9 year old DD awful body rash - doctor doesn’t know what it is

[Ozzie9523]

Hi I’m looking for any advice on our daughter’s rash please and wondered if anyone has experience of something similar. She saw the doctor last week and he has prescribed steroid cream - this helped with the bigger patches but she still has these tiny bumps all over her body and they are spreading, every day she wakes up with new ones. They started on her torso and have spread everywhere, they are now on her wrists and ankles and spreading across the tops of her legs. She doesn’t have any on her face (yet 🙏). The doctor has referred her to a dermatologist, luckily I have BUPA through work so hopefully she’ll be seen soon. She says they don’t really itch. She’s eaten nothing different that I know of. I put nothing at all in her bath and am using an emollient as a soap substitute. I’m completely baffled as to what it could be, she’s 9 and isn’t allergic to anything as far as we know. It started about 6 weeks ago with a couple of patches here and there and now it’s spread everywhere. Doctor has ruled out eczema and impetigo, he mentioned psariasis but he really wasn’t sure and I don’t think it looks like that. I’m wondering about keratosis Polaris as it certainly looks like that but the doctor didn’t mention that. She’s always had slightly bumpy upper arms but nothing like this. I’m going to use Surcare washing powder for her clothes going forward, which we used for our son years ago when he had eczema when he was younger (which looked nothing like this). I’ve just taken her to my local chemist and he said I should stop the steroid cream as it’s obviously not working as it’s an allergy, he’s told me to give her Piriton 3 times a day, so hopefully that might help. I’m assuming she’ll need allergy tests. Grateful for any other advice thanks x

Here is a photo of her leg

And torso

Looks like dermatitis to me.

DP had something like this. Was a rare allergic reaction to medication. He has seen a dermatologist several times (under the NHS)

Two things:

1. the obvious one, the COVID rash www.riskindoc.com/blog/skin-symptoms-of-covid-19-what-to-look-out-for or some other viral exanthem

2. Did the doctor rule out Guttate Psoriasis? Did she have a cough or a chest infection some weeks bacK?

Has she worn sunscreen recently? both my children get rashes like that from sunscreen, they can use it just once and it will last about a week.

Gluten rash /coeliac rash?
Although not a symptom of coeliac disease, if you have an autoimmune response to gluten, you may develop a type of skin rash called dermatitis herpetiformis. The rash is itchy and has blisters that burst when scratched. It usually occurs on your elbows, knees and buttocks, although it can appear anywhere on your body.

New bedding or any clothes that have been worn without being washed?

If you are using the powdered version of Surcare try swapping for the linguist version. Powder detergents are harder to rinse out and can cause irritation for those with super sensitive skin. Son [has severe eczema] gets a similar skin rash when in contact with detergents and similar. For him I used Bio-D liquid fragrance free when he reacted to Surcare. I cannot use any biological products in my washing machine for the same reason even if the items washed are for others.
It helped.

Looks like dermatitis to me

Me too. I had dermatitis once from over-using a cream with urea in it, and it looked like that. They prescribed antibiotics and it went away quickly, never came back.

Yes I took her for a proper Covid test at the start, it was negative

She hasn't been in a swimming pool or hot tub has she?

Mine got a bad reaction to a hot tub once and it looked like that, a form of folliculitis

Did you swap washing powder 6 weeks ago? She could have an allergic reaction to that. Is your machine rinsing properly and getting rid of all the detergent?

Also how does the rash begin when it goes to a new area of skin: if it begins like a nettle sting, hives, that is an allergic reaction.

It looks like folliculitis to me too but I would’ve thought that a GP would be able to diagnose that.

@Embracelife

Gluten rash /coeliac rash? Although not a symptom of coeliac disease, if you have an autoimmune response to gluten, you may develop a type of skin rash called dermatitis herpetiformis. The rash is itchy and has blisters that burst when scratched. It usually occurs on your elbows, knees and buttocks, although it can appear anywhere on your body.

Funnily enough this was what I first thought.

I'm not coeliac. I was tested. But I am intolerant to wheat.

The tops of my arms always looked like this and I was told it was a sign of coeliacs. It's been clear as long as I don't eat any wheat!

How did it first start?

@BalladOfBarryAndFreda

It looks like folliculitis to me too but I would’ve thought that a GP would be able to diagnose that.

My gp didn't. I diagnosed it myself! Rang the gp back and he said hmm put calamine lotion on it Antibiotics help if it is that

Did you ever get an answer to this? My daughter is the same but hers is itchy.