As Americans, or human beings in general, we are susceptible to countless illnesses, injuries, and conditions. Since we are only human, we cannot remain healthy. In fact, Americans get about one billion colds every year, 25,000 of Americans suffer from an ankle sprain every year, and about 85 percent of Americans have allergies to poison ivy. Needless to say, there are many times when sick Americans need help in order to recover. Whichever illness, injury, or condition you have, urgent care is here to assist you (seven days a week)! More specifically, if you have any skincare needs, urgent care clinics will take care of you. Here’s all you need to know.

Skin Conditions

There are various types of skin conditions individuals can have, or contract in certain situations. Urgent care helps to treat many of these medical conditions and their symptoms.

Rashes: There are minor and major rashes that you can contract through allergies, diseases, or infections. It’s important to know when a rash causes a trip to urgent care, or the drugstore for some over-the-counter cream. First, if your rash causes a fever or pain in the area, you’ll need to head to urgent care. This rash, and its symptoms, may be a sign of a major allergy or an infection. An urgent care physician will examine your rash to determine if it is serious or not. He or she will then instruct you to wash the contaminated area. Then, the physician will instruct you to moisturize your rash, which is an important step because it helps decrease the time of the healing process. Lastly, your physician can prescribe you creams and ointments for your rash if need be.

If your rash causes bruised lesions on your skin, this is a sign that you have contracted Vasculitis. This is a rare condition that makes vessel walls thick and narrow. This will potentially cause limited blood supply to organs and tissues. A physician at urgent care will request testing and imaging. Upon diagnosis, treatment can begin. This includes steroids and a Immunosuppressive drug.

An slightly obvious rash would be a rash that signals a severe allergic reaction. This type of rash can cover your entire body. An urgent care physician will examine your rash. Then he or she will recommend treatment such as ointments, creams, cold compresses, oatmeal baths, and medications like Benadryl.

A rash that is circular in shape will cause a trip to urgent care. A circular shaped rash can indicate Lyme disease. A urgent care physician needs to check this rash immediately. Your urgent care physician will look at your rash, and then order a blood test. If the blood test comes back positive for Lyme disease, the physician will prescribe antibiotics that you’ll need to take for four weeks. Although this can be a serious diagnosis, do not worry! Urgent care, and its educated, efficient, caring physicians can help!

Poison Ivy: Poison ivy, by definition is a poisonous Asian and Eastern North American flowering plant that is well-known for causing urushiol-induced contact dermatitis, an itchy, irritating, and sometimes painful rash, in most people who touch it. If you believe you’ve come into contact with poison ivy, head to an urgent care clinic. This is especially important if the rash has spread to places such as your face. Additionally, if your poison ivy begins to blister, you’ll need to go to an urgent care facility. In fact, the blisters can become infected, so it’s best you get it checked out by a medical professional. Your urgent care physician will recommend applying a steroid ointment to the rash. If your poison ivy rash is very severe, your urgent care physician will prescribe oral steroids, as well as antibiotics or an antibiotic ointment.