Red, Itchy Rash? Get the Skinny on Dermatitis You’ve probably
had a rash at some point or another, whether from poison ivy or
the chickenpox or something more unusual. Why does your skin
break out in red blotches like that? More important, is there
anything you can do about it? We often think of the skin as a
barrier—it keeps the insides of our bodies in, and it keeps the
outside world out. But our skin is also filled with special
cells of the . These cells protect the skin and body against
viruses, bacteria and other threats. Whenever these cells detect
a suspicious substance, they begin a chain reaction in the skin
that leads to . The medical name for this reaction is
dermatitis. But it’s more commonly known as a rash. There are
many different types of dermatitis, and each has a distinct set
of treatments. Sometimes the skin’s immune cells react to
something that directly touches the skin. Other times, the
immune system flares in the skin because of a whole-body
infection or illness. The symptoms of these d