Pimple-like rash on arms and legs

I recently was in the hospital with a very bad rash and edema in my arms that caused bad bruising.  At first they thought it was a systemic allergic reaction, but the rash went on my palms and they decided I had some sort of virus.  the rash looked like hives at times.  sometimes it would be red dots and other times it would spread into large red patches.  i was on prednisone for about two and a half weeks and came off it last week.  ive been taking benadryll 25mg and zyrtec 10mg regularly, and the rash had all disappeared except that my cheeks and palms still get flushed when im nervous, cold or take a hot shower.  tonight, my legs were itchy and i noticed small, itchy red bumps on my legs and arms that look nothing like my previous rash and i am very worried about this new rash.  it has been a month now and i just want it all to go away.  any help would be much appreciated!

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
It is true that the earlier symptoms sounded like hives but for these small itchy pimple like lesions apart from hives, viral rashes and scabies also needs to be ruled out. It does not look like hives, however diagnosis can be confirmed only by examination and tests for scabies. Diagnosis of scabies is made by scraping the skin and viewing the material under a microscope to see the characteristic mite or eggs. Please consult a dermatologist in that case.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.

[FMachine]

Thanks for your advice!  I saw a dermatologist and she thinks that the prednisone depressed my immune system and made me more likely to get skin infections.  She thinks it might be folliculitis and did a biopsy to confirm.  The dots have spread to my face and chest a bit.  I'm waiting for the biopsy results now.