weird rash

[jenneh854]

i keep getting this rash. it will appear  on the insides of my thighs..under my arms ... bottom of my feet. its circular dots.. about half a cm in diameter. sometimes they overlap each other . and its ALWAYS in the exact same places . it shows up for about an hour or 2 then goes away. its only itchy on the bottoms of my feet

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
You seem to be having hives. Hives (medically known as urticaria) are red, itchy, raised areas of skin that appear in varying shapes and sizes. They have a tendency to change size rapidly and to move around, disappearing in one place and reappearing in other places, often in a matter of hours.

Many cases of hives are "idiopathic," meaning no cause is known. Others 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). You can take antihistamines such as Cetirizine(Zyrtec)or  Loratadine(Claritin). Sedating antihistamines such as Chlorphenamine(Benadryl)is 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.
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 hives don’t go after 6 wks of treatment also, then it can be a case of chronic urticaria which needs further evaluation as it may be due to auto antibodies.Pls consult a dermatologist/allergist then.

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.