Also called: Dermatitis · Skin rash
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Rashes
A rash is an area of irritated or swollen skin. Many rashes are itchy, red, painful, and irritated. Some rashes can also lead to blisters or patches of raw skin. Rashes are a symptom of many different medical problems. Other causes include irritating substances and allergies. Certain genes can make people more likely to get rashes.
Contact dermatitis is a common type of rash. It causes redness, itching, and sometimes small bumps. You get the rash where you have touched an irritant, such as a chemical, or something you are allergic to, like poison ivy.
Some rashes develop right away. Others form over several days. Although most rashes clear up fairly quickly, others are long-lasting and need long-term treatment.
Because rashes can be caused by many different things, it's important to figure out what kind you have before you treat it. If it is a bad rash, if it does not go away, or if you have other symptoms, you should see your health care provider. Treatments may include moisturizers, lotions, baths, cortisone creams that relieve swelling, and antihistamines, which relieve itching.
It sits within Skin, Hair and Nails.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Rashes
285 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Rash & Diarrhea Prophylaxis With CapivasertibMaryam Lustberg
- Topical 10% Povidone-Iodine in Preventing White SpotsUniversity of Washington
- Studies of the Natural History, Pathogenesis, and Outcome of Autoinflammatory Diseases Including Juvenile DermatomyositisNational Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
- A Study to Evaluate the Efficacy, Safety, and Drug Levels of Deucravacitinib (BMS-986165) in Adolescent Participants With Moderate to Severe Plaque PsoriasisBristol-Myers Squibb
- Enhanced Dermatological Care to Reduce Rash and Paronychia in Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGRF)-Mutated Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) Treated First-line With Amivantamab Plus LazertinibJanssen Research & Development, LLC
- A Clinical Study to Evaluate the Efficacy in Improving Dark Spots After 8 Weeks of Use of Facial Sunscreens in Adult ParticipantsKenvue Brands LLC
Research already completed
- Multicenter, National, Observational, Prospective, Real-life Study Evaluating the Performance of 2% Aqueous Eosin in Children With Diaper RashCooperation Pharmaceutique Francaise
- Prevalence of Replication of Human Herpes Virus 6 (HHV6) in Blood and Skin During Exanthemia, in Patients With Hemopathy. Is There a Correlation With the Etiology of the Exanthema?Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Amiens
- A 4-week Study Investigating Two Targeted Brightening Serum (A and B) Versus 4% Hydroquinone in Women With Mild to Severe Full-face HyperpigmentationRevision Skincare
- Oral Sialic Acid Product Beauty Efficacy TestWuhan CASOV Green Biotech Co., Ltd
- Evaluation of the Safety and Tolerability of a Brightening Treatment Paired With a Skincare RegimenRevision Skincare
- Digital Versus Conventional Guided GingivectomyAin Shams University
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- New Itchy Skin Rashes in AdultsVisualDX
- Rash Decisions: How to Deal With Itchy, Red SkinNational Institutes of Health
Diagnosis and Tests
- Rash EvaluationNational Library of Medicine
- Skin Rashes and Other Skin ProblemsAmerican Academy of Family Physicians
Treatments and Therapies
- What to Do About a Skin RashNemours Foundation
Related Issues
- Scratching the Surface on Skin AllergiesAmerican Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: DermatitisNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Dermatitis, ContactNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Diaper RashNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: ExanthemaNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Exanthema. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Rashes, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.