Itchy Bumps on arms

[brancol]

Let me say thank you for helping me out with this and also apologize if this is a bit lenghty.  About 3 weeks ago (oct 8ish) i started with this itchy rash on my arms (outter and inner bicep area).  It was just red itchy bumps.  Now being a bit of a hypochondirac lol i got all nervous and didnt know what it could be.  There was no pus or anything like that just patches of itchy bumbs.  Oct 4th i went fishing and was using those under armour shirts that are very tight against your body and it was a bit warm to be using them.  I used it for about 4 hrs then took it off before i drove home.  I felt fine, took  a shower no itchiness or nothing.  Tuesday went to the gym and got home later than expected so i had to come home eat dinner and then leave my house to go with my girlfriend somewhere.  I wasn't able to take a shower so i just washed my face and what not put on a button down shirt (tight as well) and left.  When i got home (2 1/2 hrs later) took  a shower and went to sleep.  Within a day or so started getting really itchy bumps on the side of my elbow, back of arms, forearms and inside bicep and somewhat minor irritation under armpits and down rib cage (not so bad along rib cage) I thought it was a heat rash or something so i kinda just let it go for a few days ( scratching of course took place).. as the days went by it seemed to get worse and more red spots and itchiness... took benadryl and alleviated the itching after a day or so but my skin still looked red and inflammed... did a bunch of google searches and couldnt find anything that resembled my condition... then i tried salicylic acid (neutragena body wash) and a loofah... felt great to scratch while i showered and did add eucering plus alpha-hydroxyl which i beleive aggrevated my condition and the neutragnea seemed to dry out my skin... anyhows i don't know what it could be... right now skin is softer and not itchy (only one in awhile is it itchy on the outside of elbows (not inner elbows)... maybe some sory of heat rash but i dont think it would last this long would it?  folliculitis doesnt seem to be it either since i dont have and inflammed hair follicles where it itches...  some of the hair follicles on my arms look lighter than the skin around it (no pus or anything like that).... any idea will be trully helpful (i already made an appointment for a dermo for next week) im just a bit worried thats all... Thank you so much for taking time out to read this lenghty description...

[Bulldogstarr]

I've been fight with the red rash on my armpits for over a month an there hasn't been know change now more on my arms that are like a bunch of little bumps an the are warm to the touch  then the same time this happened I started with a raised rash on my inner thigh I'm tried almost everything I can think of with creams an such but I was wondering what you thought it could be?

[FlashBangArts]

Essentially same symptoms as yours - crazy itching and scratching - but not on the legs. After several weeks of itching/scratching, a bump/lump appeared on the left side of my chest(ground zero for the itching). This is a new issue for me that started a month ago with a solitary lump on my chest about the size of a quarter after heavy-duty scratching.

Two doctors - neither a dermatologist - have seen and felt the chest lump and said that it didn't feel like a malignant tumor, but couldn’t give a diagnosis.

One of the doctors is a DO, whose specialty is orthopedics: She has been treating me for ortho issues. I asked her about the itching, which at the time was restricted to my chest (especially along the left clavicle and down to the bottom of my ribcage). She thinks that the itching is due to a pinched cervical nerve, and prescribed Gabapentin, but that drug conflicted with other medications that I take.  I'm to see her again re. a cortical steroid injection to block the effects of the pinched nerve and, hopefully, the itching.

Also like your itching/scratching/lumps symptoms, mine flared up with a vengence on my arms after an unusually lengthy exposure to the sun. I strongly believe that the scratching causes the lump development. I now have 4 lumps on my arms, plus the one on my chest.

For the record, I am a fairly healthy 77 year old man.

[Hazeleyez23]

I've had these small red bumps on forearms and lower legs, for a couple years now. They start out as a very small 'pimple type' that itch, and are kinda like a small whitehead or pimple, and I itch it, I try not to, then it leaves a mark that takes forever to heal up, and sometimes leaves a small scar.  My arms/legs look as if I've taken needles to myself, WHICH IS NOT the case. It's sooooo embarrassing, people look at me like i'm sickly. I've tried all kinds of creams, and meds. I've noticed these itchy bumps come more and more when my legs or arms are subjected to a lot of sunlight and or heat. Help! Thanks.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
The symptoms are not suggestive of eczema. The other possibility can be of prickly heat. Avoid using any lotions and creams for the meantime. Use a mild cleanser with moisturizing properties like Cetaphil. Also use cotton clothes and change the clothes twice if there is any increased sweating. Try keeping the skin free of sweat as far as possible. If the symptoms still persist then you can apply mild steroid like dermacort. For the itching antihistaminics like Benadryl or Claritin can be taken. If the symptoms are severe then please consult a dermatologist.

Hope it helps. Take care and regards.

[carol_m]

Hi brancol,

Your bumps sound like the granuloma annulare which I have been suffering with. You could check into it. Sadly, there doesn't seem a lot doctors can do for it. I am seeking advice on here myself, but at least I have a diagnosis of GA to work with

[brancol]

thank you so much for your help.... its weird becasue when i go to sleep and wake u it looks so much better an then it tends to be a bit more visible as the day goes ( ex when working out or what not) i have that appointment for the dermo on friday... hopefully this will be minor

btw i have always suffered from eczema as a child... was good for sometime but i battle episodes every so often... hopefully this might make you see a different side of my issue now... maybe they are related?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Since the itchy bumps have been present for nearly a month, it can be a fungal infection. Wash daily and then dry thoroughly by pat drying, not rubbing. The damp skin is an ideal site for fungi to multiply. Also wear cotton clothes and change them twice a day and do not share other people’s towels. Application of local antifungal cream(terbinafine, clotrimazole, econazole, ketoconazole, miconazole) and oral antifungal drugs are the mainstay of treatment.
If the symptoms persist then please consult a dermatologist.
I hope it helps. Take care and please do keep me posted in case you have any additional doubts. Kind regards.

[brancol]

i can attach a photo if need be.... thanks