Blister on the foot of a three year old

I noticed my son itching the outer side of his foot and by the next day there was a low lying blister about an inch in diameter. When he returned home from the school the next day the blister was the size of a jelly bean. Took him to the ped and they gave him an oral antibiotic and bactraband cream. The following day the blister was the size of a golf ball with many small blisters surrounding it. The site size was about 2x3 inches on the side of his foot. Went back to ped who sent him to the ped surgeon to aspirate and culture. The blister broke while waiting for the appointment and the ped surgeon was concerned that it looked like cellulitis and wanted him admitted to the hospital to be put on iv antibiotics in case of mrsa. We spent three days in the hospital and the culture came back negative. He was on bactrim and one other antibiotic. There were many different opinions ranging from a reaction to something from the beach to impetigo to coxsackie. The blister and surrounding area healed and recently the very new skin has developed bumps on it (this has all occurred over three weeks). They are very itchy. They are very small bumps that are spreading around the healed site and look to have a blister like center. They seem to subside one by one in a day or two. Yet this is concerning to me since why would this just not heal? He had a blister on his toe on the same foot about two weeks prior to this incident. I thought it was due to friction, but perhaps not, as this blister as well healed and developed a few bumps on the healed skin, which are since gone. My son does tend to get itchy rashes on his stomach and buttocks and legs which has been diagnosed as contact dermatitis. He also has had a few bad cases of poison ivy this summer.   Any thoughts or ideas on what my next step should be?

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Your doctors were certainly correct to treat this as though it were infected, but now that it has become clear that it wasn't, it should be evaluated dermatologically.  Possibilities include eczema (which causes blisters, especially in kids) and contact allergy, perhaps to antibiotic cream.  This no longer sounds serious, but obviously needs the care of a skin doctor, especially one who works a lot with kids.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff

[Momof3yrold]

Dr. Rockoff,
There is a picture included if you click on the member id, momof3yrold.
Thank you