skin rash

[sinidavidd]

Hello.. i recently have been having itches all over my body. mostly my calves my inner thighs and and arms elbows and all over my back. its not like its often its just once a day. ive even had bumps. usually it flares up and turns into a bump where i scratch. it could vary from bumps to scratch lines. i did have athletes foot so im thinking maybe its a fungal infection that spread to my body but i dont know. i dont use lotion very much on the rest of my body but the itching is starting to really annoy me. i dont know if this has anything to do it with it.. but i did take prescription vicodin with alcohol a good amount of times

[Rowena Santos, MD]

Hi,

This could be due to an allergic reaction, dryness of the skin, irritation, dermatitis or eczema, or skin conditions such as psoriasis or infections. Allergic contact dermatitis is an itchy skin condition caused by an allergic reaction to material in contact with the skin. It arises some hours after contact with the responsible material, and settles down over some days providing the skin is no longer in contact with it.

Contact urticaria, on the other hand, presents with a rash which appears within minutes of exposure and fades away within minutes to hours. Irritant contact dermatitis, a similar skin condition is caused by excessive contact with irritants such as water, soaps, detergents, solvents, acids, alkalis, and friction.

If you have athlete's foot, try to avoid scratching other areas of the body since this could easily spread the infection. Diagnosis is through skin scrapings of the lesion which is evaluated under the microscope. It is important to knw the underlying cause. If this is caused by allergy or irritation, finding the triggers will help. Over -the-counter antihistamine medications may help with the itching. If this persists, it is best that you have this evaluated by your doctor for proepr management. Take care and keep us posted.