Woke Up With Welts On Skin And Rashes Under Armpit. What To Do?

Posted on Fri, 31 May 2013

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

Fri, 31 May 2013 Answered on

Thu, 11 Jul 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : I stayed overnight in a hotel and woke this morning with about a dozen welts on my skin and rash under one armpit. I have no allergies and looked carefully for any signs of bedbugs in hotel linens, but couldn't find any. Nothing really itches except, strangely, soles of my feet. I took a shower and am preparing to leave. What do you think? Less worried about welts than rash....

Answered by Dr. Dr. Rahul Kumar (14 days later)

Hello thanks for the query.
Rash developing overnight can be either due to insect bite or an allergy.
As you mentioned there is no itch, insect bite can be ruled out.
Most probably you have developed an allergic reaction to the linen.
It is quiet common and is called as cloth dermatitis.
Apply a mild steroid lotion like hydrocortisone and take anti histamine tablet. You will be fine.
Let me know if you have any other doubts.
Thank you.

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