Red bumps on elbows, thighs, stomach, back

[tks54]

I have a couple of things going on an I'm not sure they are all related.  I don't have health insurance right now because I changed jobs and there was a gap in coverage so any help as to what might be going on or how to treat it would be great.  

-A couple of months ago I noticed a patch of red irritated skin with bumps on my thigh.  I figured it was the rivet in a pair of jeans I have rubbing against my skin.  I put a band-aid on it and it seem to get better.

-A week or so ago my hands got super dry and were peeling and looked like I had been in the water all the time.  I bought moisturizer and gloves and the problem went away.

-About the same time the red spot on my thigh start to seem to spread.  At first I thought maybe I was itching it and scratching myself and making it bigger.  Now there are bumps down both my outer thighs and ones appeared on my elbows, stomach and lower back.  

I've been racking my brain trying to thing of anything I've been doing different.  The only thing I can come up with is that I've been eating more eggs lately (I've been trying to stick to a low carb, low sugar diet) or that I had my car detailed 2 months ago and don't know what cleaner they used on the upholstery.  But that wouldn't explain my outer thighs having bumps on them.  They itch like hell.  

[tks54]

Thanks for the advice.  The bumps appear to no longer be spreading and seem to be slowly clearing up.  Of course at this point I've made myself so paranoid that i'm freaking out over everything (currently the possibility of bed bugs).  I took benadryl for a couple days to ease the itch and switched laundry detergent.  

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
I cannot confirm without examination but it can be scabies, contact dermatitis, eczema or fungal infection which is contagious. Rash in scabies is very itchy and can disrupt life. Diagnosis of scabies is made by scraping the skin and viewing the material under a microscope to see the characteristic mite or eggs. Please consult a dermatologist and get an evaluation done. Treatment is different for all and confirmation of diagnosis has to be done first.

I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional doubts. Kind regards.