red patches on skin that hurt

[humanwoman]

Hi. My mom is 45 years old. Lately she noticed some red spots on her arm. They are not round, but are more like patches. She says that they do not itch, but hurt. She says that whole arm is hurting. I did a lot of research and none of the descriptions match what my mom has. The redness is starting to spread to her upper arm. Please help!

[humanwoman]

Hi.

Thank you so much for your reply.

As far as I know, exzema is more like a sore, but my mom's patches are just regular skin, no bumps, no itching, just a little redder than the rest of the skin. If her arm didn't hurt, then I would assume that it's just an allergic reaction to something, but the pain really throws me off.

And also, would you mind telling me what sweat dermatitis is and what are the symptoms? And is it possible to have pain on an affected site from an allergic reaction?

My mom thinks it's skin cancer, but it doesn't look like it. What I was wondering about is if it's possible that cancers (not skin cancers, but other cancers like colon or breast cancers) can have these symptoms.

Thanks again for your reply. My mom iss planning to go see a doctor, but I am a little worried if it's something serious or not.

I am looking forward to hearing from you again.

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,

It could be eczema, sweat dermatitis, allergic reactions or eczema.

She needs to wash the areas several times with fresh water. Do not use any cosmetic products at the sites.

Apply calamine lotion at the site of the lesions and see if it helps. She could take some oral antihistamine medications like cetrizine or loratadine.

Anti-itch drugs, often antihistamine, may reduce the itch during a flare up of eczema, and the reduced scratching in turn reduces damage and irritation to the skin.

For mild-moderate eczema a weak steroid may be used (e.g. hydrocortisone or desonide), whilst more severe cases require a higher-potency steroid (e.g. clobetasol propionate, fluocinonide).

Eczema can be exacerbated by dryness of the skin. Moisturizing is one of the most important self-care treatments for sufferers of eczema. Keeping the affected area moistened can promote skin healing and relief of symptoms.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eczema

Let us know if you need any further information.

It would be advisable to consult a skin specialist for her symptoms and a proper clinical examination.

Let us know if you need any other information and post us on how she is doing.

Regards.