Anyone ever experience a rash like this only on their upper torso?

Chris

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About two weeks ago I got a spot on my lower neck that was about 1" by 1/2". I have no idea what it was, but it just showed up out of nowhere. It didn't itch or hurt, so I didn't think anything of it. Over that time I slowly began to develop a rash on my entire upper torso.

The strange thing about this rash is that it's ONLY on my upper torso. It's on my arms as well, but nowhere on my hands, and the weird part is that it's much more prevalent on my chest and back, whereas on my arms it's not nearly as bad.

It didn't itch at first, but it's started to itch.

I've had chicken pox when I was younger and been vaccinated for it as well. I've also been vaccinated for measles and all the other stuff. Whatever it is, it's not contagious, as no one in my family has got it from me.

It also isn't shingles, since that only happens on one side of the body, and those rashes turn into painful blisters.

I also feel 100%. No cold, no fever, no sickness whatsoever.

Part of me thought maybe it was an allergic reaction to something like laundry detergent, but I swapped my laundry detergent, shampoo, body wash, and everything else out for hypo-allergenic versions, just to rule that out.

I've put Lotramin cream on it thinking maybe it was a fungal rash (I workout at the gym daily), but that hasn't made it go away, so I doubt it's fungal.

The rashes have slowly been getting better in some areas (namely where it started on my neck).

None of the rashes have blistered or anything like that. They just seem to show up, then dry out and slowly fade (very slowly).

I should probably just go to a dermatologist, but I don't have health insurance at the moment, so I don't particularly want to be taken to the cleaners.

Just curious if anyone else has ever experienced anything like this? It's really weird to me that it's only occurred on my upper torso, but not on my face whatsoever.

IMG_5334.jpg IMG_5333.jpg
 
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A few months ago I had a rash that went over arms, legs torso and itched like hell. Take benadryl and it stopped...for 6 hours and came back. Did this cycle for a few days (changed soaps, detergent and anything else). Finally went to an allergist, what it turned out to be was new sheets made from bamboo. Even after changing the sheets, the reaction persisted. Allergist said the body can hold on to the allergy for up to a month, he put me on 24 hour Zyrtec (otc) for 30 days and all has been good since. It seems Benadryl is "old school" as it hits for 6 hours and is out of your system.
 
Hmm, doesn't look good. Have you taken Benadryl (or anything with the active ingredient of Diphenhydramine) yet?

If you haven't give it a try. Just be aware that it'll probably make you sleepy, but it's the most effective OTC med for dealing with allergic reactions. If it doesn't reduce the rash at all, you may be dealing with something more than just an allergic reaction.
 
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Hmm, doesn't look good. Have you taken Benadryl (or anything with the active ingredient of Diphenhydramine) yet?

If you haven't give it a try. Just be aware that it'll probably make you sleepy, but it's the most effective OTC med for dealing with allergic reactions. If it doesn't reduce the rash at all, you may be dealing with something more than just an allergic reaction.
Benadryl works but only for a few hours, if he has it on hand I would try first and see if this is indeed an allergy. If it is, go to 24 hour Zyrtec so you can sleep through the night and not get groggy taking it.
 
Okay maybe I am on the right track then. I started taking 24 hour Zyrtec a few days ago hoping maybe that would do something.

Of course that still leaves me wondering why this happened and why it’s only on my upper body. For the life of me I can’t think of anything we changed (such as sheets, detergent, etc.).
 
Didn't you just move to Arizona? I may be pollen of flowers or the new environment your body is not used to and your torso/upper body may be the only areas reacting to it. Our bodies are weird that way. if the antihistamines (Zyrtec, Claritin, Benadryl, etc [try all as some may work better than others depending on your histamine receptors]) don't work, it means it may not be an allergic reaction. Try applying some hydrocortisone to a part of the affected areas and see if it improves compared to the untreated areas. If the hydrocortisone treated area gets better, then it is a skin irritation/inflammation that can have many causes.
 
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Didn't you just move to Arizona? I may be pollen of flowers or the new environment your body is not used to and your torso/upper body may be the only areas reacting to it. Our bodies are weird that way. if the antihistamines (Zyrtec, Claritin, Benadryl, etc [try all as some may work better than others depending on your histamine receptors]) don't work, it means it may not be an allergic reaction. Try applying some hydrocortisone to a part of the affected areas and see if it improves compared to the untreated areas. If the hydrocortisone treated area gets better, then it is a skin irritation/inflammation that can have many causes.
I agree that that moving from OR to AZ may have something to do with this. The dry air can be brutal to your skin, especially if its used to any kind of humidity. I also agree that hydrocortisone (topical steroid, 1% is available OTC, 2.5% is available with prescription or in Mexico) is a good option if allergic reaction is ruled out.
 
Location, distribution, and those patches with the scale in the center all look a lot like Pityriasis rosea.

Go see a doctor to confirm. If it is, they'll tell you not to worry about it. Hangs around a few weeks and goes away without treatment.
 
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For what it’s worth, I’ve been on the Zyrtec for 3 days now and haven’t noticed any difference, but perhaps I need to give it more than three days.
 
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I haven’t moved yet, but I agree that I will have to go see a doctor just to figure it out.

I was thinking it was the Pityriasis Rosea, but there definitely isn’t a Christmas tree thing going on, which had me second guessing that.
 
I haven’t moved yet, but I agree that I will have to go see a doctor just to figure it out.

I was thinking it was the Pityriasis Rosea, but there definitely isn’t a Christmas tree thing going on, which had me second guessing that.

I think it has more to do with the angle the dots show in relation to the angle of muscle striations. But I'm basing that on nothing but my observation.
 
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Benadryl works but only for a few hours, if he has it on hand I would try first and see if this is indeed an allergy. If it is, go to 24 hour Zyrtec so you can sleep through the night and not get groggy taking it.
Yea, a non-drowsy alternative like Zyrtec is definitely better if it works. In my experience, Benedryl is more likely to work in some cases where Zyrtec won't, even though it doesn't last as long and makes you drowsy.
 
Okay maybe I am on the right track then. I started taking 24 hour Zyrtec a few days ago hoping maybe that would do something.

Of course that still leaves me wondering why this happened and why it’s only on my upper body. For the life of me I can’t think of anything we changed (such as sheets, detergent, etc.).
My son had a simliar rash after eating some hot peppers or red pepper flakes etc...he was a avid pepper fan and salsa fanatic...all of a sudden at age 32 he has had to get off all peppers due to headaches and now rashes evidently...
capsaicin allergy...could be diet related for sure and Benadryl etc. will just hide the symptoms...hope you figure it out soon! Check dairy, gluten etc. the common ones of course.