Not mosquito bites, but what?

I recently started getting what appears to be pink/red mosquito bites all over my stomach, back of my thighs, and particularly behind my knees.  This itches horribly.  There is no way that this can be mosquitos or bug bites.  I live in Germany.  I recently started training harder for a bike race.  Can this be associated with sweating or hygiene? Otherwise, I have no clue...  

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
From the area which you have mentioned and the symptoms the possibility of sweat dermatitis needs to be ruled out. Avoid using any lotions and creams for the meantime. Use a mild cleanser with moisturizing properties like Cetaphil. Also use cotton clothes and change the clothes twice if there is any increased sweating. Try keeping the skin free of sweat as far as possible. If the symptoms still persist then you can apply mild steroid like dermacort. For the itching antihistaminics like Benadryl or Claritin can be taken.

I hope it helps. Take care and regards.