburns may include prescription pain medications and IV fluids.
Fibromyalgia:
- This is a chronic pain that involves tenderness in certain areas of the skin. Symptoms of fibromyalgia are fatigue, stiffness, anxiety, and depression. Treatment options for fibromyalgia include pain medications, anti-anxiety medication, antidepressants, and anticonvulsants. People can also use psychological and behavioral therapy.
Shingles:
- The chickenpox virus causes this skin pain. It appears as an irritation, scabbing, or itchy red spot. Shingles can cause nerve pain, and there is increased sensitivity in the areas where there is redness or swelling. Shingles can sometimes lead to infection or scarring. You can treat shingles with antiviral medications like acyclovir, valacyclovir, or gabapentin.
Neuropathy:
- Neuropathy refers to the dysfunction of a nerve. It can lead to weakness, numbness, or discomfort—causes of neuropathy, diabetes, chronic disease, autoimmune conditions, tumors, or trauma. Medications or surgery can improve the symptoms of neuropathy.
Migraines:
- These are recurrent headaches. Migraines are accompanied by vomiting, nausea, and sensitivity to sound and light. Genetic or environmental factors can cause them, and they can be treated with pain medications, antidepressants, and antiepileptic drugs.
Skin conditions can cause skin pain. This includes abrasion, blister, abscess, cellulitis, splinter, burn from severe heat or cold, electrical burn, chemical burn, lacerations, psoriasis, skin ulcers, shingles, and sunburn. Â Other causes of skin pain include exposure to toxic compounds, extreme trauma or injury, nerve injury, fibromyalgia, peripheral neuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia, and pressure on the nerve.
When a person wants to diagnose a skin pain condition, the doctor or health care provider will ask them questions which include:
- When did you notice the skin pain?
- Where do you feel the skin pain?
- What are your symptoms?
- What medications are you taking?
- What makes the skin pain worse or better?
You must follow the treatment plan of your doctor or health care provider when you have skin pain. This will help you avoid complications such as:
- Scarring
- Disfigurement
- Necrosis and gangrene
- Nerve problems
- Spread of infection
- Permanent loss of skin sensation.
You can see your doctor if your skin pain lasts longer than two weeks if the pain stops you from doing everyday activities, and if there is itching or bleeding present. You must promptly seek medical care if your skin pain persists or if it causes you concern.
Author: Qasim Ashfaq, iPain Blog Contributor
International Pain Foundation
