Rash

[bobv]

I had protected sex sex and broke out in a rash 2 weeks later, the rash happend the night i did a new batch of laundry and i thought it was contact dermitias since ive had it before from detergents and ive broke out with using some types of deodorants, it looked just like it so i didnt think anything of it. The rash looked as if somebody would have taken a paint brush and flicked it, kind of blotchy, on the inside of arms back and on my hip, some on my legs, basically where i had my shorts and t-shirt on.

I began to worry when it stuck around for a few days, ive had contact derm before, non-itchy but went away in 24 hours, my question is, could this have been from that night of sex? could the rash be an std? ARS rash? I had no symptoms other then the rash, i feel and felt fine, just the rash, could ARS present itself with only a rash? Or other std? The rash went away after a week or so, faded quick after the 7th day. I couldnt get to a Doctor beacuase i just changed jobs and my insurance doesnt kick in for a month or so. I felt no need to rush into a doctor since i feel fine.

Should i worry about this? The girl was a school teacher, so i dont think she was at risk, but who knows..I did have a runny nose for a couple of days ,but ive read that's not a symptom of an STD, and the whole office i work at is sick.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks

[joeworried]

The first symptom of ARS is almost always a relatively high fever (102 or higher).  No fever, no ARS.  The best description of ARS that I've found is given by two Harvard Medical School doctors at www.patients.uptodate.com.  Suggest reading the information at that website if you want more good information on ARS.

[bobv]

Thanks for the reply, my Insurance has yet to kick in, but the Rash is gone, took about 10 days. What does an HIV or viral rash look like? And does a viral rash present itself after symptoms or before? I was wondering, maybe she gave me a some sort of virus other then ARS or some sort of bacterial skin infection??? I agree it's probably a allergic reaction since i felt fine. I'll leave this as my last post.

Thanks

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Your description of the rash does not suggest HIV or any other STD.  No STD would cause a rash outside the genital area within 2 weeks of cathing it.  Your self-diagnosis of contact dermatitis (or allergy) due to laundry detergent sounds like a good bet.  If in doubt, especially if the rash doesn't clear up on its own in the next 2-3 days, see a health care provider.

Good luck-- HHH, MD