Water Blisters?

[Toby89]

Hello,
During the last week or so, I have developed somewhere between 9 and 12 little red bumps all over my body. I've got two on one wrist, one on the other, four on one elbow, two on the other and a few on one leg. It's a little bit difficult to tell whether or not some of them are bug bits of some sort. The ones that I can tell are not bug bites are hard, waxy bumps. For the first couple of days of having them, they did not itch at all. Now, they itch periodically and are very heat sensitive. I scratched one open while sleeping and it is still a hard bump, but now has a little scab in the centre.  Someone has suggested that they could be water blisters, as I did recently switch my laundry detergent and it could be a reaction. If they are water blisters, what should I do aside from NOT scratch or pop them? If not, what else could they be?
Thanks for your help.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
For such bumps the possibilities of lichen planus or scabies bites should be ruled out. Scabies is characterized by intense itching, usually at night and by small insect-type bites lesions on the skin. Diagnosis of scabies is made by scraping the skin and viewing the material under a microscope to see the characteristic mite or eggs.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.

[Toby89]

I should probably add a bit more information... I have no signs of bed bugs in my apartment (my mattress is protected and checked regularly, there are several sticky traps throughout the unit, and I am not getting new bumps during the night). I also do not believe that they are mosquito bites, as I am allergic to mosquitoes and tend to have very obvious reactions almost immediately. I do have "problem skin" in the acne sense, but have never had acne on my wrists or arms before. I have no existing conditions with my skin other than this. I am hypoglycemic and have been diagnosed with ibs. I think that's all I wanted to add...
Thanks!