Dime sized circular raised red rash that reappears

Five months ago (while living in West Africa), I developed a dime sized, circular, red, raised rash on my arm. It has small white bumps, especially on the edges, and is itchy. It looks a little bit like ringworm, but does notSince the first appearance, I have had three of these small rashes on my upper arm, one on my forearm, two on my knee, and recently, one appeared on my lower back. I have treated these with Clotrimazole and Lamisil for up to 3 weeks at a time. Both of these creams make the rashes go away temporarily. Some rashes have left a spot of decreased pigmentation where they used to be. But they continue to come back, even while living in America and now East Africa - it doesn't seem to be related to climate. Their reappearance seems to be loosely related to increased sun exposure, but may also be totally random. I don't have any other symptoms. What is this, and how do I make it go away???

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
The various possibilities for such kind of rash are nummular dermatitis( presents as circular, dry, itchy lesions), ringworm, pityriasis rosea or granuloma annulare. Granuloma annulare is a chronic disease consisting of a rash with reddish bumps arranged in a circle or ring. Usually it is asymptomatic but due to cosmetic disfigurement topical or oral steroids may be needed. My sincere advice would be to get it evaluated from a dermatologist as without examination confirmation is tough.
I hope it helps. Take care and please do keep me posted in case you have any additional doubts. Kind regards.