Need Help with Mistery Bumps/rash on Son's Legs!

I dermatologist would be of great help. Maybe it is folliculitis. Antibiotics will help clear it up.

I think it sounds like KP - Keratosis Pilaris.

Go to the Dermatologist, I've found pediatricians suck at diagnosing skin issues.

Sounds like what I had with my second daughter, but this was on her face, neck and a bit on her shoulders. The doctor also couldn't tell me what it was but suggested I use anti-bacterial hand soap, which I did and it started clearing up within a few days. I continued to use it until it was gone and then a couple times a week for a while. Hope that helps, Good Luck.

If they are starting to look like zits, I would take him back to the doc and ask for an antibiotic cream to apply. Usually they will prescribe Muprocin ointment which is a pretty basic one and works well. Do not use Neosporin as they can make rashes worse. My niece who is 4 has had strange bumps pop up all summer and the doc still can not figure out what is causing them. He has had my sister put this ointment on them which does clear them up for a bit and them they come back in a different area on her body. My sister is also a clean freak, the doc is just having a hard time diagnosing what and where they are coming from. I would go back to the doc or get another opinion from a different one. You could also try to see a dermatologist. Good luck with your kiddo! E. :)

Have you thought about a dermatologist? There is a pediatric one down near Children's. My (now 18 years old) youngest daughter had green toes when she was in first grade. The doctor had never seen anything like it and sent us to her. It ended up that she was on vacation, so we saw a partner. He cultured it and figured it out within a couple of days, we got medicine to apply, and... no more green toes. So, you might want to check with a dermatologist.

maybe an oatmeal bath would help.i don't use aveeno anymore, as it has the exact same ingredients as store brand. it's kind of a "catch all" for mysterious bumps and bites. i'm sure you'd love to know what it is , i can't tell you that, but maybe the oatmeal would help get rid of it , for now to ease the both of you. good luck!

my youngest son developed bumps similar to the ones you are describing. They looked like white-heads on his legs and upper arms. His Dr. diagnosed it as clogged hair folicles (I cannot remember the name or term he used). They do not hurt,itch or cause any other problems and it can be a life long problem. The Dr. prescribed AMLACTIN moisturizing cream that I rubbed on the bumps twice daily. My son was probably around two when he developed his bumps. He is now 3 1/2 and has almost no bumps, and the ones he does have are very small. I do not put cream on daily any more- maybe weekly. I just found the handout the dr. gave me-
Keratosis Pilaris- a common skin disorder in which the openings of hair follicles become filled with hard plugs. These are not contaigious. involved is the skin on the backs of upper arms, fronts of thighs or buttocks.The cause is unkown, but may be heriditary, may be a vitamin A deficiency. take long soaking tub baths- use mild, unscented soap, scrub gently with a stiff brush to remove the plugs in the follicles- apply lubricating ointments or creams to the affected areas 6 or 7 times a day. The most useful time is immediately after bathing

my now 7 year old son had what sounds to be the same thing. our family doctor did had us to get the cream. they turned out to be a wart type thing. eventually they just started disappearing. but some of them left a small pit in the skin so dont be alarmed. i was just so glad for them to be gone... our doctor also showed a book to me that they look up skin conditions in so ask your doc if anything like that is available. we were able to pinpoint it with a picture. my son started on his hands i think , by the time it was ta its worst there was at least a few everywhere. but once they were gone, they stayed gone so far. i think we may have even used a steroid cream. all the creams ended up being a pain because there were so many spots... good luck

T.,
This sounds almost like what I am dealing with, with my 5 year old daughter. She has Molluscum Contagiosum look at www.mayoclinic.com/health/molluscum-contagiosum/DS000672. I hope that this helps you to find out if it is Molluscum Contagiosum (MC) or not. For your sake I hope that it is not. If you even think that what you read looks and sounds like it I would take your son to see a dermatologist as soon as you can get in so that he can get over this sooner. My daughter has had MC since March. I ended up taking her to a dermatologist last Tuesday and he prescribed a cream to put on her every night at bed time for the next 6 weeks. If they are not gone after using the cream then she has to have them froze off. MC is a wart that is in the pox family. They do get a white head on them and that white head is what is contagious and is what makes them spread when the white head is scratched. I hope that this helps you. I put a question about MC on here in April (I think it was April it might have been March.)
L.

Sounds like dry skin. My husband and I have very dry skin, and our son does too. I have had bumps on my arms that look sort of like whiteheads for years. They come and go. I'd suggest trying Lubriderm or similar lotion, or for an extreme case Aquaphor works well, but can be greasy feeling.

Hi T....

I had to respond b/c I actually just went to the dermatologist for a very similar thing! I had a virus of the skin called Molluscum Contagiosm (not sure of spelling)and it also looks like whiteheads and popped up all over. Because it was a virus, there was really nothing I could do but wait it out, but at least I knew what it was. This particular virus is very common among kids and because I was a teacher, my derm thought that was the likely culprit. Since you're a SAHM and your son isn't exposed to a bunch of kids, that may not be the same story, but I highly suggest going to a dermatologist rather than your regular ped. b/c they really know their rashes!!!

Hi, T.!
My 13-month-old daughter just had a bout with bumps that looked like what you've described. I used hydrocortizone cream and waited it out. She, also, didn't scratch at them or seem the slightest bit bothered by them. So, I tried not to let them bother me. Her ped didn't know what it was either, but said if it's clearing up, don't worry about it. And sometimes, rashes will get worse before you see an improvement. If it really seems bad to you, go to a dermatologist. He/She should be able to help you figure out what it is, and what (if anything) you should do to treat it.

Also, I used to get huge painful zit-looking bumps on my legs and underarms when I was in my late teens and early 20's. My doctor told me to use an antibacterial soap and see if I quit getting them. It helped tremendously! Maybe you could give that a try, too.

Good luck!
D.

Good Morning T., Our youngest gr son (8 mon's)gets these bumps also. He had one on his leg that kept getting irritated by his diaper. One night I babysat and when I bathed him, I pressed around it to see how large under the skin it actually was. The center came out. I dressed it with antibiotic band-aid and took him to the Dr. the next day.
Dr said we all have some type of bacteria on our skin and it's normal for some to become infected at times. He said we took care of it correctly but he wanted to see him again if he developed more. He did and we took him back, he got it to open easily and took a culture to make sure it wasn't a serious bacteria / virus like that MRSA.

Have your Dr do a culture to see just exactly what it is. Dr. put him on a antibiotic for 10 days and results of culture were ok. Since it seems to be spreading I would take him on Monday and get cultures. Our little guy also has eczema so his skin is not as soft and smooth as other baby's, rashes for Zane seem to be the norm. We bath him and while he is still wet apply a Prescription cream (triamcinolone acetonide cream) then hydrocortisone plus (Vit E & Aloe) on top of that. He said a lot of baby's have eczema we treat it wrong. The creams need to put on when wet.

I hope I gave you information along with our own story.
God Bless
K. Nana of 5

Hi T., My son who is 5 almost 6 had a mystery rash this summer as well. It started on his outer thighs and then progressed down his legs and on his hands and arms and never reached his "trunk area" except a mild irritation on his back. We went to the Dr. several times, had blood work done for allergies and infections and NOTHING turned up. His rash did itch on his hands and feet though and he did have a pretty bad cold before he came down with the rash. It took about 4 weeks for it to finally go away and then it just started to fade away and was gone in a weeks time. We never did figure out what it was. The only thing we could come up with was a virus of some sort. I'm thinking that maybe it was a version of shingles, he hasn't had the chicken pox and I never got the vaccine and his grandma had shingles around the same time as he had his rash so maybe there's a connection. Your son's rash sounds just like my son's, my advice is just to make sure he's comfortable and gets enough sleep and let his body fight it off if there seems to be nothing wrong, go with your gut and just keep an eye on him.
I also noticed on this website this summer quite a few little ones coming down with a "mystery rash" so maybe it has been going around and finally found you. Good Luck!!
M. B.

I highly recommend taking him to a dermatologist since the skin is their specialty. My daughter had a strange rash and it kept getting worse. We took her to the doctor who consulted with other doctors on three visits. They concluded she had strep of the skin which I knew she didn't because she had that in the past and knew what it looked like. They prescribed a medication that irritated the problem to the point she was completely covered except for her face within 24 hours. I called a dermatologist and got an emergency visit with him, within 3 minutes he diagnosed the problem as scabies(she had got them at Girl Scout camp). Some of them were already so infected she had staff infection in them. He said if I would have waited another day, she would have been hospitalized. I'm not trying to scare you but just remember our family doctors can't know everything and sometimes it is better to go to a source with special knowledge.

Good luck,
D.

Honestly, it sounds like eczema. He could have allergies to his milk, his foods, or even the soap you use on his skin. My daughter has eczema. She came out of the womb with a huge eczema outbreak, so she was diagnosed AT BIRTH with it. It's no big deal. Eczema is the most common skin condition in this world. Most people have it their whole lives. They learn to deal with it. My daughter has been put on steroid creams since she was a baby, but most of them don't help much. She was on Elidel at one point, and we took her off it after a few months because it just didn't do anything to help her. Some people have eczema due to an allergy. Some people have it because it's genetically inherited, which is my daughter's case. My sister, our father, and our father's side of the family all have eczema and/or psoriasis (another skin condition where the skin actually becomes collased and wart-looking). Psoriasis is not as common as eczema. I got lucky...I don't have either. You may want to request your pediatrician to do an allergy-skin test on him to find out what allergies he may possess. He could be having a reaction on his skin to something he's being exposed to on a daily basis. An allergy skin test will tell you any environmental, non-environmental, food, non-food, etc. allergies he may have. Now, some doctors will not do a skin test on a child younger than 2, so you'll have to ask your pediatrician what they suggest. As for caring for it, here are the things I did when my daughter was a baby (these were all recommended by her pediatrician because her eczema was so bad):

*Buy ALL-Clear detergent (it's color free, scent free, and is hypo-allergenic)

*Don't use any fabric softener or fabric sheets on his clothing or sheets....line dry or air dry if you can

*Buy Aveeno or Equate brand Colloidal oatmeal for the bath. Give your son oatmeal baths once or twice a week. This is NOT the same as the oatmeal you eat. This is a bath product. You can buy the Equate (Walmart brand) for about half the price of the namebrand Aveeno, and it's the same product.

*After an oatmeal bath, pat him dry, and apply oatmeal lotion (it will be the same type of oatmeal as the bath, but you can buy it in a lotion form) or you can buy EUCERIN lotion and use that. Both of these will work!

*If he goes to daycare or someone watches him, request that no one wear perfume around him. Perfume is one of the most irritating factors for baby skin. If you wear perfume or your husband wears cologne, STOP wearing it.

*Make sure to not give your baby any foods or drinks that have dyes in them (red dye, blue dye, etc.). You can look on the backs of the packaging if in doubt.

*Keep your son's skin dry at all times. Use the lotions I suggested several times a day (when he starts the day, after bath, and right before bed time).

*Don't use any powder or cornstarch anywhere on his body except his diaper area. Don't use baby oil on him AT ALL! Oil and powders clog the pores on the skin and can irritate eczema.

Eczema (and even psoriasis) are not anything to worry about. They are just simple skin conditions. Nothing you did wrong. It's not your fault. It can be treated.

You do have to make sure you keep his skin clean. Make sure the bumps don't get picked at because they can become infected. Eczema is a skin inflammatory response to an irritant. If you can try these suggestions I have given you, you will probably see a good response.

I have had this happen. After a week of the rash getting worse on the hydrocortizone cream I had to take him back to the doctor. They put him on a steroid cream. Then after a week of this not working they put him on oral stroids and it healed. It was a long hard journey but we came to an end. They never told me what it was but I was just glad it was over.
K.

It sounds like molesculum (spelling?). Both my kids had it. Does it look like a pimples you want to squeeze the pus out of? If so, that's probably what it is and there isn't a darn thing you can really do about it. Nothing you have done has caused it either so don't blame yourself or let your mil blame you either... It's basically a type of skin herpes that the kiddo will eventually grow out of (generally around 2 yrs old).

They never bother the kids, but they will drive you crazy either from looking at them or all the snide comments from others out there (day care providers, insensitive boobs, whatever). The best thing to do it just leave them alone, they will eventually go away...if you have to, you can pop them when they get to the point they really look like a zit that you could pop...I will warn you they will leave a poc mark wherever you do that though...burning them off is an option but one I didn't want to subject my children to, it is painful and will still leave marks.

My son had these all over his torso and legs. My poor daughter was extremely unfortunate to get them on her face too...I did eventually pop those b/c I had one nearly 1/2 the width of a dime on her forhead and I was tired of getting the "freakish" comments and no "cute" baby pictures from an otherwise adorable child. She has a little poc mark where that huge montrostity was but not nearly as bad of one as I thought was going to be left b/c of the size...

I would definitely check out another dr. if yours seems stumped with it. Not everyone knows about it b/c it's not prevalent. I will tell you it is NOT contagious to others (only to themselves) but of course, my Dr. still had to provide a letter for me for daycares proving that. If one does burst, wash the area and cover with a band aid so the virus doesn't spread...and wash your hands afterwards.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me.

It may be molluscum contagioso (spelling?). It can be removed at the doctor's office by freezing them off or cutting them off. All four of my sons and I have had this and I recommend having the doctor cut the core out. My youngest has his frozen off, but the local anestesia (sp?)did not cover the entire area and the liquid nitrogen caused him to have superficial burns for several hours. He is now fine, but what a trauma! Good luck! Kati

I am not a health care provider, but I did have a series of skin issues that may help you. After shoulder surgery, my skin reacted to the band aids on my incisions, never happened to me before. My surgeon said stop the band aids. The rash got worse, one dr said hydrocortizone which seemed to help a little, but then got worse. After 3 different dr. visits and advice from a friend who was a dermatolgist, the rash evolved into being a fungal reaction. That is a totally different treatment. What may have started as one kind of rash may have been exposed to fungus, VERY common. My clue that this MIGHT be your son's problem is that the current treatments is actually making it worse. You may want to ask your dr about it again.

I'd take him to a dermatologist and let them check him out.

We are going through this with my 2-year-old grandson right now. Sounds exactly like what you are describing. Puzzled the doctors. My daughter-in-law changed the shampoo she is using on him and it is finally showing improvement.
I know it sounds wierd, but if you shampoo in the shower, the shampoo ends up on his arms and legs. If you do it in the bath then, it is in the bath water.
It seems to be working for my grandson, so you might try that.
I certainly hope you get it figured out soon. Raising kids kids can be such a challenge ! Always something new !

Keratosis Pilaris. My son who has eczema( atopic dermatitis) also started getting this on his lower back, up his right side and onto his right underneath part of his arm. It was a hard bugger to fight. We did dermabrase his skin with a loofa type pad('Buf-Puf').to try to open the pores, we used peroxide, and cortizone. It finally did go away with dilligence on our part, but he does have a few pitting scars on the under arm from it. It hasn't come back. But he hated having the scrubbing done....there's alot of websites out there that can give good advice on how to deal with it.

It sounds a lot like eczema, which can look different depending on the severity. All that you have to do is put a heavy duty moisturizer on it, without scent (perfume free, dye free). The hydrocortizone is not working because it is drying the rash out furthur, which drying is what the rash is caused from in the first place. This is very normal in children. You should take him to a dermatologist, not a regular physician. Even with the moisturizer, it will take a long time to go away, it is not a quick process.

T., two of my three sons have had bumps on their legs similar to what you are describing. Ask your doctor if it could be eczema. My sons'rashes did not go away with hydrocortisone, but did go away with a prescription topical cream. Here's a link to the Mayo Clinic with info on eczema: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/eczema/DS00986

i would suggest you get a referral to a dermatologist. i have had no luck getting skin issues resolved with our pediatrician but have with a dermatologist. and the sooner the better because depending on where you live it might be a few weeks before you can get in to see the specialist.

Has anyone mentioned that it might be MRSA? It is a staph infection that has been going around this year, in fact I know approx. 10 people close to me that have had it including my husband.

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hello my daughter had this 2 yrs ago or what sounds kike it then a couple months ago my younger daughter got them my dr told me its an allergy hive give them zertek and it did work on both of my girls best of luck

Take him back to the doctor.

If you haven't yet, have him checked for celiac. It's most often misdiagnosed as allergic rash or eczema. If he's celiac, the sooner you find out, the more comfortable his life will be!

the same thing has happened to two little ones in our family. It has been found to be a virus...it ends up being "skin tag" type of lesions. One of the little girls (4 y/o) is having surgery on her lip to remove these. One of the other little ones has had hers lazered off. The doc's advice seems to be that washing and being as clean as can be won't help if they are picking it up from others.I'm sorry I do not have a name for the virsu. I will ask and get back to you. good luck

this place has great visuals to help you figure it out
www.visualdxhealth.com/

I would also say check out a dermatoligist. my son had some crazy rashes while he was in daycare and I wish I had gone to the dermatoogist. hope the site works if you check it out

Since it is getting worse, I'd make an appt. to go back to the Dr. I am sure your Dr. would want to see him again anyway since the hydrocortisone cream is not working.
Good luck!

You say it is getting worse and you are nervous take him back in to see his Dr.