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halkiwebb

[20F] Found a weird dappled rash on my arm in the shower

Physician Responded

This is my first post here so I'm sorry if I say/do anything wrong

Lately, since maybe October the skin on my arms/legs has been really itchy. I chalked it up to the dry winter climate at first but my right forearm and right leg started getting random sores, here and there. I thought they were ingrown hairs or just acne or something because I've always occasionally gotten them here and there every now and again but I had like 15 on my forearm at once which started to concern me because usually I'll have 1 or 2.

When I asked my doctor about it she looked at then and explains skin just does this sometimes, especially if you have sensitive skin (if I press down on or scratch my skin it will turn red and then white and stay white for 15-20 min in the areas affected) I stopped putting scented lotion on everything except my hands (because my hands aren't really affected and my little scented lotions are one of the only ones that feel nice, they're I think skin 74 brand, it's a Korean lotion with little cats on the tube.) In any case I've only been using unscented lubriderm lotion since I saw my doctor a week ago but I stopped the scented lotions around 3 weeks ago. I stopped shaving for 2 weeks to see if it was the result of razor burn or anything (I only shave my legs, I have never shaved my arms)

My skin has still been incredibly itchy and I've been trying not to scratch at it because that makes it worse. This morning I was cuddling with my cat before getting up and taking a shower, I noticed this flat spotted rash all up both of my forearms. The frequency of spots on my left wrist is so great it's more red than anything. I googled measles rashes, chicken pox rashes, and hice rashes to compare just in case and it wasn't similar to any of these. I should mention I am allergic to cats but I'm pretty tolerant to my boy and I've never had a reaction like this to any animal before. I took a 24hr antihistamine yesterday in the afternoon too so that should still he in effect. I dont think this is allergy related but I can't be sure.

I'm paranoid about it being a contagious disease like the 2 I googled because at some point when I was a teenager my mom decided to go anti vax and I dont know which ones I do or dont have. (I'm pretty sure the rounds I missed in high school were all just boosters but I know my father was adamantly against my sisters and I ever getting the HPV vax so I 100% don't have that one.) I've never had the chicken pox before either and I know the older you get, the more dangerous it is. I dont see my doctor again until mid january because they're super busy in december, I wouldn't be able to go see her.

I do have pictures but I'm not sure how to link them. If anyone has any insight on this, it would be greatly appreciated, I just want to know what it could be before I go anywhere on the off chance it is contagious. Thank you very much

Edit: here are the pictures http://imgur.com/gallery/AOmLZ7r

Edit 2: I didnt realize the following would be important. 20F, 4'10", ~105-110lbs, I'm white, complaint detailed above, I'm allergic to pretty much every animal but not that much to cats (itchy watery eyes and runny nose are my only cat symptoms but with some animals like Guinea pigs I can go into anaphylactic shock), I have moderate to severe asthma, I take Flovent and Salbutomal for that, I currently take 30mg fluoxetine (prozac) in the morning on week days, the antihistamine I take is 24 hr pill Aerius as needed, I drink occasionally socially but not often at all (once every few months or so), I dont smoke at all because of the asthma, I dont use recreational drugs.

Also at this point in time, about 6 hours later, the rash has mostly died down but it's still kind of there, very light. I dont think I'd be able to get a good picture though, unfortunately

Posted Dec 1, 2019, 1:32 PM UTC · edited

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