Itchy Spots On The Forearms, Shoulders And Legs. Started As Acne. What Are These?

Posted on Thu, 24 May 2012

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 24 May 2012 Answered on

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 Last reviewed on

Question : hello, I was just wondering if you could tell me what these itchy spots that appear on my forearms/wrists, shoulders(back) and little ones on my shins, they are small in size, but seem to start off as a small zit, which turns into a scabbed wound once picked, but takes longer to clear up that a zit caused by acne on the face, for example? I can send some pictures if this would help?

Answered by Dr. Bharat Chawda (3 hours later)

Hi!,

Thank you for posting the query,

You have provided with good information regarding your skin problem and it is a very good description. I appreciate it.

Thank you for posting the pics too.

I shall address your concern based on your current given information.
With history & the pics you have posted , there seems to be two possibilities.

Firstly I would go with Prurigo simplex (also known as Papular urticaria),which manifests as small papular lesions mainly over exposed parts of the body(as you have mentioned) .They are associated with itching and may bleed a bit on scratching.This condition is usually seen in cases where patients have any kind of insect allergy or history of atopy (i.e. history of asthma or any allergy).

The second possibility would be Pityriasis Rosea,which is some times associated with fever and sore throat (i.e. any viral attack).It manifests as small tiny red dots with peripheral scaling.

Both these conditions would do good with any potent topical steroid in combination with an antibiotic.Along with this you can even take any anti-histaminic tablet to take care of the itching.

I would also advise you to always wear full sleeves clothes and use some mosquito repellents too in the house if possible.

Hope I've answered your query.

Should you have additional concern regarding the same ,I would be happy to address it.

Please accept my answer in case you do not have further queries.

Regards,
Dr.Bharat chawda XXXXXXX specialist, Dermatology.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar