While winter is becoming further away the more we head towards summer, we all know about winter rashes, but how about the spring and summer? Your skin can have a reaction and show rashes during the summer and spring as well. In this blog post, we’ll cover some of the common skin issues we see crop up during the spring and summer.

Poison Ivy/Poison Oak/Poison Sumac

Everyone knows the old saying… “leaves of three, leave them be”, along with others. One of the most common spring/summer skin rashes are ones caused by the oils in plants such as poison ivy, poison sumac, or poison oak. You are especially susceptible to these if you do a lot of camping, or you do a lot of gardening and you’re in an area where you’re not sure what is where (such as bordering a forest, or you’re cleaning up an area that hasn’t been cleaned up in a while). These plants often cause rashes that look like red juicy bumps, and sometimes are even fluid filled where the plant touched your skin (usually on the legs, hands, and arms). If you see a line of bumps or crosshatching, that can be where the plant brushed up on you and caused a reaction to occur.

Heat Rash

Also known as miliaria (Not to be confused with malaria), or a “sweat rash”. It is most common during hot and humid conditions and can look like little red bumps all along the skin. This type of rash is common amongst children and infants because of their underdeveloped sweat glands. Miliaria can look similar (and feel similar) to shingles, but is very different. The best treatment for miliaria is to wear lighter clothing, avoid hot and humid areas, and try not to overheat your body.

Lyme Disease

You probably already know about this one. Mostly delivered from a tick bite, lyme disease can start to appear a few weeks after a tick bite. If you see a red bullseye-type rash appear around the site of a tick bite, there is a possibility you may have contracted lyme disease from a tick. You will want to make an appointment to see a doctor as soon as possible.