Till now we were only aware of the most common symptoms seen in COVID-19 patients such as fever, cough, and difficulty in breathing. Recently, several skin manifestations in COVID-19 patients were found in countries like Spain, Italy, and the USA. These skin infections are yet to be related to COVID-19 scientifically, as scientists dig deep into this discovery. The first COVID-19 study on skin symptoms was conducted in Italy. In 20.4 percent of cases, it recorded skin infections. That means skin involvement can be as high as one in five cases.
Some common skin symptoms include maculopapular rash (a flat, red area on the skin covered with small confluent bumps) and urticaria (swollen, pale red bumps or suddenly appearing plaques (wheals) on the skin). Some patients have shown vesicular lesions the same as in chickenpox. Development of Chilblains (redness and swelling) on fingertips or toes lasting more than 12 days, freshly developed blisters lasting more than 10 days, wheals with itching for more than six days without any other past illness, bluish discoloration as well as skin necrosis have to be told to a doctor immediately. Even though these skin manifestations do not necessarily mean that you are infected with COVID-19, it is compulsory to visit a dermatologist or doctor if you develop any of the above. These skin manifestations in COVID-19 patients are more common in children and young adults. In 15 percent of cases, vesicular eruptions appeared earliest before other symptoms; these developed on the trunk and limbs, were most common in middle-aged adults, and typically lasted about 10 days.
Many have questioned the idea of whether frequent hand-washing with soaps and alcohol-based sanitizers can result in accelerating skin allergies. This is because doctors and nurses are facing several skin problems due to heavy use of personal protective equipment which causes excessive friction and contact allergy. Both soaps and sanitizers tend to remove the skin’s oxidative stability which causes excessive dryness resulting in skin eczema. Redness, blistering and oozing and scratching and burning of the skin are frequently accompanied by skin dryness. But one cannot just simply be afraid of frequent handwashing as it is a crucial preventive measure against COVID-19. So a simple solution to this would be applying moisturizing cream after hand washing
