Red bumps/insect bites on back of leg

[Nerk]

A week or so ago I had contact with a woman who I have since learned gets around a lot.

On the back of my knee (actually upper calf) I developed two or three red bumps that itched a lot.  They are very much like bug bites, with a hard feel to them (that is about a quarter inch in diameter) with a red center after I scratched.  Within the next day or two I had a couple more, one above my knee and one towards the inside of my calf/side of my leg.

The one on the back of my leg that I scratched violently ended up with a concave ulcer that weeped a clear fluid before it scabbed over.  The others subsided with a barely visible red dot in their center.  Several other smaller/flatter red bumps (with no red center etc.) also showed up in the vicinity sort of like small mosquito bites.

These do not appear to be centered on hair follicles.

You should also know that I have fairly severe stasis dermatitis (I believe it is called) on my calf as the result of varicose veins, with the hard, scaly, discolored patches etc.  These new symptoms appeared immediately above and to the side of the discoloration, hard scaly area (with exception of the one lone "bug bite" above my knee.)

I have also had jock itch intermittently which responds to over the counter jock itch cream (Tinactin, I believe).

Anyway, I am scared of the big bugaboo: herpes, which I understand can appear in non-genital areas.

Any thoughts you have would be appreciated.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

I think you may well have bug bites, folliculitis, or perhaps a bacterial infection of the follicles.  These do not sound like herpes.  Please do not scratch them.  Apply bacitracin or neosporin and contact the doctor who diagnosed your stasis dermatitis for further instructions.  However, I do not think you will discover that you picked up an STD.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Not likely, in my view.

Dr. Rockoff

[Nerk]

I failed to mention that the varicose vein/dermatitis area itches quite  bit routinely, and I scratch.  My fear was that I got some bad virus on my hands and scratched a raw or irritated skin area in my sleep.

I have had vein surgery on one area of the problem and it cleared up tremendously, but the rest of it has not.