Skin conditions can be hard to identify. Is it dermatitis or hives? A breakout or an infection? Treatment varies depending on the type of rash you have, so if you don't know what you have, you may inadvertently be making it worse.

Read on to learn about eight common skin rashes and their symptoms, triggers, and treatment options. If you’re dealing with a concerning skin issue, especially if lifestyle and over-the-counter treatments don’t provide relief, contact your doctor for advice.

The most common type of eczema is atopic dermatitis, though the terms are often used interchangeably.

With eczema, “the barrier of your skin is damaged, and you’re losing moisture,” says Katie Rodan, MD, a dermatologist and cofounder of Rodan + Fields, based in Oakland, California. She compares the condition to a leaky roof: “Anything irritating and allergenic can enter [the skin] more easily, making you more prone to rashes and infections.”

About 20 percent of infants have eczema. Many kids outgrow it, though it sometimes sticks around into adolescence or adulthood.Commonly affected areas include the eyelids, elbows, hands, feet, knees, and ankles.Triggers for eczema include environmental factors, such as hot weather or contact with irritating products and detergents, says Joyce Davis, MD, a dermatologist in New York City.

Rash Rx

First, stop scratching. “Eczema creates a vicious itch-scratch cycle,” says Ranella Hirsch, MD, a dermatologist in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “The skin’s dryness [causes] itchiness, which makes you scratch. Scratching makes your skin thicker, which itches more.”

Treatments for eczema include topical medications and lifestyle measures. Here are some suggestions.

• Use an anti-itch lotion, such as an over-the-counter (OTC) topical steroid with 1 percent hydrocortisone. If OTC products don’t work, a dermatologist can prescribe creams that control the itching and repair the skin. (Long-term use of steroid treatments isn’t recommended because they can thin the skin.)

• Choose mild soap that doesn’t include dyes or fragrances, and be sure to thoroughly rinse it off.

• Buy skin-care products that are fragrance-free, not unscented. “‘Unscented’ means they’ve used a chemical to mask a scent, and those chemicals can be irritating,” Dr. Hirsch says.

• Avoid long, hot showers, and instead take a bath with baking soda, uncooked oatmeal, or colloidal oatmeal. Pat the skin dry afterward, and apply moisturizer while the skin is still damp. “If you put a thin layer on damp, not dry, skin, it will penetrate quickly,” Hirsch says.

Contact dermatitis is a different type of eczema, triggered by physically touching something that irritates or causes an allergic reaction. Intense itching, accompanied by a rash with fluid-filled blisters, is the hallmark of the disorder.There are two types of contact dermatitis: irritant, which is more common and occurs when your skin reacts to something chemical (like a perfume or detergent); and allergic contact dermatitis, which is caused by a reaction to a substance. Common contact dermatitis triggers include nickel jewelry, hair dye, cosmetics, skin-care products, nail polish, formaldehyde, rubbing alcohol, and poison ivy.

“It is usually not immediate; it takes a few days for contact dermatitis to appear on your skin the first time around,” Dr. Davis says. “The second time, it may appear sooner.”

Rash Rx

For both irritant and allergic contact dermatitis, treatment can include using an over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream or ointment or a prescription topical steroid.

“Unfortunately, there is no ‘cure’ for an irritant or allergic sensitivity, although some can improve with time,” says Lisa Anthony, MD, a dermatologist at Summit Health in Rye, New York.

Preventing contact dermatitis, however, can be simple: Avoid what’s making you break out — if you’re able to identify the culprit. Identifying an allergic reaction may require a test, in which a doctor applies a small patch with allergens on it to see if your skin reacts.

If costume jewelry is the problem, try painting clear nail polish or apply clear tape on the underside to create a barrier between it and your skin.

Like dandruff gone haywire, seborrheic dermatitis (sometimes called “scalp eczema”) is a fungus that typically crops up in oily areas such as the scalp, face, upper chest, and back.

Rash Rx

Seborrheic dermatitis on the scalp is often treated with over-the-counter dandruff shampoos with ingredients that reduce the skin’s fungal population, Dr. Anthony says. Look for shampoos with zinc, selenium, or ketoconazole. “Depending on your hair type, try to shampoo daily until the condition improves,” Anthony says. “For thicker scale, one can add mineral oil to soften and comb out stubborn flakes.”

If that doesn’t work, your doctor can prescribe stronger shampoos and medications.

Outbreaks on the face and body can be treated with topical corticosteroids or antifungal medications.Jock itch, athlete’s foot, and ringworm are all fungal infections belonging to a family of infections known as tinea. These thrive in warm, moist areas, such as in the groin, toes, and underarms.

“These areas create the perfect environment for fungus to breed,” says Crystal Murray Holmes, DPM, a podiatrist in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and an associate professor at the University of Michigan.

The symptoms depend on where on the body the infection appears. A red, ring-shaped rash may be ringworm, while athlete’s foot and jock itch appear as itchy, burning rashes on the skin.You can contract fungal infections through contact with an infected person or pet; they can also be passed through things like shoes and towels, Anthony says. Fungus that causes jock itch, for example, thrives on damp towels and sweaty workout gear, and is easily picked up in a locker room.

Rash Rx

Your best bets for treating fungal infections are antifungal creams and oral medications. Be sure to wash your hands before and after applying the creams to keep the fungus from spreading further.

After bathing, dry skin folds, feet, and the groin area well, and wear clean, loose-fitting underwear (to prevent jock itch) and socks made of microfiber (to prevent athlete’s foot), which is designed to wick moisture away from the skin,” Holmes says.

Also, use flip-flops in public showers and around pools or other wet spots, and try to rotate through different pairs of shoes to minimize moisture and fungus buildup.

Bacterial infections can start small but grow into big problems if left untreated. A wound, insect bite, or other break in the skin can allow bacteria to creep into your skin and fester. The resulting infection can be a tiny spot or can spread across the entire body, and the severity of the infection can also range from no big deal to life-threatening.

Rash Rx

If it’s a small infection, an antibiotic ointment can be applied to the area to clear it up. But if it affects a larger area of the skin, oral or intravenous antibiotics may be needed.

See a doctor immediately if you spot yellow pus or foul-smelling drainage from a wound, increased redness and pain at the site of the wound, changes in color or size, red streaks in the skin surrounding the wound, or if you come down with a fever. Hirsch says those symptoms are cause for concern.

In a worst-case scenario, the infection can get into the blood and be fatal. “People really do die of cuts,” Hirsch says.

You can also prevent skin infections from developing by cleaning every cut or wound immediately with soap and water and covering it with a bandage.

Hives (also known as urticaria) have many triggers, including certain foods (such as peanuts, eggs, nuts, and shellfish), extreme cold or heat, some medications and illnesses, and insect bites.In response to the trigger, the cells in your body release histamine, a chemical that makes the body go into inflammatory overdrive to get rid of the allergen. Hives and swelling result as your body responds to the flood of histamines.If hives are accompanied by swelling of the eyes, mouth, hands, feet, or throat, or difficulty breathing, you may have angioedema. “It is similar to hives, but it can be more severe and often affects the eyes and lips,” Anthony says. “In the most severe cases, internal organs such as the respiratory tract and gut can be involved.”

Rash Rx

Sometimes, hives disappear on their own without any treatment, though applying a cold washcloth to the area can help soothe the skin.

If not, try an over-the-counter oral antihistamine to reduce itching and swelling.

Of course, the best remedy is prevention. Try to identify your trigger for hives, and avoid it.

Oral herpes, usually HSV type 1, is usually the culprit behind cold sores and originates during childhood through nonsexual contact.It’s estimated that 50 to 80 percent of people are exposed to the HSV 1 virus, usually early in life. The virus stays in the body but remains dormant and causes no symptoms in most people. Others may develop cold sores occasionally. “Any close contact like kissing, sharing utensils, or using a department store lipstick tester can cause it to spread,” Hirsch says. But HSV type 1 can also be transferred to the genitals during oral sex.

A herpes outbreak can be triggered by stress, illness, fatigue, and sun exposure. Though it’s rare, laser and injectable procedures (such as lip filler) at a doctor’s office can also trigger outbreaks, Davis says.

Herpes infections tend to recur in the same spot on your body because the virus lives in the nerve beneath the skin, Davis says. “When it gets triggered back to the skin, it’s within the same vicinity,” she says.

Rash Rx

HSV can be tricky to diagnose, since it often looks like an allergic reaction. Your doctor may take a virus culture, blood sample, or biopsy to confirm the presence of HSV.There is no cure, but oral prescription antiviral medication like valacyclovir (Valtrex) can reduce the number of herpes outbreaks you experience as well as the severity and duration of outbreaks. Topical treatments, such acyclovir (Zovirax) can help lessen the symptoms, but aren’t as effective as oral medications.

Shingles, another viral rash, is caused by the varicella-zoster virus — the same virus that causes chicken pox. If you get chicken pox, the virus stays in your body for the rest of your life. Years later, it may reactivate as shingles. (If you’ve never had chicken pox you are not at risk for shingles.)

These painful, itchy, and tingly rashes tend to appear on the torso and follow the path of a nerve on just one side of the body. “It picks one nerve on either the left or the right side of the body,” Davis says. “It goes around the rib, one part of the face, and it’s very easy to diagnose.”People with shingles won’t spread shingles to other people, but they can infect others with chicken pox if the person on the receiving end hasn’t had it.A shingles rash usually goes away within five weeks, and most people will only get shingles once.Sometimes, however, the pain will linger, especially among older people. This is known as postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).

Rash Rx

The shingles vaccine should prevent the virus from reactivating. If you do get shingles, an antiviral medication can reduce the severity and duration of the outbreak, especially when taken within three days of the rash’s appearance.

If you have mild pain, an over-the-counter pain reliever, a cool washcloth, calamine lotion, or an oatmeal bath may help.

• Skin rashes can be caused by allergies, or infections with viruses, bacteria, or fungi. In some cases, the cause is unknown.

• Rashes such as eczema and hives can be due to an allergic reaction. Those caused by infections include athlete’s foot, ringworm, and seborrheic dermatitis.

• Treatment for a rash depends on the underlying cause and includes topical and oral medications as well as home remedies.

• If you are uncertain about what may be causing you to break out into a rash, contact your doctor, who can help identify it and prescribe the appropriate treatment.