Friendswood Dermatology

01/25/2026

ALERTS:

New World screwworm
On January 20, 2026, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory to notify clinicians, public health officials, and potential travelers about recent New World screwworm (NWS) animal cases in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, which shares a border with the U.S. state of Texas. No NWS infestations related to this outbreak have been identified in people or animals in the United States as of January 20, 2026. However, given the potential for geographic spread, CDC is issuing this Health Advisory to increase awareness of the outbreak and to summarize CDC recommendations for clinicians and health departments in the United States on case identification and reporting, specimen collections, diagnosis, and treatment of NWS, as well as guidance for the public.

New World screwworm (NWS) myiasis occurs when NWS flies lay eggs in wounds or in other body cavities with mucus membranes, such as the nose, ears, eyes, or mouth. The eggs develop into parasitic larvae (maggots) that feed on and burrow into living flesh. Although they primarily affect livestock, such as cattle and horses, the flies can also lay eggs on people and other warm-blooded animals, both domestic and wildlife. Cases of NWS in people can be fatal if left untreated.

01/11/2026

What is prurigo nodularis?
Prurigo nodularis is an intensely itchy skin condition. Scratching causes hard, itchy bumps called nodules to appear on your skin. Dermatologists offer treatment that can relieve the ongoing itch, allowing your skin to heal.

Is prurigo nodularis contagious?
No. While the scratching and resulting rash of bumps may remind you of a contagious disease, you cannot catch prurigo nodularis or give it to someone.

Nodules of prurigo nodularis on the legs and arms
The intensely itchy bumps (aka nodules) often develop on skin that’s easy to scratch like the legs and arms. The bumps may be red, pink, the color of your skin, or brownish black. The itchy bumps can break open or scab over.

How does prurigo nodularis start?
This skin condition begins with itchy skin. You may have 1 or 2 small areas of itchy skin, or widespread itch. The itch can come in short, intense bursts or be present most of the time.

When your skin itches, it causes an uncontrollable urge to scratch and rub. After scratching or rubbing for a while, hard bumps called nodules appear. The nodules are also intensely itchy, so you continue to scratch.

Some people scratch until the itchy nodules break open and bleed or their skin feels too painful to touch. Frequent scratching can also cause scrapes and tears on the skin. The open and injured skin may become infected.

Can prurigo nodularis spread?
Scratching often causes more bumps to appear. While you may see more bumps, this is due to inflammation. You are not spreading the prurigo nodularis around on your skin.

Keep in mind, the more you scratch, the worse the itch. As you continue to scratch the intensely itchy bumps and patches, more bumps or larger patches may appear. This creates an ongoing cycle of itching and scratching. Your dermatologist may refer to this as the itch-scratch cycle. Treatment can break this cycle.

How do you get rid of prurigo nodularis?
To get rid of prurigo nodularis, you need to treat it.

A board-certified dermatologist can help by creating an individualized treatment plan. This plan focuses on treating the itch and inflammation (response in your body that harms healthy tissue). To help patients feel more comfortable, the plan often includes tips for relieving the itch.

Treatment can take time to work, and you may need to try different treatments to get relief. Sometimes treatment fails to work, and prurigo nodularis lasts for years. This is less common today thanks to research breakthroughs.

Breakthroughs have led to FDA-approved medications, which are giving patients significant relief from the itch and reducing the number of bumps on their skin. This, in turn, is improving life for many people who were living with long-lasting itching, bumps, and pain.

For more information about how dermatologists treat this condition, go to Prurigo nodularis: Diagnosis and treatment.

Is there a cure for prurigo nodularis?
At this time, prurigo nodularis can be treated but not cured. Effective treatment can get rid of the itch and clear your skin.

Is prurigo nodularis an autoimmune disease?
No. Prurigo nodularis is not considered an autoimmune disease.

A person develops an autoimmune disease when their body mistakes a part of itself as an invader and attacks. For example, psoriasis is an autoimmune disease because T-cells, which are part of the immune system, mistakenly attack healthy skin cells.

When someone develops prurigo nodularis, the body doesn’t mistakenly attack a part of itself. For more information about what causes this skin condition, go to Prurigo nodularis: Causes.

Is prurigo nodularis hereditary?
“Hereditary” means a person has an increased likelihood of developing a disease because they have certain genes, which they have inherited from their parents.

You cannot inherit genes for prurigo nodularis, so this skin condition is not hereditary.

Can prurigo nodularis kill you?
No. This skin condition won’t kill you, but it can greatly affect your life. People living with prurigo nodularis say that the disease can negatively impact their life in many ways.

How many of these ways can you identify with?

Interrupted sleep due to the itch: Many say they never get enough sleep because the intense itch wakes them. As a result, most days they feel tired and groggy.
Missed days of work or school: Not getting enough sleep can make it difficult to do your best at work or school. Sometimes, people just don’t have the energy to do their job. Others feel too embarrassed by the constant scratching, which can cause bleeding through their clothes, so they miss days at work or school.
Canceling plans for getting together with friends or family: Some patients lose interest in being around others. They say they feel ashamed, embarrassed, or both. Some reveal that family members feel embarrassed by them.

These sentiments leave many with prurigo nodularis wanting to be by themselves. Many patients say that since getting prurigo nodularis, they have become shyer, feel uncomfortable around people, and no longer have the energy to enjoy social activities.
Feeling distressed, anxious, or angry: Prurigo nodularis can last a long time, sometimes years. Living with intense itch, itchy bumps, and other symptoms can cause a range of feelings from distress to anger. Some say the itch drives them crazy.
Living with stress levels on overdrive: When skin itches most of the time and nodules don’t go away, it can cause people to feel a great deal of stress. For some people, stress also triggers flare-ups.
Your dermatologist knows how to create a treatment plan that can reduce symptoms, allowing you to sleep, feel less stressed, and focus on your life instead of your itchy skin.

To learn more about the symptoms and where this disease can develop on the body, go to Prurigo nodularis: Signs and symptoms.

Prurigo nodularis is an intensely itchy skin condition, and scratching causes bumps on the skin.

12/24/2025

Learn how dermatologists diagnose and treat acne, pimples, zits, whiteheads, and blackheads

04/13/2025

Skin Care Trends: Facts/Fiction, Pearls/Pitfalls

ROSEMONT, Ill. (Oct. 29, 2024) — With the growing popularity of beauty influencers and viral skin care routines, social media is playing an integral role in shaping how people care for their skin. Popular trends like the glass-skin look, the Russian manicure, and at-home red light therapy have spa...

08/24/2024

HEAD LICE
If a child has head lice, they do not need to leave school early. Once they start treatment at home, they can return to school.

Helpful information on how to care for individuals with head lice, including information for schools

05/11/2024

Skin picking, Nail Biting, Trichotillomania, Lip-Cheek Biting

01/12/2024

SHINGLES
What are the signs and symptoms of shingles?
Shingles causes a painful, blistering rash on your skin. If you get shingles, you may notice the following three stages:

Before the rash appears: For 1 to 2 days before the rash appears, you may have pain, burning, or tingling on an area of skin where the rash will develop. Some people have described an “electrical sensation” on their skin before getting the rash.
Rash appears: A painful, blistering rash appears. It usually appears on one side of your body, often on the torso; however, it can appear anywhere on your skin. Some people get more blisters after the rash appears, so it can seem that the rash is spreading.
Rash starts to clear: As the rash clears, the blisters may crack open, bleed, and scab over. For most people, the rash will clear within 2 to 4 weeks.
Although the rash will clear on its own, treatment is important. Taking medication within 3 days of getting the shingles rash can:

Ease your pain.
Decrease the amount of time you have shingles.
Reduce your risk of developing other health problems, such as long-lasting nerve pain, pneumonia, or hearing loss.
Having a shingles rash on your face is a medical emergency
Even if the rash isn’t on your eye, it could still affect your eyesight. Immediately seeing a doctor for treatment could save your eyesight.

Shingles rash face
If you have a rash of blisters on your skin or a rash that looks like those shown below, see your doctor immediately for a diagnosis. If you have shingles, it’s important to get treatment, preferably within 2 to 3 days.

If you’ve had the rash for longer than 2 to 3 days, it’s still important to see your doctor.

A typical shingles rash
Doctors often refer to this rash as the “shingles band” because it looks like a band that appears on one area of your body, as shown here. People with darker skin tones may see grayish, pink, dark brown, or purplish bumps. On lighter skin tones, the bumps tend to be red.

Comparison of shingles rash belly and shingles rash waist
A rash on one side of the body
A key that you have shingles is that the rash only develops on one side of your body.

The shingles rash often causes a cluster of tiny blisters. You may notice that the skin beneath the blisters is inflamed. If you have brown or black skin, inflammation may cause a purplish color beneath the blisters or no noticeable discoloration. On lighter skin tones, inflamed skin is usually red or pink, as shown here.

The rash will also feel painful.

Although the rash can begin in one area, you may notice that a few scattered blisters develop in other areas, as shown here.

While shingles tends to develop on your body or face, it can appear anywhere on your skin.

Other signs and symptoms of shingles
Along with a painful, blistering rash, some people can also have one or more of the following:

Fever
Headache
Muscle aches
Stomach pain
Vomiting
These tend to go away as the rash clears.

Other health problems due to shingles
After the shingles rash clears, some people develop other health problems, which include:

Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN): This is the most common. Occurring where you had the rash, PHN can cause constant tingling, burning, and pain. For others, the pain comes and goes.

Whether the pain is constant or intermittent, it can go on for a long time. You can have PHN for months, years, or the rest of your life. There is no way to know how long it will last.

The pain caused by PHN can become so severe that it interferes with your life, making everyday activities painful. A musician may no longer be able to play an instrument. Some people cannot walk comfortably. It may be difficult to bathe or get dressed. You may have trouble sleeping.

How to prevent PHN: If you have shingles, you can greatly reduce your risk of PHN by getting treated for shingles within 3 days of developing the rash.

Get treated for shingles within 3 days of developing the rash
Taking antiviral medication within 3 days of getting the shingles rash can:
• Reduce your risk of developing PHN
• Ease symptoms of shingles
• Clear the shingles rash more

Other health problems that can develop after the shingles rash clears include:

Blindness or some loss of eyesight (if shingles infects your eyes)
Hearing loss
Pneumonia
Encephalitis (swelling of the brain)
Although rare, some people die of shingles.

Treatment can prevent these complications.

You can find out if you have a greater risk of developing shingles at, Shingles: Causes.

Images 1,3,4,9: Getty Images
Images 2,5: Reproduced with permission from ©DermNet www.dermnetnz.org 2023.
Images 6,7,8: Images used with permission of the American Academy of Dermatology National Library of Dermatologic Teaching Slides.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Shingles: Prevention and treatment.” Page last reviewed 5/10/2023. Last accessed December 5, 2023.

Dooling KL, Guo A, et al. “Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for Use of Herpes Zoster Vaccines.” Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2018;67:103-8.

Madkan V, Sra K, et al. “Human herpes viruses.” In: Bolognia JL, et al. Dermatology. (second edition). Mosby Elsevier, Spain, 2008:1204-8.

Straus SE, Oxman MN, et al. “Varicella and herpes zoster.” In: Wolff K, Goldsmith LA, et al. Fitzpatrick’s Dermatology in General Medicine (seventh edition). McGraw Hill Medical, New York, 2008: 1885-98.

Yang Q. George MG, et al. “Abstract 39: Effect of herpes zoster vaccination and antiviral treatment on risk of ischemic stroke among older adults.” Presented at: 2019 International Stroke Conference. February 6-8, 2019; Honolulu, HI.

Written by:
Paula Ludmann, MS

Reviewed by:
Elan M. Newman, MD, FAAD
Rajiv Nijhawan, MD, FAAD
Brittany Oliver, MD, FAAD

Last updated: 1/3/24

Learn about how dermatologists identify the signs and symptoms of shingles.

01/12/2024

MED SPA RISKS PATIENT SAFETY

09/15/2023

PATIENT EDUCATION: Sarcoidosis, Granuloma Annulare, etc.

08/14/2023

UNUSUAL/CHALLENGING/INTERESTING DERM CASES:

A 2-year old boy presented with episodic right-sided facial flushing occurring immediately after eating. He had a history of an ipsilateral facial hematoma following forceps delivery which had healed without scarring. The flushing was first noted after the introduction of solid foods at 6 months of...