Symptoms of Skin Problems

Video Transcript

"Hello, I'm Dr. Loretta Ciraldo, a board-certified dermatologist and author of the book "Six Weeks to Sensational Skin." Let's talk a little bit about the symptoms of skin problems. And what we mean by the symptoms are not the rash itself, but the accompanying discomfort that you can have. And by far, the most common symptom from a skin problem will be itchiness. This is something that really can sometimes be very disconcerting and drive somebody kind of bonkers. So it's not just the appearance, but if you're sitting there and you've got a problem and, let's say, that problem is on your back and you really get very itchy, it's sometimes awful and distracting to start to just scratch away at your back. So you know, what are the kinds of things that you should know? Well, you should know that certain kinds of foods can make you more itchy, whether you've got the skin disorder or not. So if you've got the symptom of itchiness from a skin problem, I'd like you to avoid the following foods: Those are tomatoes, berries, nuts, chocolate, and red wine. Also, aspirin and codeine can make you more itchy. So you may find that you can alleviate some of the symptom of itchiness just by avoiding those foods, which we typically ask you to do for a period of at least one week totally and see if your itchiness may go away. Another symptom of skin disorders is discomfort in your skin. And very interestingly, certain disorders are marked more by their discomfort than even by the rash itself. If you should happen to get a discomfort, which could either be a tingling or some kind of a pain -- almost like a pulled muscle -- that's on one side of your body only and you notice that there are tiny, little accompanying blisters coming along with it. This would be a problem where you'd immediately want to seek the attention of a doctor, as it may represent the beginning of shingles, which is a condition which can be treated very adequately with a prescription called Valtrex."