16 Causes of Red Spots on Skin

Red or discolored spots on the skin have a variety of possible causes. For example, contact with something irritating can cause dermatitis, a fungal infection is responsible for ringworm, burst blood vessels cause spots known as purpura, and some autoimmune conditions can cause rashes.

Some spots will go away on their own, but others may need treatment and some conditions require immediate medical care.

Heat Rash (Milaria)

Red spots on the skin after being in the sun can be caused by a condition called "heat rash." Heat rash (miliaria) happens when sweat glands are blocked under the skin. This causes small, red or discolored, prickly bumps on the skin that can be itchy or painful. On darker skin, the rash may appear as a white circle with darker skin surrounding it.

Heat rash usually appears in skin folds or on areas of skin where sweat accumulates, such as the armpits, chest, back, arms, and groin.

People who live in hot climates, sweat a lot, or are on prolonged bed rest are more likely to get heat rash.

Treating Heat Rash

Heat rash usually gets better on its own in a few days. To manage symptoms, try the following to lower the temperature of the skin:

• Soak in cool baths
• Apply cold compresses
• Wear loose-fitting clothing
• Avoid slathering on thick moisturizers that trap heat against the skin

If a secondary infection develops, you will need to see a healthcare provider. They will prescribe oral or topical antibiotics to relieve pain and clear up the infection.

Call your healthcare provider if you notice any signs of infection, including increased pain or swelling around the rash, swollen lymph nodes, or a pus-like discharge.

Cherry Angiomas

Red or discolored spots on the skin can sometimes be a cherry angioma (or cherry hemangioma), a small skin growth that appears as a round red or purple spot made up of blood vessels. The bumps can be raised or flat. The growths might be mistaken for a tumor, but they are not cancer.

Cherry angiomas are common in adults aged 30 and older. They often show up on the torso, but they can also develop on the arms, legs, and scalp. Sometimes, the growths change in size and may bleed, but this does not mean there is a problem.

Treating Cherry Angiomas

Cherry angiomas are diagnosed by having a provider look at them. Usually, they do not require treatment. However, if the look of the growths bothers you or they tend to bleed, you can have them taken off.

Your provider can explain the options for removing the growths, like lasers or liquid nitrogen. Usually, these procedures do not hurt.

Contact Dermatitis

Red or discolored spots on the skin can also be from contact dermatitis, a common skin condition. It occurs when your skin comes into contact with something that is irritating or that you are allergic to.

Contact dermatitis usually shows up as an itchy red or discolored rash with bumps. It can also cause swollen, dry, flaky skin on any part of the body.

There are two main types of contact dermatitis:

• Irritant contact dermatitis occurs when the skin's protective barrier is weakened and the skin becomes irritated by a substance.
• Allergic contact dermatitis occurs when the immune system reacts abnormally to an allergy-causing substance (allergen).

Sometimes, it's easy to figure out what caused the skin reaction—for example, you may have walked through some poison ivy. If you are not sure what caused the rash, your provider may want you to do a patch test to find out if you are allergic to something that caused the skin reaction.

Treating Contact Dermatitis

Contact dermatitis will often clear up on its own in a few weeks as long as you avoid the substance that caused it. Treatment for contact dermatitis depends on the cause but can include over-the-counter (OTC) hydrocortisone cream or prescription oral antihistamines to help with the itching.

Ringworm (Tinea Corporis)

Red or discolored spots on the skin can be from infections like ringworm (tinea corporis). Ringworm is a common fungal skin infection that causes red, blotchy, circular rash with raised edges. On darker skin, ringworm may appear lighter than the natural skin tone instead of red. Ringworm can also cause flaking and peeling skin, but it usually does not hurt.

You can get ringworm on any part of your body, but it's most often found on the arms and legs.

Ringworm is highly contagious. It's very easy to spread it through skin-to-skin contact or by touching contaminated objects or surfaces. Pets can also transmit the fungus that causes ringworm.

Treating Ringworm

Most cases of ringworm can be treated with over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription antifungal cream. If it's not treated properly, ringworm can spread and may require an oral antifungal drug to clear up.

Atopic Dermatitis (Eczema)

Red or discolored spots on the skin can be from chronic skin conditions. For example, atopic dermatitis (eczema) is a common skin disorder that causes red or discolored, itchy, scaly rashes usually in skin folds such as the elbows, neck, wrists, and behind the knees or ears. Eczema can also be found on the feet, toes, and fingers.

Some people with eczema notice redness and itchiness after they take a shower. This can happen if you take hot or long showers or use products that irritate your skin, which dry it out.

Atopic dermatitis is usually seen in children under the age of 5. It can usually be diagnosed by a provider through a physical exam.

Treating Eczema

The treatment for atopic dermatitis usually includes topical steroid creams, antihistamines, or oral steroids for more severe cases. Experts also recommend keeping the skin well moisturized to reduce flare-ups.

Drug Rash

Red or discolored spots on the skin can also be a reaction to or a sensitivity to an allergen. One example is a drug rash, which occurs when your body has an allergic reaction to a medication. It can also be caused by a drug hypersensitivity or be a side effect of a medication (photosensitive reactions).

Drug rashes can appear as hives, rashes, or blisters that may cover the whole body or just one part.

There are two main types of drug reactions:

• Immediate reaction: This occurs within hours of starting a medication and is characterized by hives related to the release of histamines.
• Delayed reaction: This occurs up to two weeks after starting a medication. It's characterized by red bumps on the chest and back, which may spread to the arms and legs over the following days. As they get better, your skin may begin to peel.
  

Treating a Drug Rash

A provider will review all of the medications and supplements you're currently taking to figure out if the rash you have could be caused by one of them.

For mild reactions, your provider may prescribe treatments such as steroids or antihistamines to help reduce swelling and pain. Severe delayed reactions may require immediate medical attention or hospitalization.

Pityriasis Rosea

Red or discolored spots on the skin of kids and teens can be from a condition called pityriasis rosea. Spots may appear gray, dark brown, or even black on people with darker skin. It is a common rash that usually affects adolescents, teens, and young adults. It is not a serious condition (benign).

Pityriasis rosea usually starts with one larger red spot on the chest, torso, or back that's followed by smaller red spots that have a ring-like shape. The spots can be scaly and itchy.

Experts don't know what causes pityriasis rosea, but it is believed to be linked to a viral or bacterial infection. It often shows up after an infection. Sometimes, a person also has a headache, sore throat, and fever.

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Treating Pityriasis Rosea

Sometimes, pityriasis rosea will disappear on its own in six to eight weeks. However, your healthcare provider may recommend treatments, such as:

• Ultraviolet light treatments supervised by a dermatologist 
• Prescription medications, including the antiviral drug famciclovir and the antibiotic erythromycin
• Prednisone or other steroids
• Antihistamines
• Antiviral drugs such as Acyclovir

Blood Spots (Purpura)

Red or discolored spots on the skin can also be blood spots (purpura). These red or purple-colored spots may show up on your skin or inside your mouth in small or large patches. Purpura happens when small blood vessels burst and blood pools under the skin.

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Blood spots themselves are not necessarily a problem, but they can be a sign of a more serious medical condition. For example, when they are widespread it can be a sign of a blood clotting disorder.

Treating Purpura

Your provider will do a physical exam and order blood tests (including checking your platelet count) to help diagnose the cause of the blood spots.

Steroids are sometimes prescribed for purpura. Intravenous (IV) medications might be needed if a person with purpura has a low platelet count.

Swimmer's Itch (Cercarial Dermatitis)

Red or discolored spots on the skin after swimming can be from "swimmer's itch (cercarial dermatitis)" As the name suggests, it's an itchy, bumpy, red rash that occurs after swimming in water that's contaminated with parasites known as schistosomes. The parasites can be found both in freshwater and saltwater habitats.

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The rash typically develops within a day of exposure to the contaminated water.

Treating Swimmer's Itch

While a swimmer's itch rash is not contagious, it does need to be treated to ensure it clears up properly.

Topical steroids and oral antihistamines can treat the symptoms, and antibiotics might be needed if the infection doesn't get better.

Psoriasis

Red or discolored spots on the skin can be caused by a chronic autoimmune disorder that affects the skin, like psoriasis. Psoriasis may appear darker or lighter than the natural skin tone instead of red in darker skinned individuals. This condition is triggered by stress, medications, infection, injury, or environmental factors.

A psoriasis rash is itchy and red with silvery plaques, most often on the elbows, and knees. The plaques form when the immune system overproduces skin cells.

Treating Psoriasis

To diagnose psoriasis, your healthcare provider will often only need to do a visual examination, but in some cases, a skin biopsy may be needed.

The treatment for psoriasis depends on how severe the lesions are but can include:

• Nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs
• Topical steroid creams
• UV light therapy
• Immune suppressant drugs such as Otrexup (methotrexate) or Neoral (cyclosporine)
• Oral retinoid

Lichen Planus

Red or discolored spots on the skin can also be caused by other autoimmune diseases. For example, lichen planus causes red spots on the inside of the mouth, nails, scalp, genitals, eyes, throat, and digestive tract. It typically appears as a flat, itchy, purple rash.

The cause of lichen planus isn't well understood, but some experts think there could be a genetic component to the condition. Lichen planus is more common in women and people between the ages of 30 and 60.

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Treating Lichen Planus

Lichen planus is not contagious. Sometimes it will clear up without treatment within a year. However, it can also be a problem that comes back.

To manage symptoms, your healthcare provider may recommend the following:

• Antihistamines to relieve itching
• Topical corticosteroids to ease itching and swelling
• Mouthwashes with lidocaine for mouth pain
• Light therapy
  

Petechiae

Petechiae is a condition in which small red or discolored rash-like dots appear on the skin. They occur when tiny blood vessels beneath the skin burst. The dots tend to be smaller and more diffuse than cherry angiomas. The condition may not be as visible on darker skin.

Petechiae red or discolored marks are not raised and do not itch. They can spread to different parts of the body and form larger patches.

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Petechiae is actually a symptom of an underlying health problem such as:

• Trauma
• Allergy
• Autoimmune disorder
• Infection or illness that affects blood clotting
• Low platelet count
  
• Reaction to medication, radiation, or chemotherapy treatment
• Aging skin

Treating Petechiae

Treatment of petechiae depends on the underlying cause. Your provider will need to examine the skin to determine if it is due to an infection like strep throat or scarlet fever or another illness or disorder.

If there's no sign of infection and the spots are not spreading, petechiae may not need to be treated. The spots will go away on their own.

However, if a person also has a fever it can be a sign of a serious infection that needs to be treated right away.

Pimples (Acne Vulgaris)

Red or discolored spots on the skin are commonly just pimples (acne vulgaris), or inflamed red spots on the face, chest, and upper back. The pimples form when pores become blocked by oil, dead skin cells, and bacteria.

Treating Pimples

Mild acne can often be treated at home with over-the-counter (OTC) acne products. A more severe form of acne, called cystic acne, may require treatment by a dermatologist.

Treatment for acne includes topical acne medications, oral antibiotics isotretinoin, steroid injections, chemical peels, and hormonal contraceptives.

Rosacea

Red or discolored spots on the skin of your face that look "splotchy" can be a sign of rosacea, a skin condition that causes redness or blushing across the face that comes and goes. It also causes a feeling of burning or stinging when applying water or skincare products to the affected areas.

The causes of rosacea are not well understood, but it does run in families. Triggers may include:

• Certain skin products or makeup
• Sun exposure
• Spicy foods
• Hot beverages
• Drinking alcohol
• Exposure to cold weather
• Stress

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Treating Rosacea

Rosacea can't be cured, but avoiding triggers can help reduce flare-ups.

When your skin does become irritated, see a healthcare provider for treatment that can reduce symptoms. These include prescriptions topical products or oral antibiotics that you may need to use for up to weeks.

Skin Cancer

In some instances, red or discolored spots could be a sign of cancer. Skin cancer can vary in appearance based on the cancer type. For example:

• Basal cell carcinoma often causes a white waxy lump or a brown scaly patch on sun-exposed skin.
  
• Squamous cell carcinoma can cause a firm red nodule, flat scaly sores, or a red patch inside the mouth or on the genitals or anus.
• Melanoma is often recognized by changes in an existing mole (including changes in color, size, and borders).

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Treating Skin Cancer

Treatment varies widely for different types of cancer and depends on the location and stage of the cancer.

Basal cell carcinoma has several effective treatments including Mohs surgery. This procedure may also be used with squamous cell carcinoma, but that may also be treated with topical medications or other types of surgery.

Melanoma may require surgical removal of the tumor. Radiation, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy are other options.

Chickenpox

Chickenpox, caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), is a highly contagious disease that is most commonly contracted by children. The rash, which often starts on the chest and spreads along the body, consists of itchy, fluid-filled blisters.

Other symptoms of chickenpox typically include:

• Fever
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Loss of appetite

Treating Chicken Pox

Often, children do not need any treatment. The virus will run its course. However, to relieve the symptoms you can try calamine lotion and cool baths with baking soda or colloidal oatmeal.

Adults and people with underlying health issues may be at risk for severe cases of chicken pox. If a person has signs of dehydration, swelling, or respiratory problems, they should see a healthcare professional as soon as possible.

When to See a Healthcare Provider

Red or discolored spots on your skin can have many causes and you may not be able to figure out why you have them without seeing a provider. They can look at the appearance and severity of the rash, your medical history, and any underlying conditions you have.

In general, red flag symptoms along with red spots on your skin include:

• Fever
• Fatigue
• Trouble breathing
• Severe pain or swelling
• Pus oozing from the rash

If you have red spots on your skin and "red flag symptoms," seek medical care right away.

Summary

Red or discolored spots on the skin can have many causes. Some are not serious and will get better on their own without treatment. Other underlying causes are serious and may need to be treated.

Conditions like heat rash, cherry angiomas, lichen planus, and pityriasis rosea often do not need treatment. Acne, atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, petechiae, psoriasis, purpura, ringworm, and swimmer's itch may need to be diagnosed and treated by a dermatologist or other medical specialist.