Red dots that come and go

Hi all,

I've had red dots/spots/bumps all over my body for just over 3 months. They are on the backs of my hands, the tops of my feet, my arms, and mostly my legs. At some points, they've turned into full blown hives. The particularly strange thing about them is that they'll show up for a few hours, and then they'll go away again. I went to see my regular doctor a few weeks after I started seeing them, and she told me it was probably either bacterial or more likely it was Pityriasis Rosea. She gave me a cream (clotrimazole and betamethasone diproprionate cream) in case it was bacterial, but that didn't help. I assumed that it was pityriasis rosea then, but everything I read said it would go away in 6-8 weeks and not last longer than 3 months. I honestly didn't think that my condition sounded like the description of pityriasis rosea, but I decided to have some faith and wait it out. It's now been over 3 months, and this hasn't gone away. I'm incredibly frustrated, particularly because it's turning out to be near impossible to get a dermatologist appointment to have a professional look at this. (I'm in for an open clinic appointment at the end of the month because the first regular appointment I could get wasn't for three months!)

If anyone has some idea of what this could be, that would be really helpful, at least in easing my own mind or in helping me talk to my doctor about this. Thank you!!

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
It looks like hives or urticaria. Many cases of hives are "idiopathic," meaning no cause is known. Others may be triggered by viral infections or as an allergic reaction to an allergen. The most likely triggers for acute urticaria are allergies to pets, horses, latex and foods, such as shellfish and nuts, bee or wasp stings, allergies to medicines, Viral infections, such as glandular fever and herpes, dental and sinus infections, fungal infections, blood transfusions and vaccines.
Please check out these causes and consult a dermatologist. You can take some OTC oral antihistamine medications like Benadryl or Claritin and see if it helps. If the symptoms persist then steroids may be needed.

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.