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Skin infections can result from bacterial, fungal, parasitic and viral causes that enter your body through a cut or open wound on your skin.
What is it?
Skin infections can vary widely in severity, ranging from mild irritation to severe disorders, depending on their nature and origin. Many times they occur when harmful bacteria enter the body through cuts or injuries to the skin. Factors such as moisture, friction, or insufficient blood supply to a particular body part can also contribute to infections. Thankfully, most skin infections are highly manageable. However, individuals with compromised immune systems, whether due to underlying health conditions, medication side effects, age, or obesity-related skin folds, are more susceptible. Skin infections can manifest in various forms, including bacterial (such as impetigo and boils), viral (like shingles and warts), fungal (such as athlete's foot and ringworm), and parasitic (including lice and bedbugs). Symptoms may vary depending on the type of infection but commonly include rashes, swelling, itching, and discomfort.
How is it treated?
To get an accurate diagnosis, visit one of our expert dermatologists in Bridgeport, Clarksburg, Elkins, Hurricane, Morgantown, Parkersburg, South Charleston and Wheeling, West Virginia; in Waynesburg and Uniontown, Pennsylvania and in Marietta, Ohio. Our team will conduct an exam, discuss your symptoms and, if needed, take a skin sample to help identify the specific type of infection. If your infection doesn’t clear up on its own, goes deeper into the skin or spreads across the body, it’s important to come in for a consultation. Many skin infections will go away on their own. For bothersome or more severe infections, we can provide antibiotics, antiviral antifungal or antiparasitic medications. With the right treatment, patients see symptom improvement and a reduction in duration of the infection.