red spots

[brownj101]

A couple of months ago I noticed a couple of red spots on my bicep.  They are tiny, red spots about the size of pin pricks.  Since then more have appeared on both arms, some on my stomach,  one on my thigh, and one even on my finger.  They don't itch and aren't painful. I thought at first they were just small blood vessels under the skin because when you apply pressure to them the red color disappears, but it seems odd that more would keep appearing.  I am concerned what these are or what is causing them.

[aggie01]

I too have numerous red spots on my body.  The first one that I remeber showing up was when I was about 10 yrs old (I am 22 now).  It later turned into a raised mole.  I have about 10 spots on my body, the most noticeable is on my nose.  They do not hurt in any way or bleed.  There just seem to be alot of them.

[Steph10]

I'm replying to this because I have a condition similar to the one you've described.  About six months ago, I noticed the tiniest of bright red flecks - one here, a couple there - on my biceps.  They are not at all raised, and turn white when pressed and then reappear.  No bleeding, no itching, no bruising, no flaring up, no change in size, no scaling.  They disappear on their own eventually.  They have spread to my forearms, although they have not formed a major rash, generally just a few scattered pin-pricks. I haven't found them anywhere else so far.

I always thought Cherry Angiomas are raised bumps that resemble blood red moles.  If this is correct, my condition does not match.  Any ideas what this might be?

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Some people get "cherry angiomas," small, cherry-red spots.  These are heredfitary and start to appear on the chest, back, and arms, usually in the 20's and beyond.  It may be that you just started noticing them.  Don't worry--they won't spread all over you.  They are benign and mean nothing.  To be sure that's what they are, I suggest you ask your doctor next time you go.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff