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Dr Hive: name that rash/bite edition


mmasc
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Skin things are so, so hard to diagnose so I’m turning to the knowledge of the hive. 
 

details:

was in lake water, but not really sand. I was in the kayak and didn’t really get in the water or swim.  But i did walk thru a woodsy type path to get to the water 

was staying in a rented lake house (I looked at my mattress on the first night for signs of bed bugs but didn’t see anything glaring) we stayed for 4 nights. these bumps appeared the last morning I was there and had been on the kayaks/trail the night before

the bumps are almost exclusively located where my swim shorts were, other than maybe 5-10 bumps on my side between waist and bra 

they are irritated if my clothes rub them, but don’t itch. If I press on them they kind of hurt/burn a bit. 

I do have sensitive skin but this doesn’t seem like contact dermatitis stuff from different laundry detergent/etc. They seem more like bites. My top contenders are bed bugs, sand fleas, mites maybe... But they don’t itch! Or maybe some weird bug that was hanging out in my swim suit. 
 

oh, I was also in a hot tub if that’s pertinent at all
 

What do you think?!!

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11 minutes ago, CuriousMomof3 said:

Those don't look like bed bug bites.  The public housing community near where I teach has a lot of bed bug problems, so I know what the bites look like, and they tend to be organized more linearly.  They also tend to itch, or so I am told.

Does whatever you wore in the hot tub cover the areas that have the rash?

I’m so glad to hear that! Bed bugs was my main concern. I can deal with anything else!

sort of...the bottoms for sure, but not so much the top. I have about 3 bites on my thigh where my bottoms *wouldn’t* have been, and maybe 5-8 on my sides where my tankini top *would* have been. 

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6 minutes ago, CuriousMomof3 said:

I'd wonder about hot tub folliculitis, although all of my knowledge about it comes from medical TV shows.  

https://www.healthline.com/health/hot-tub-folliculitis#pictures

 

Dang it! I knew I shouldn’t have gotten in that hot tub! I’m super particular about cleanliness when I travel and this one seemed clean and was supposedly cleaned before we arrived. 🙄But that looks like a very good contender for being what it is. Bug bites still seem possible since I have a few stray ones in non-swimsuit areas. 
 

thank you for that info!

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I get a rash just like that from hot tubs.  I thought it was an allergic reaction to Bromine, but I did have a doctor once call it folliculitus.  That time I thought it was razor burn from using a cheap razor the night before.

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1 hour ago, Katy said:

I get a rash just like that from hot tubs.  I thought it was an allergic reaction to Bromine, but I did have a doctor once call it folliculitus.  That time I thought it was razor burn from using a cheap razor the night before.

Well, it looks like that’s getting the most votes. 😞 once I looked it up on CuriousMom’s post, I’m thinking that it’s very likely what it is. Do you find that it does indeed go away on its own for you, or have you had to go in for abx cream and/or pills?

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I was going to say possibly heat rash - that tends to be painful but not itchy. 

But also looks like folliculitis - which is fancy term for angry follicles, often slightly infected. Same thing you get from razor burn, etc. I'm not a doctor, but my go to is to wash affected area with Hibiclense, which has chlorhexidine as the main ingredient. It is sold as a surgical scrub. It will kill bacteria and some fungus, and it has a nice bit of residual action so it keeps working after you wash. 

 

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Ok, reading more, that it is caused by psuedomonas....that's a nasty bacteria. It often has a coating that makes it hard to kill with topical antibiotics, I'm better that is what the vinegar is for, to break that down. If you have any manuka honey, that would be a great treatment for it. 

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It's always gone away on its own for me, in a couple of days.  But I'm all for wiping stuff down with vinegar if you can stand the smell. That also works for a bad sunburn (it will take away the heat/pain, sometimes you have to repeat a few times, it WILL make you peel instead of turn to tan) or for acne for me.

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