(Dermatology) My Grandmother needs Assistance..

[Piebald]

My Grandmother is meticulous about keeping herself clean and "maintenenced." As a result she looks great for a woman of her age.

However, recently, she has been getting little red marks on her skin around her body. We are not sure why or what they are. I snapped a photo:


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These marks are appearing on her legs and arms as well as on her face. We are not sure what they are. It is not acne, and we do not think they are bug bites. However, she says that she occasionally feels something that is like a bug bite.

Could it be an allergy of some sort...? We're a bit worried.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[mossrose]

Hammy, do they come and stay, or do they go away after awhile? Are they itchy? Are they dry feeling, is the skin flaking? Are they bumpy or flat?

Is there anything that she remembers doing or eating around the time the spots appear? Has she tried any new cosmetics or lotions or anything that she puts on her skin? New soap in the shower?

[Piebald]

I am thinking it may be an allergic reaction .. I'll ask her those questions, thanks , Moss

Update - Dry, itchy, no flaking.

[Cyrus Johnson]

I am thinking it may be an allergic reaction .. I'll ask her those questions, thanks , Moss

Update - Dry, itchy, no flaking.

They appear to have all the hallmarks of no-see-um (http://bohart.ucdavis.edu/bohart.asp?s=insects&f=noseeum) bites, AFAICT. They look a little like mosquitoes but are very tiny, maybe 1/16th", and easily missed. You can sometimes see them as a swarm, a small gray cloud. Does your grandmother live in central California or work at gardening, especially near wet leaves and other organic litter? This is prime no-see-um territory.

I'm not a dermatologist, just suggesting a possibility. If you're truly concerned, an expert opinion is of course best.

[learning]

Yes, an expert opinion would be best, as it could be anything from some time of measles, to allergic reaction to something in the air (some people walking by poison ivy or summac, or poison oak break out from the stuff in the air) to shingles, to something she's eating, to even a change in laundry soap or fabric softener to dryer sheets. There is a certain type of dryer sheet I can't use, as my skin will break out after.

[mossrose]

I was wondering if they were hives. Which can be caused by an allergic reaction to something ingested, or to contact with something on the skin, or even by stress.

My Mom got them the year that my sister moved to New Zealand, I moved to my current home (far away from her), and my grandmother died.......the doctor said they were stress-related, since there was nothing my mother was allergic to at the time.

Hives appear as little or larger red spots, similar to a mosquito or spider bite, are itchy, and an antihistimine will usually help.

Shingles usually show up in a line, since they follow a nerve, they don't usually manifest randomly. They are also intensely painful. If you think they might be shingles, your Gram needs to see a doctor. (She probably should anyway, since none of us here are qualified to diagnose her.......:smile:)

Unless she has been around a lot of biting insects, it is more likely an allergic reaction to something.

Here is a link I found about hives, Hammy.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000845.htm

[mossrose]

Anything new on this, Hammy?

:smile:

[Piebald]

She went to the doctor and the doctor insists that they are bug bites.. Grandmother is skeptical. She is using the recommended creams, however. No changes so far....

[mossrose]

Boy, then the question arises, what kind of bugs, and how did she get into them?

And if there is no change, that is kind of strange...

[Piebald]

We're thinking mosquitos... we do live near creeks... but not TOO near creeks. Not sure.

[mossrose]

Yes, they do look like they could be mosquito bites, but I would think she would notice is she had that many mosquitos on her face.......

And they can lay their eggs in any puddles or still water, birdbaths, etc. so they could be around even if you aren't near any bodies of water.

I continue to pray that she will feel better, and that they won't bother her anymore.

:pray: