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What Causes A Recurring Rash On The Skin?
Question: I have a recurring rash that doesn't seem to be localized. If I use anti itch creme it helps only sometimes.
Brief Answer:
rash
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for contacting HCM with your health care concerns
I am sorry to hear that you have a rash that comes and goes. This rash is not localized to one area and it itches. You have used steroid creams but that only helps occasionally. I assume you would like to know what kind of rash it is and how to proceed with treatment. The best thing for us would be if you could take a picture of the rash and then upload it to our site. Then I could get a better idea of what kind of rash it is. In the mean time I will assume that you may have a contact dermatitis which is the most common type of itching rash.
For treatment I do recommend continued use of the triamcinalone cream. If you find the rash does not respond well to the cream then I recommend doing something called an occlusive dressing. What you will do is soak your arm in a warm wash cloth for 5 minutes then remove the washcloth add the steroid cream and then reapply a warm wash cloth and wrap the arm in saran wrap. This locks in the moisture from the wash cloth and since your arm is already warm and the pores are open the steroid will penetrate better. Do this for 5-10 minutes. Hopefully that will help your itch and reduce the rash.
I hope I answered your question. Please contact us again if you have additional questions or you up load your images
rash
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for contacting HCM with your health care concerns
I am sorry to hear that you have a rash that comes and goes. This rash is not localized to one area and it itches. You have used steroid creams but that only helps occasionally. I assume you would like to know what kind of rash it is and how to proceed with treatment. The best thing for us would be if you could take a picture of the rash and then upload it to our site. Then I could get a better idea of what kind of rash it is. In the mean time I will assume that you may have a contact dermatitis which is the most common type of itching rash.
For treatment I do recommend continued use of the triamcinalone cream. If you find the rash does not respond well to the cream then I recommend doing something called an occlusive dressing. What you will do is soak your arm in a warm wash cloth for 5 minutes then remove the washcloth add the steroid cream and then reapply a warm wash cloth and wrap the arm in saran wrap. This locks in the moisture from the wash cloth and since your arm is already warm and the pores are open the steroid will penetrate better. Do this for 5-10 minutes. Hopefully that will help your itch and reduce the rash.
I hope I answered your question. Please contact us again if you have additional questions or you up load your images
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you for your response.
Your answer does seem to make sense in view of the minimal information that I provided.
Here is a bit more detailed info/ Medical history
Myocardial Infraction in 2012
Angina
Treatment, 4 stents via angioplasty. Most Recent XXXXXXX Protocol stress test (last month) results very good.
Shingles outbreak in 2015. Treated with shingles anti viral tablets and once cleared I had the Shingles Vaccine.
Meds I am presently taking,
A. Atorvastatin , (Lipitor) 40 mg Tablet
B. Losartan, 50 mg
C. Metoprolol er succinate 25 mg
D. Asperin, 81 mg
I do not have, nor have I ever had Hypertension. Losortan and Metoprolol are being taken as a preventative.
Blood pressure is very good.
The rash is barely visible at the moment making a photo difficult. However I can fairly well describe it. It mostly appears in soft tissue areas but also in the area between stomach and breast. (I am not obese and there are no fat folds to blame it on there) It also appears at the waistline, groin, buttocks, under the hairline back of neck and sometimes throat. Appearance ranges from a pink/red blotchy area up to about four inches X 2 inches. (10 centimeters X 5 Centimeters, stomach/breast area) to small pink/red welts everywhere else. Itching becomes worse at night and when removing clothing.
Question: Am I correct in assuming the occlusive dressing is meant as an osmosive method of administering the steroid into the bloodstream?
I assume this as I didn't mention having the rash on my arm.
Your answer does seem to make sense in view of the minimal information that I provided.
Here is a bit more detailed info/ Medical history
Myocardial Infraction in 2012
Angina
Treatment, 4 stents via angioplasty. Most Recent XXXXXXX Protocol stress test (last month) results very good.
Shingles outbreak in 2015. Treated with shingles anti viral tablets and once cleared I had the Shingles Vaccine.
Meds I am presently taking,
A. Atorvastatin , (Lipitor) 40 mg Tablet
B. Losartan, 50 mg
C. Metoprolol er succinate 25 mg
D. Asperin, 81 mg
I do not have, nor have I ever had Hypertension. Losortan and Metoprolol are being taken as a preventative.
Blood pressure is very good.
The rash is barely visible at the moment making a photo difficult. However I can fairly well describe it. It mostly appears in soft tissue areas but also in the area between stomach and breast. (I am not obese and there are no fat folds to blame it on there) It also appears at the waistline, groin, buttocks, under the hairline back of neck and sometimes throat. Appearance ranges from a pink/red blotchy area up to about four inches X 2 inches. (10 centimeters X 5 Centimeters, stomach/breast area) to small pink/red welts everywhere else. Itching becomes worse at night and when removing clothing.
Question: Am I correct in assuming the occlusive dressing is meant as an osmosive method of administering the steroid into the bloodstream?
I assume this as I didn't mention having the rash on my arm.
Brief Answer:
hives
Detailed Answer:
Your description sounds like hives. You may have allergy to something in your clothing like fabric softener or detergent. The reason it occurs on the areas of your breast neck waistline and groin is that these areas sweat and then leach out chemicals that maybe in your clothes. I recommend first stopping all fabric softeners and change your detergent to a hypoallergenic type.
If these are truly hives then the occlusive dressing will not help. I instead recommend using claritin or allegra or zyrtec when the rash appears. This will actually treat the internal allergy response. Still use the triamcinalone cream to help the local reaction
I hope this helps
hives
Detailed Answer:
Your description sounds like hives. You may have allergy to something in your clothing like fabric softener or detergent. The reason it occurs on the areas of your breast neck waistline and groin is that these areas sweat and then leach out chemicals that maybe in your clothes. I recommend first stopping all fabric softeners and change your detergent to a hypoallergenic type.
If these are truly hives then the occlusive dressing will not help. I instead recommend using claritin or allegra or zyrtec when the rash appears. This will actually treat the internal allergy response. Still use the triamcinalone cream to help the local reaction
I hope this helps
Note: Hope the answers resolves your concerns, however for further guidance of skin related queries consult our Dermatologist.Click here to book a consultation
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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