Strange Rash on Daughter's Skin

Updated on August 02, 2009
T.F. asks from Tujunga, CA
9 answers

Hello Mommies, Just hoping someone might know what this is. My 2 1/2 yr. old daughter started out with just a few skin colored bumps on her body, mostly on her arms and tummy, 3 days ago and they were only visible if you looked really closely. So 2 days ago I took her to her ped. and he said no big deal, probably from new sun block or swimming a lot. Well, yesterday she woke up with way more bumps and they are more reddish instead of skin colored. She's not really bothered by it and itches just once in a while. I called Dr. back yesterday and I'm still waiting for a reply...should I take her to urgent care or just ride it out? Thanks for any advice.

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So What Happened?

Well, I took my daughter to the urgent care and Dr. said he believes it's swimmers itch. He asked if we had been swimming in any lakes and in fact we had been in a lake just about 2 weeks ago. He said it's a little bit of a delayed reaction, but it's from a parasite that lives in lakes and she just had a bad reaction to it. He said it's not dangerous to humans but can cause rashes in some people and we should expect it to clear up on its own in next 4-5 days. Thanks for your advice. T.

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A.K.

answers from San Diego on

We just had a similar situation with my 18 month old!!!

I freaked out and was in the Dr office three times getting three different opinions as to what it was. The only consistency was that it was nothing to worry about and it would go away. She had hers in total for over a week with the worst of it being toward the end with fevers.

IT WENT AWAY! *lol

If you go online there's only one rash (looks like a red pen point on skin) that's bad, so try to be calm and don't freak out like me :) I think the heat makes any simple rash look worse than it is. I hope this helps :)

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S.P.

answers from Honolulu on

It could be contact dermatitis, eczema, or keratosis pilaris. The first two are allergic reactions that itch and the last one is a condition where the body produces excess keratin, a natural protein in the body. All three conditions can start out as tiny bumps on the skin. Keratosis pilaris bumps are more commonly skin-colored but can also be red. Eczema and contact dermatitis usually progress if the allergen is not removed. Eczema can stay in the skin long after the offending allergen is removed because once the skin is irritated, other factors can exacerbate the rash. If it is eczema, it will begin to turn into dry patches that may crack if it the rash isn't kept moisturized with lotion and it will be very itchy. Hydrocortisone will help mild eczema and dermatitis, and vitamin A creams, exfoliation, and moisturizing lotions should help keratosis pilaris. If it is an allergic rash, it can be very difficult determining what your child is allergic to, but you can always rule things out step by step. Both of my children have allergies, so I have battled their skin conditions for almost 8 years! Check out these links to pictures and see if your daughter matches swimmer's itch or the other conditions I mentioned: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swimmer%27s_itch http://www.clearups.com/kp.html
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dermatitis/DS00543 Hope this helps!

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T.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

T.,

Rashes are often not a big deal, but there are times when they are indications of something much more serious. Having had 4 kids, and experiencing a wide spectrum of rashes, I error to the side of caution. Please take your little one in and get a firm diagnosis. It is rare, but sometimes it can be extremely important. Pediatricians see so many kiddos with rashes all the time, but even they can make mistakes.

God bless,
T.

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

I would definitely check with the Doctor again.
It could be anything, from non-contagious, to contagious.
So best to check.

It could be just allergy or molluscum, or dry skin, or from something she touched, or ate, or drank, or in the water she swam in. (even swimming pools are full of bacteria).

So, don't guess. Get an actual "diagnosis" as to what it is.
If you want to take her to urgent care, then do so. Since it seems to have increase AND changed in appearance/color.

All the best,
Susan

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T.H.

answers from Los Angeles on

I've heard sometimes the higher SPF a sunscreen has the more prone to irritation it could cause on little ones. If your using anything above 35 (EVEN with the super expensive, super sensitive, plain old Target brand or No Add) try lowering the SPF and see if that helps.

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M.L.

answers from Reno on

Hi. I just got back from urgent care with my daughter...she has 9 little blister like, pimple looking things on her skin. It is chicken pox. Okay, she had the vaccine. And, she hasn't been sick or running a fever.. She was at 99 today and had a tummy ache last night, but that is it. I thought chicken pox were a thing of the past but no so much...I would go to urgent care and see what they say...

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K.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

My 2 1/2 daughter has the exact same thing right now. This has been going on for 6 weeks or so and we've seen the doc 3 times. It started as a small patch of bumps at the small of her back and slowly spread everywhere except her face. Most times you can't see it unless she is hot, sweaty or getting out of the tub and then it is red. She is otherwise healthy and had no illness prior to the start of the rash. He thinks it is nothing and will go away in a few months. He just said put the prescription hydrocortizone cream on it if it itches. He said it is following a normal course and it can take that long to completely clear up. I plan to check in with him again in a month if it isn't gone. Good luck!
PS Each time we went to the doc we got a different diagnosis (contact dermatitis, heat rash etc. Doc says what ever it is, the recovery is the same, so don't freak if it takes a long time to go away:)

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M.F.

answers from Los Angeles on

Does she have a fever. My son had something similar a few weeks ago. Fever, sore throat and rash on his torso. The doctor said it was just a virus. It went away after a week.

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M.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

T.,
More than likely it's molescum contagiosum (sp?). It's a very common summer thing - especially if she's swimming in water that lots of kids swim in. All 3 of my kids had this almost every summer. You can Google it to find out more. It will usually go away on it's own, but it does take quite a while. It spreads when you scratch it. The bumps themselves are not harmful, but when they break open or get scratched... the white part inside comes out and that is how they spread. Don't worry. You're doing all the right things.

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