my wife has a rash/bumps w/ pruritis on extremities???

My wife, for the last couple of months, has had little bumps on the back of her hand and elbow. Very itchy, and it has slowly spread all over her arms and legs throughout this time. the bumps are raised, non-reddened and bunched in some areas, while clumped in others. They do not appear to follow any type of track or pathway. She is not c/o any other s/s r/t this issue?? please help before she makes me purchase stock in calamine lotion and atarax. Sincerely, a concerned husband

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
From the symptoms that you have mentioned, it can be dyshidrotic eczema. Wash the areas several times with fresh water. Do not use any cosmetic products at the sites. She can apply some calamine lotion at the rash as it will help in soothing the skin. She can take some OTC oral antihistamine medications like Benadryl or Claritin and see if it helps.

For mild-moderate eczema a weak steroid may be used, whilst more severe cases require a higher-potency steroid. Also ask her to use good quality moisturizers to prevent moisture loss from the skin.

If still the symptoms do not improve then please get a clinical examination done by a dermatologist.
I hope it helps. Take care and please do keep me posted in case you have any additional doubts. Kind regards.

[joshuamoses]

     Thank you so much for your time. Let me give you some more info. It is not on her feet, but also on her thighs and arms. They're in frequency of about 12-15 per square inch, as they are small. again, they're itchy(she says the pruritis reminds her of bug bites)and she says it has spread. It seemed to have originate on her hands and elbows, where it is now larger in size per bump. (maybe 8-10 psi in this area).
     Can we be sure of this type of eczema???