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Dermatology (Expert Forum)
Shiny reddened area on back
Answered by
Alan Rockoff, MD - dermatology, Child Skin Problems
The Rockoff Dermatology Center
Brookline - MA
This forum is for questions regarding Dermatology issues, such as: skin rashes, acne, birthmarks, skin infections, rosacea, and general skin care.
Shiny reddened area on back
by nhguy, Oct 04, 2004 12:00AM
A little background. 2 years ago I was diagnosed with eosinophilic fasciitis. I lost alot of range of movement and jumped around from doctor to doctor before it was diagnosed via biopsy. It affected my arms and legs but resolved after taking prednisone for 3 months. I still have areas of scarring on my fascia that you can feel by touching the skin but I'm pretty much back to normal and I haven't had any more problems with it for almost 1 1/2 years.
2 months ago I was looking in the mirror at my back and noticed what looked like a shiny rash. It was faintly red and blanched when I pressed on it. The area was firm too but not as if the skin was hard. The skin felt normal to the touch but firm underneath. It was more like the firmness I had with my EF. I seem to remember feeling my back in that area in the past and feeling the firmness there as well but never noticed the redness till now. It looks shiny when you look at it in certain lights too. I'm wondering if it's morphea? Or maybe a left over area of scarring from the EF that I haven't noticed till now since it was on my back? I've watched it for the past 3 months and it hasn't grown or changed.
I'm otherwise healthy and have no other medical problems that I know of. I've become quite a hypochondriac since getting diagnosed with EF a few years back and bouncing around from doctor to doctor with most of them shrugging their shoulders and telling me they had no idea. I made it worse by jumping on the Internet and reading up on Scleroderma and how people die from it etc. Also, most doctor's couldn't really tell me much about the EF other than it's "probably" benign. Medical case reports were no help either because they blamed EF on pretty much everything under the sun. Maybe you can help me out with these two things. As I said the Eosinophilic Fasciits has been gone for over a year and a half. Can I relax with the fact that it probably won't return since it has been gone for this long? The hardness I experienced from the EF went away fairly quickly after taking Prednisone and I'm pretty much back to normal. Also, I'm providing a link to a picture of the area on my back. What does it look like to you? I'm hoping it is not morphea because I'm deathly afraid of scleroderma after reading all the stuff I have on it. I'm only 32. I really need to stop stressing about this but I'm having a hard time finding answers. Also, I have concerns about showing it to a doctor because they weren't much help when it came to the eosinophilic fasciitis and I'm afraid they'll just shrug their shoulders and tell me they don't know either. Thanks for your time.
Here's the picture -
http://mywebpage.netscape.com/gd498/110-1013_IMG.JPG
2 months ago I was looking in the mirror at my back and noticed what looked like a shiny rash. It was faintly red and blanched when I pressed on it. The area was firm too but not as if the skin was hard. The skin felt normal to the touch but firm underneath. It was more like the firmness I had with my EF. I seem to remember feeling my back in that area in the past and feeling the firmness there as well but never noticed the redness till now. It looks shiny when you look at it in certain lights too. I'm wondering if it's morphea? Or maybe a left over area of scarring from the EF that I haven't noticed till now since it was on my back? I've watched it for the past 3 months and it hasn't grown or changed.
I'm otherwise healthy and have no other medical problems that I know of. I've become quite a hypochondriac since getting diagnosed with EF a few years back and bouncing around from doctor to doctor with most of them shrugging their shoulders and telling me they had no idea. I made it worse by jumping on the Internet and reading up on Scleroderma and how people die from it etc. Also, most doctor's couldn't really tell me much about the EF other than it's "probably" benign. Medical case reports were no help either because they blamed EF on pretty much everything under the sun. Maybe you can help me out with these two things. As I said the Eosinophilic Fasciits has been gone for over a year and a half. Can I relax with the fact that it probably won't return since it has been gone for this long? The hardness I experienced from the EF went away fairly quickly after taking Prednisone and I'm pretty much back to normal. Also, I'm providing a link to a picture of the area on my back. What does it look like to you? I'm hoping it is not morphea because I'm deathly afraid of scleroderma after reading all the stuff I have on it. I'm only 32. I really need to stop stressing about this but I'm having a hard time finding answers. Also, I have concerns about showing it to a doctor because they weren't much help when it came to the eosinophilic fasciitis and I'm afraid they'll just shrug their shoulders and tell me they don't know either. Thanks for your time.
Here's the picture -
http://mywebpage.netscape.com/gd498/110-1013_IMG.JPG
Doctor's Answer
by Alan Rockoff, MD, Oct 05, 2004 12:00AM
, Oct 05, 2004 12:00AM
Morphea is referred to as localized scleroderma, but actually has nothing to do with systemic scleroderma (the serious kind), and never turns into it, so you have nothing to worry about.
The only way to diagnose what you have is to see it and, if advisable, treat it. You should see a skin specialist, who can do these things.
As near as I can tel from the picture, you have a patch of eczema, not morphea or something worse. Best to check it out in person.
Best.
Dr. Rockoff
The only way to diagnose what you have is to see it and, if advisable, treat it. You should see a skin specialist, who can do these things.
As near as I can tel from the picture, you have a patch of eczema, not morphea or something worse. Best to check it out in person.
Best.
Dr. Rockoff
