tiny itchy blisters on arms & legs

[twilightburl]

Shamefully, for almost 8 years I have been getting very small itchy blisters on various spots on my arms and legs.  The small blisters develop and immediately itch intensely, which is how I know they're there.  They have a clear fluid inside, with no puss.  When I scratch them in my sleep or when they break, they often weep a little  amber colored liquid.  Also, when I scratch them, more tiny blisters will develop around the original blister, signifying an infection.  These broken blisters often leave  (little open sores) which can be difficult and slow to heal.  These outbreaks seem to come in waves, as I'll often go weeks or even a month or two without a sign of blisters, itching, or infection.  I have never had any white puss or swelling redness around these troublesome blisters/vesicles, which isn't like any normal skin infection I've ever had before.  Can anyone help me diagnosis this problem please?

[jewls72]

I have had itchy insane burning rash for three months now . No one could tell me what it was. Found a site that may offer you some help. Look up dermatitis herpetaformis. It's related to celiac. I've been gluten free  for a week and itching has subsided quite a bit. Still feels Like bugs though. Good luck

[alisonu83]

I had the same type blistered skin.  Had a surgeon tell me that there are two types of infection - bacterial and fungal.  I finally, after 4 years of suffering and trying everything the Dermatologist, Allergist, and family Doctor gave me to use, tried an anti-fungal cream.  Put it on, covered with a bandage and left it for a day.  Immediately, the itching stopped!  It has been about 10 months now, and have only had one flair-up since, which was quickly healed.  The scarred skin has faded and it is so great to not have that anymore!   Good Luck!

[mothertofour]

scabies?  IF they are in rows and/ or have pencil marks between them, check and see if it could be scabies. You need nix or something that will get rid of them, and you will itch for some time after. But get it checked first. It seems odd your whole family gets it -- if they do, you are spreading it to each other.

[itchymess12]

This is my fourth time with this rash it is horrible and I don't want to even get naked in front if my boyfriend over it.it started the summer before last.it was tiny dots that itched and burned this time its worse than ever it is on my arms my armpits,torso,on the labia and thighs Dr told me it was contact dermatitis creams and everything else does not work.going to the Tanner after a month it goes away.but the intensity of the itching is horrible and they are the size if a qtip end red scabbed over I use only dial soap and perfume and dye free detergents.natural shampoo argan oil.what is this its horrible its even on my neck this time

[PearlyStar]

2 years ago...I was drawn to this community of posts regarding rashes because I too broke out with a  severe painful rash at the tail end of my 7day Caribbean Cruise.
After some oral medication and skin cream, prescribed by my dermatologist, I found some mild relief.
But the best thing that I did to prevent or to make sure that it did not come back was to protect my skin.
I live in Florida and I found myself wearing 3/4 or sometimes long sleeved light shirts if I knew that I would be exposed to the outdoor sun for greater than 2 hours. I also, maintained my house very very cool.
And when my arms itched or if I even suspected that the rash was coming back....I took lukewarm to cool showers. (My skin seemed to like the colder water)

I have been doing this for 2 years now and it seems to keep the bumps at bay. Don't get me wrong....they are there....lingering....and I can barely see them when I am fine.
But if I am too long in the sun.....they will come out to remind me that I should not be out in the sun and if they start to itch, then I know I'm in trouble!!
This was recently confirmed to me 2x this year....
#1 Last month I went to a Football game and I didnt think about protecting my skin...was more concerned about what t-shirt I was going to wear to cheer the team with!
By the 4th quarter my arms were red and itching! And my Rash was on fire!
Went home and took a cool shower and put cold compresses on my arms/hands. It seemed to help....after a week it was gone.

#2 I went on another 7 day Caribbean cruise 2 weeks ago (& YES Hurricane Sandy decided to go with us!!)
Despite the rough seas, and the ship rocking us to sleep 24/7,  it was a great cruise and we visited all of our destinations. We did excursion tours at every port and most were outdoors. Of course I was too busy having a good time to protect my skin.
By the end of the cruise, my symptoms were back....red itchy painful bumps on both arms...mainly in groups of bumps...dry skin.
But thankfully I knew what to do and the bumps never formed the liquid inside and the itchiness was not severely painful as in the past.

I am wearing longer sleeves in the Florida sun, I am showering with cooler water. Drinking more water as I noticed dehydration makes my rash angry.
My skin is now very dry and almost looks like it wants to peel....but not quite. Putting lotion on it daily makes it worse so I put Eucerin on my arms 1x/week and it works.

2 years ago...this was the worst thing ever...now, its a pain, but I treat it like an ALLERGY and so I practice prevention...it not gone but it helps.

Also please note*** I found out that some of my over the counter medicines and some perscriptions have a very very teeny tiny warning that says avoid prolonged exposure to the sun!! Some interaction may trigger Sun Poisoning/Heat Rash.
My suggestion to EVERYONE is to GOOGLE ALL of your medicines and vitamins/supplements for interaction to prolonged sunlight. (or talk to your doctors/pharmacists about it!)
Good Luck to all of you!
:-)

[itchyscratchy003]

Loomis13, thanks so much for the information and research.  I appreciate the info regarding the sunlight and the contact spreading to yourself.  I am a filipina female, 37 years old.   I have the tiny blistery itchy bumps all over the back of my hands too.  I've had it for the past 3 years.  I have eczema, it runs in my family.  I have had dry scaly patches on various parts of the body my whole life, but until 3 years ago, I never had anything like these little watery itchy bumps on my hands.  They showed up suddenly  and have not gone away.  I know that they definitely get worse during stressful times.  They immediately start itching.  They do not go away on their own.  When using doctor prescribed prednisone a few times, they have disappeared for a few weeks, but they always return and seem to be permanent.  Topical creams don't help (clobetasol, triamcinolone, hylatopic plus).  I've tried suffocating them with bandaids, have tried hydrogen peroxide, have tried micatin fungal spray, have soaked them in apple cider vinegar.   I cannot determine if mine gets worse with sunlight, but I'll take precautions.  Also, I will be careful about contact.  I have allergies and am always sneezing and blowing my nose.  My nose recently dried out and developed cracks inside my nostrils.  The cracks won't heal no matter what I try and the dry, flaky skin on my nose seems to keep getting worse and spreading.  I've wondered if it developed from contact with my hands.  I've most recently gone to the doctor to get tested for systemic yeast overgrowth.  The symptoms seem to correlate with what I have.  Systemic yeast overgrowth is something that's caused from within and is exacerbated by antibiotics and steroids (which I've had plenty of during my lifetime).  I find out the lab results in a few weeks and can't wait.  If that's what it is, at least I'll have an idea of how to counter it.  The skin itchy skin issue makes me feel hopeless at times.  The best anti-itch treatment I've found is meditation.  I've tried benadryl and stronger medications to keep the itching at bay, but they don't help much.  Ice helps to numb the itching when I can't ignore it.  I have food allergies (including gluten) and have steered clear from them for 10 months+ at a time.  I get frustrated when I don't see any improvement.  I'm still researching the web, hoping to find someone who found a cure.  Oh, my aunt has a skin condition on her hands just like mine.  After also trying just about everything, hers was cured/relieved by Humira.  She has rhumatoid arthritis and I guess one of the autoimmune symptoms is also the hand skin issue.  If I find anything that relieves/cures my condition, I'll post again.  Good luck to everyone!