Very sudden and odd rash on my upper body and neck

[sicky101]

In the past couple days i have begun to see a strange rash appearing below my armpits, across my chest and spreading downward, on my shoulders, on the insides of my arms near my armpits, and all over my upper and lower back. it hasn't spread on my legs or anywhere below the belt. I have allergies that haven't been verified, and recently i had a small reaction that caused me to have trouble breathing and gave me a couple hives. i haven't had any real trouble before now, and i'd like to get rid of this rash, or at least have some idea about what it is. It isn't very itchy, only a couple of the larger spots itch now and then, only when they're brushed against or something. They've been developing for about five days now, some started off looking like pimples, and others suddenly formed overnight. My parents are pretty sure i'm allergic to the red dye in our shampoo, but i don't know anything about rashes so i don't know if this one is caused by allergies or something else entirely. I haven't been in contact with poison oak or anything of the sort, I sat in some grass last friday and today if that is possibly causing it, but other than that i don't know! please help so i can stop worrying so much!

There are a couple pictures, although they aren't the best of quality since i had to take them with a webcam. They are both of a section of the rash that i found the most noticeable.
This one is a small cluster above my left armpit
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff277/Blarg001/204232.jpg
and this is one of the larger spots up close, i know its kind of blurry but one can only do so much with a cheap webcam.

[asahler]

I have the same type I crash did you ever figure out what it was and how to get ride of it? I went to the doctors 3 times already and they keep giving me different things but nothing seems to help

[purr797]

Are you taking Vitamin D? I was taking 5000iu in the morning, with no food, and breaking out in a rash after I showered. It was the Vitamin D. I now only take at meals, and no more problems.

[sicky101]

Just an update, I've been taking antihistamines and vitamin c as well as using the calamine lotion; and the rash has been doing a little better. it has stopped spreading and is starting to heal up a little bit. It does flare up a little when i sweat, but other than that i'm doing fine.

[sicky101]

Thank you for your answer. when i put calamine on them they fade a little, but i've also noticed that they get worse when i sweat.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
From the symptoms that you have described,the rashes can be due to contact dermatitis or hives. Hives (medically known as urticaria) are red, itchy, raised areas of skin that appear in varying shapes and sizes.They may be triggered by viral infections or medications.

The mainstay of treatment of hives is antihistamine which may be necessary for prolonged periods (in excess of 6 weeks).Take non-sedating antihistamines such as Cetirizine(Zyrtec) or Loratadine(Claritin).Sedating antihistamines such as Chlorphenamine(Benadryl)are used at night to get urticaria control. Short courses of oral cortisone or steroids are taken for short periods (one to three days) to settle more severe symptoms.Also apply calamine lotion on the rashes.
You may take Vitamin C along with the prescribed treatment. Vitamin C is a general anti-allergy supplement. It helps stabilize mast cells so they are less likely to release histamine.

If the symptoms persist then pls consult a dermatologist.

I hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional doubts.Kind regards.

[sicky101]

I used some antifungal cream this morning and it did nothing, calamine lotion works on them a little bit, but i can't get it on all of them, a lot of them are on my back and i can't even reach them.

[Itches]

You might try an antibiotic cream on a couple to see if they go away.