Does any one else have this? (painful, skin, dermatologist, arm)

[Simpleton1989]

Starting in March of this year, with no change in work, diet or fabrics, i got nasty rashes on my arms (a zillion tiny little skin-colored bumps on the underside of my arm and elbow that coalesce into a massive plaque that eventually dries out and remains there). After a four week period of irregular bathing (I was literally bedridden for four weeks, with no one to help or feed me from an unrelated illness) the rash died down and then died out for good with the summer. 3 wonderful summer months with no skin issues. As soon as September they started coming back and with each day it spreads and gets worse and worse. I have tried keeping the skin moist with multiple types of ointments and oils; nothing works. The rash just marches on, and ONLY on the underside of my arms and in my elbows. The colder it gets, the more of the tiny little bumps there are.

Could it be a winter rash?

[thetiredone]

Could it possibly be shingles? The rash outbreak sound like shingles to me.

[Parnassia]

Originally Posted by thetiredone

Could it possibly be shingles? The rash outbreak sound like shingles to me.

Doesn't sound remotely like shingles. A shingles outbreak only affects one side of the body at a time. It wouldn't occur on BOTH arms. It would also be very painful to the touch.

Sounds like its way past time for a dermatologist OP. Obviously what you're doing isn't helping the underlying cause of the rash. The topicals you keep putting on the surface could be making the underlying problem worse. A derm can sample your skin, do some other systemic lab work and run some diagnostics. No one else can...including internet strangers who can't even see you in person.

[thetiredone]

I thought of shingles when I read it at first. Now I am thinking maybe it is poison ivy.