Red spots or dots on Skin are common and can affect anyone. They are often small, little, tiny or pinpoint and may be itchy or not itchy. Although they tend to be flat, they may also be raised. In some cases, they may appear as red spots filled with blood under the skin. What are the causes of red spots on skin? Explore the signs and symptoms of red spots, dots, marks or patches on skin. Learn how to get rid of them, including treatments and effective home remedies. Relevant pictures of red spots on skin are included in this post.
Symptoms of Red Spots on Skin
Red spot on the skin can appear as a result of internal bleeding of small blood vessels. The capillaries on the skin can result in leakage of blood under the skin. Tiny red flat marks can develop on the skin and the condition is known as petechiae. Raised red spots are not usually itchy but they can be a beauty problem.
Red spot on your skin can appear suddenly and this can be shocking. Sometimes it may be difficult to discover that your skin is having a red mark. Here are some of the symptoms of red spot on skin:
- A clot of blood under the skin.
- Red raised marks on the skin.
- Flat red spot on the skin.
- Itchy red marks on the surface of the skin.
- Red spot under the skin not itchy.
- Tiny red bruises on the skin.
Having a red spot on your skin may also accompany other symptoms that indicate a problem in your body. They include:
- Gum bleeding
- Nosebleeds that happen unexpectedly.
- Hemorrhage on the joint.
- Menorrhagia which is a heavy bleeding that comes during menstrual period.
Red Spots on Skin Pictures
A normal skin has a smooth texture and a normal color according to your skin tone. You can easily tell when there is a change on your skin due to an outbreak of skin rashes. Having a skin rash is not only a health problem to you but also a beauty threats.
Red spots on skin can appear on different parts of the body. Skin of the face is more prone to different types of skin rashes than other parts of the body. Skin rashes can starts from the face and extend to other parts of the body.
Other than affecting your face, red spots can also appear on other parts of your body. This can be a clear indication that your body system is affected by either allergies or an infection. Sometimes, red dots on skin can be very tiny and less hurting which fades away without treatment.
Causes of Red Spots on Skin
What are the causes of red spots on skin? How do they come? These are the common question that strikes your mind when your skin starts developing red spots. You should understand that there is a potential cause of red marks on your skin. Here are some of the causes:
- Injuries
Physical injuries on your skin can be the main causes of red spots. Skin injuries can be caused by spanking, biting or any other accident that can result to trauma. A physical injury on the skin usually damages the body tissue resulting to internal bleeding of blood capillaries.
You can easily get several red marks on your skin due to strangulations that happen to you during a car crash or any related accident. Bleeding of the blood capillaries under the skin can result in the appearance of various sizes and shape of red marks on the skin.
Skin burns due to high temperature can also result in red spots on skin. Many people who are affected by sunburns are more susceptible to red dots on their faces and other parts of the body.
- Acne
Having mild acne or a bump on your skin can be a common condition especially at the adolescent stage.
Sometimes, the bumps on the skin can get a bacterial infection and turns to red spots. Pimples resulting from acne are usually tiny and small in size.
- Eczema
Eczema is a skin condition that results in the development of red and itchy spot on the skin. Your skin can become dry and inflamed when having eczema.
The rashes that come out as an effect of having eczema usually turns to red bumps that allow fluid to ooze out slowly before crusting takes place.
- Hives
These are small red bumps that come on your skin suddenly. Hives are believed to be caused by allergens and they can appear for few hour or days before they go away.
Hives can cause red spots on skin that can last even one week before disappearing.
- Angiomas
These are red raised bumps that come under the skin as a result of blood vessel coming together.
The angiomas form skin bumps referred to as papules. The condition can be benign but it is beauty problem when a red spot develops on your skin surface.
- Heat rash
Heat rash comes as a result of high temperature during hot humid environmental condition. The rash on the skin develops due to sweat trapped in the clogged skin pores. The bumps are usually small but itchy and disappear as soon as the condition is restored to normal temperature.
- Boils.
Boils develop on your skin as a result of skin infection that attacks the hair follicle. Boils are characterized by large red bumps that harbor pus. The infection goes away after the bursting of the boil to allow the pus to drain out.
- Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a serious skin disease that results to red and itchy plagues that appear on the body surface.
The infection affects body cell to increase in numbers than normal. The red spots on skin commonly appear on the knees and elbow.
- Rosacea
Rosacea is dangerous skin infection that can result to tiny red pimples on the skin. It also causes the affected area to appear red. Sometimes, rosacea can develop into chronic condition that can be a long life problem to your skin.
- Insect bites
Bug bites are very painful and can result to the development of red itchy bumps on the skin. Mosquitoes also can cause the development of red spots on skin. You should be careful about insect vectors that can cause the transmission of others infection besides making your skin to having red marks.
- Skin allergies.
Red dots can appear on your skin as a result of skin allergies such as purpura. Purpura is a condition that causes sub-dermal bleeding that develops into red tiny dots.
The red spot caused by allergic purpura disease can be flat or even raised on the skin depending on the amount of blood deposited of the blood blisters.
- Thrombocytopenia
Red marks can develop on the skin of your lower legs as a symptom of being affected by thrombocytopenia. This is a condition that usually comes as a result of having low platelet count in the blood. Thrombocytes are a component of blood that aids in the clotting of blood in case of having an open injury.
Thrombocytopenia comes when your body immune system is destroyed by certain drugs and the problem can be more serious like leukemia and cause red marks to appear on the skin.
- Body straining
Excessive straining during the time childbirth and lifting heavy loads can result to the development of red spot on skin. Chest, neck and face are the main parts that can get red spots on the skin surface due to prolonged straining.
Straining excessively makes the body muscle to expand and contract to extent that blood capillaries on the skin surface burst to cause internal bleeding that leaves your skin having red marks.
- Side effect of certain medication
Going for medication when you are having an illness is an important step but it can also have side effects on your skin. Tiny red spots can appear on your skin after using certain strong medications. Some of the medication include quinine, aspirin, cortisone, atropine, naproxen, linezolid, penicillin, phenytoin, nitrofurantoin and chlorothiazide.
Strong medication on your body system can cause itchy red spots that appear under the skin. It’s advisable to talk to your medical doctor to give medication that can have minimum side effects to your skin.
- Sepsis
Sepsis is a condition that results in inflammation of the whole body that develops to red spots on skin. Sometimes sepsis is life-threatening infection that causes the patient to have low platelet count in the blood.
The red mark comes under the skin surface when antibodies and other chemical are released into the blood to fight the infection. The victim can develop septic shock and get a reduced blood pressure that can even cause death.
- Deficiency of vitamin and mineral salts
Lack of vitamin and mineral salts in the diet can result in petechiae. The appearance of small red spots on skin can be associated with nutritional deficiency. Lack of vitamin C, vitamin K, and B complex can result in red marks on the skin surface.
- Autoimmune diseases
Some immune diseases are associated with the development of red patches on the skin. Rheumatoid arthritis and lupus are common diseases that are autoimmune and they cause white blood cells to attack other body cells. The autoimmune infection usually causes the development of red inflammation on the skin.
- Scarlet fever
This is bacterial infections that attack your throat. The infection causes the development of small red spot on the skin.
The infection is common to young babies. The rashes can spread to the whole body parts and extent to mouth part.
- Impetigo
The infection is common on skin of babies. Impetigo is characterized by itchy rashes that get filled with fluid and they can easily pop.
- Cellulitis
This is a bacterial infection of the skin that results in red sores that spread quickly on the surface of the skin.
Usually, the red sores are very painful and hot to touch.
Other Causes of Red Spots on Skin
Other causes of red spots on skin include;
- Rubella
- Scabies
- Syphilis
- Scabies
- Shingles
- Genital warts
- Chicken pox
- Intertrigo
- Bleeding disorders
- Kawasaki’s diseases
- MRSA(staph) infection
- Skin cancer
- vitiligo
- Tinea Corporis (ringworm)
Red Spots on Skin Itchy
Red spots on skin are not always itchy however it is possible to have an outbreak of itchy red spots on your skin. It is advisable to determine the cause of itchiness before treatment. Knowing the main cause of pain on the skin can help the doctor to give you an accurate diagnosis.
Skin allergies can cause itchy red spots on the skin. Outbreaks of hives on the skin are allergy related and they cause a lot of pain. Your skin can develop an allergic reaction that results in burning sensation that can make you feel discomfort. Household chemical like detergents can easily cause irritation on your skin.
There are some common infections that can result in the development of itchy red spots on the skin. These infections include chicken pox and impetigo. Scabies is parasitic infection that also causes itchy red spots on the skin.
Red Spots on Skin Not Itchy
Red spots on skin sometimes are not itchy and this can be harmless to you. Lupus can cause a disc-shaped rash on the skin that does not itch. Lupus can result to the development of scaly red patches that can spread on the whole face without hurting you.
Acne on the face can be benign to you and cause red dots like pimples that are not itchy. Acne can only be painful if red pimples get attack by a bacterial infection that can cause pain and inflammation.
Vitiligo is a condition that causes loss of skin pigment resulting to red patches on the skin. Vitiligo can lead skin discoloration in few small areas but can spread to more surfaces by time. The patches of vitiligo are not itchy.
Tiny or Pinpoint Red Spots on Skin
Tiny red spots usually occur on the surface of the skin and are usually described as skin rashes. The rashes can develop on your skin as a result of having skin infections, although the same rash can appear as result of allergic reaction on the skin.
Tiny or pinpoint red dots on your skin can either be harmless or hurting. Harmless marks on the skin sometimes fade away slowly by time and no need to go for medical treatment.
At some point, tiny or pinpoint red spots on your skin can be very irritating and for this case, you need to consult a dermatologist.
Small Red Spots on Skin
Having a small red spot on skin does not mean you are safe. The spots can be small in size but very painful and it can spread to a larger surface area of the skin and make you develop a beauty problem.
It is advisable to determine the causes of small red spots on your skin for earlier treatment to be taken before they spread and dominate the whole skin. In case you see a little red mark on your skin, visit your doctor to perform a medical test and tell you the exact cause of these symptoms.
Psoriasis is a plague infection that is characterized by small red spots on face, limbs, and scalp. After sometimes the infection advance to cause a red and smooth skin rash that appear shiny on the folds of the skin.
Red Spots under Skin
Red spots under the skin are usually bruises. Bruises are caused by physical damage on the skin surface. An injury on the skin can lead to a rapture of blood capillaries resulting to development of red marks on the skin.
After an injury to the skin, blood capillaries burst to release blood onto the surface of the skin that collects to form red bumps. The bumps are usually red in color and very painful for sometimes. They finally turn to blue-black spots after some days.
Red marks on the skin as a result of bruises can take a duration of two to five weeks to fade away. A bruise on the face and arms can fade away faster compare a bruise on the leg that can take a relatively long time to go away.
Flat Red Spots on Skin
Flat red spots on the skin are described as macules on the skin. Skin macules are red flat bumps on the skin that can develop as a result of skin allergies or even an infection. Tiny flat red dots can appear on the arms and uppers thighs, they can be tiny and pinpoint in size and can spread to other parts of the body.
Flat red dots on the skin can be linked to petechiae that come after tiny internal bleeding of capillaries under the skin. Also, these symptoms of having a flat red spot on the skin can be due to low platelets in the blood and for this reason, medical diagnosis is important.
Raised red spots on skin
Raised red spots on the skin are termed as papules on the skin. You can easily get a raised skin bump that is harmless and they do not need even a treatment. However, you can also seek a medical advice from your doctor if the bumps are becoming bothersome to you.
Raise bumps on your skin can develop due to the following factors:
- skin infection
- skin disorder
- allergic reaction
- skin cancer
Red Blood Spots on Skin
Red blood spot on skin can develop when a blood vessel burst to allow blood to leak into body tissue. A bruise can show up on the surface of the skin by the formation of blood filled blisters that can be painful for sometimes.
Internal bleeding of blood vessels under the skin can result in tiny blood spots on the skin and the condition is known to be petechiae. Bleeding effect can also be large and result in formation of large flat patches on the skin known as purpura.
How to Get Rid of Red Spots on Skin
Do your skins have red spots? No need to worry more about these when you can try the following home remedies to get rid of the red spot on the skin.
Home Remedies for Red Spots on Skin
The following are home remedies you can use to get rid of red patches on your skin:
- Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera has medicinal values; it has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory abilities that are very useful in treating red spots on the skin. It also has a soothing effect on itchy spots on the skin. Aloe Vera gel can be used in the healing of red marks caused by injuries, allergies and even infections.
How to use:
- Get a fresh Aloe Vera leaves.
- cut the leaves in half and extract the gel by scraping off using a sharp knife
- Apply the gel on the affected area with red marks on the skin.
- Repeat the procedure twice per day until the red spot disappears on the skin.
- Coconut oil
Coconut oil is known to have an anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial property that helps in the treatment of inflamed red bumps on the skin. The oil also has soothing ability to keep away pain and irritation caused by red spots on skin. The oil also initiates red marks to fade away slowly and keep the skin healthy.
Procedure:
- Get one teaspoon of coconut oil.
- Clean the affected area with warm water.
- Apply the coconut oil on the affected area using your hand.
- Apply the oil two times per day until all the red dots go away.
- Lemon juice
Lemon juice is a natural skin bleaching agent. It has a lot of vitamin C that aid in the lightening of your skin. Lemon juice can be used to remove semi-permanent red spots your skin.
How to use it:
- Get one teaspoon of lemon juice and two teaspoons of honey and two teaspoons of raw milk.
- Mix the three ingredients in a jar
- Apply the mixture on the affected area of the skin.
- Repeat the treatment twice per day few weeks until your spot gets lightened.
- Baking soda
Baking soda has the ability to dry up inflamed red bumps on the skin. The pH of the reagent also helps to kill bacteria that causes red marks on the skin.
To use:
- Get five teaspoons of baking soda and mix with one cup of warm water to make a paste.
- Apply the paste directly on the affected area with red spots.
- Allow the paste to stay on your skin for 10 minutes.
- Remove the paste from the skin using a wet towel.
- Repeat the same until the red spot on the skin gets lighter.
- Sugar scrub
This is the best treatment you can use to remove red spots on your face and other parts of the body. Sugar scrubs help to exfoliate the skin to remove red makes and give you a glowing spotless skin.
Procedure:
- Get half cup of sugar and add two tablespoons of raw milk and mix.
- Scrub the mixture over the affected area with red spots.
- Allow it to stay on your skin for five minutes.
- Clean to remove the mixture on the skin using clean water.
- Sugar scrub gives an instant glowing skin.
- Banana peel
Banana has nutrients and components like lutein that can help you to get rid of red spots on the skin.
How to use it:
- Get a banana peel and rub it over the affected area of the skin in a circular motion.
- Clean the skin using warm water.
- Repeat the same procedure until your skin gets lightened.
- Tomato juice
Tomato juice can be the best home remedy to remove red dots on your skin. The juice has the ability to lighten your skin.
To use it,
- Have a ripe tomato and cut it into a half.
- Using your hand, rub the affected area with one piece of tomato gently as you squeeze the pulp out.
- Allow the pulp to stay to stay on your skin for one hour before washing with warm water.
- Repeat the treatment until red spots on skin fade away.
- Egg white
You can use egg white to remove red dots from the skin.
Procedure:
- Get one egg and break it.
- Separate the white part from yellow.
- Apply the egg white directly on the affected area of the skin.
- Allow the egg white to stay on your skin for 10 minutes before washing it.
- Repeat the treatment once per day until red patches fade away on the skin.
Treatment for Red Spots on Skin
Apart from using home remedies for the treatment of red marks on the skin, you can alternatively use topical treatment by visiting your doctor. You doctor will determine the main cause of red spot on your skin in order to get an accurate diagnosis.
After several tests have been done to you by a doctor, he or she will tell the cause of red marks on your skin. If the red patches are as a result of an infection, oral medication can be administered to you by the doctor.
Skin care products can also be prescribed to you by the doctor that can help in the treatment and removal of red spots on the skin.
For permanent red spots, laser treatment is the best option your doctor can use. It involves plastic surgery that lightens the skin and removes all kind of spots on the skin however; this method is very expensive but affordable.
Sources and References
- Symptoms of red spot on skin: http://www.doctorshealthpress.com/skin-care-articles/tiny-red-spots-on-skin/
- Cause of red spot on skin: https://skinvision.com/en/articles/pinpoint-red-spots-on-skin-this-could-be-the-cause
- Cause of red spot on skin: http://www.healthline.com/health/raised-skin-bump
- Red spots on skin itchy: https://www.firstderm.com/itchy-red-bumps-on-skin-potential-causes/
- Red spots on skin not itchy: https://skinvision.com/en/articles/red-spots-on-skin-but-not-itchy-find-out-the-common-causes
- Red spot under the skin: http://www.webmd.com/first-aid/tc/bruises-and-blood-spots-under-the-skin-topic-overview#1
- Flat red spots on skin: https://healthunlocked.com/cllsupport/posts/131264734/tiny-flat-red-dots-on-skin
- Raised red spots on skin: http://www.healthline.com/health/raised-skin-bump
- How to get rid of red spots on your skin: https://skinvision.com/en/articles/how-to-get-rid-of-red-spots-on-skin
- Treatment of red marks on the skin: https://www.bclaserandskincare.com/treatable-conditions/red-spots/