My Son Has A Rash That Comes And Goes. It

Posted on Tue, 3 Sep 2019

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

Tue, 3 Sep 2019 Answered on

Last reviewed on

Question : My son has a rash that comes and goes. It is red, under the skin and looks marbled. There are occasional boil like things but they do not scab. It is mostly on the back of his neck, behind his ears and sometimes up into his hair. It does not itch and sometimes it fades to almost nothing. When it is red, it looks painful and hot. When it started, he had about a hundred brown pus like things on his back. We went swimming at a water park. There is nothing on his back now. Any ideas?

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Antoneta Zotaj (21 minutes later)

I have some photos, if you would like to see it.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Antoneta Zotaj (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Eczema is likely but a couple of pictures and some more information on the rash would be helpful to better evaluate it

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to 'Ask a Doctor' service,

I carefully read your query and I would appreciate it if you upload a couple of pictures of the rash as skin lesions are better evaluated by seeing them.

Also, I would kindly ask of the following information:
- for how long has your son had this rash (coming and going)?
- how old is your son?
- is the rash present on both sides or only on one side ( in the neck, behind the ears and in the head (does it look symmetrical?)
- any rash in other areas such as torso or limbs?
- any other person in the family has skin rash?
- does he have any other symptoms such as fever, fatigue, etc?

Generally, a symmetrical rash that comes and goes is due to dermatitis/eczema but knowing more about the rash and seeing it is crucial to make the diagnosis.

I hope to hear from you soon with the requested additional information and a couple of pictures.

Regards,
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj
General and Family Physician

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Arnab Banerjee

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Antoneta Zotaj (4 hours later)

He has had the rash for about six weeks.
My son is 30.
The rash looks symmetrical. The photos were taken after a brief sun exposure on one side.
The rash is only on the head and neck, although it started out on the upper back. There is nothing on the upper back now.
No one else has it.
He has no fever or other symptoms.

Did you get the photos?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Antoneta Zotaj (57 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Detailed answer below

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome back,

Thank you for the reply and the additional information. I also received the pictures and carefully examined them.
A symmetrical rash that comes and goes is very likely due to dermatitis/eczema.
In his case, the rash is not as severe as I expected it, I must say, the sunburn brings some confusion on how the rash may really look.
It seems to be a mild rash, thus I would advise a mild steroid cream such as hydrocortisone or betamethasone cream twice a day in the area for 7-10 days.

He should be cautious and pay attention if any certain chemical used in the area or certain clothing or using a razor makes the rash worse and try to avoid them as much as possible in case they affect the rash. If a certain chemical is causing a local reaction (dermatitis), avoiding its use, is important to treat the rash.
Sometimes, even when the rash is treated, if it is eczema, it may come back again later and in this case, the same treatment is tired again.

If he notices no improvement with the use of the local steroid for 3-5 days or if he notices any worsening he will need to be examined by his doctor.

I hope this answers your query.
I remain at your disposal in case further medical assistance is needed.

Regards,
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj
General and Family Physician

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj