Full Torso Rash from Dry Skin Overnight?

Updated on February 08, 2013
S.C. asks from Milwaukee, WI
13 answers

My kiddo has had a temp for a few days now (since Tues). It ranges from low 99's with meds to 102 when meds wear off. On Tues night she took a shower. I usually slather her up w/ Cetaphil lotion after her shower but w/ the fever, she just wanted jammies. No big deal, it's not the first time we've missed lotion. Wed morning she was sitting on my lap and I went to rub her back and her whole torso (chest, belly, back and sides) had a rash of teeny tiny red bumps. With the fever, I called the doc. We went in and he said it was just dry skin. He gave me a script for hydrocorisone cream and told me to mix it half and half w/ aquaphor and rub it on her twice a day. I'm stunned a dry skin rash can develop that bad overnight. It's getting a bit worse too and spreading to her arms and her face. Does this sound normal to anyone?

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So What Happened?

The doc looked at her throat and he said her throat looks like fine and there isn't a sign of strep there. He even asked about her butt cause sometimes you can get strep around your anus. Either way, he said it doesn't look like a strep rash. No to chicken pox and measles too.

I guess I'll just keep an eye on it and see if the ointment mix works, or if it keeps spreading.

Featured Answers

A.W.

answers from Kalamazoo on

***He can't tell if she has strep just by looking!!!! Sometimes you can have strep and not even have a sore throat at all!!! It's a simple swab of the throat test that they do. And if it is strep then she is contagious!!!

Did they test her for strep??? To me, that's what it sounds like. Other viruses can present rashes too. Does it itch?

Honestly, with those symptoms - if they DIDN'T test for strep, I might be looking for a new doctor.........Might not be strep, but those are two of the classic symptoms - fever and rash. Sometimes my daughter has just gotten the rash with zero other symptoms.

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M.M.

answers from Raleigh on

I didn't read the other posts...is the rash a lace-like rash? Sounds like it may be Fifth's Disease aka Slapped Cheek Disease. Maybe google it and see if this sounds right or not.

My daughter had it when she was about 4 or so and it's like a cold where you just have to let it run it's course.

Good luck and HTH!

1 mom found this helpful

S.K.

answers from Denver on

my first thought is a strep rash. if the fever doesnt break soon or the rash gets worst id take her in to get a strep test done.

1 mom found this helpful

C.C.

answers from San Francisco on

Man. That sounds like Scarlet Fever. My oldest had it, and that's exactly how it presented - fever and red rash starting on the body and then spreading out to the face, arms and legs. Is she listless? If so, I'd take her for a second opinion ASAP. The other thing is, if the hydrocortisone isn't helping (and it's not, if the rash is spreading), stop using that. Too much hydrocortisone can cause a nasty auto-immune skin infection (we just went through that this summer... so much fun! 6 weeks of antibiotic cream to get THAT to go away...).

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☼.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

Is she on Tylenol? It could be a side effect from that. You may want to rotate Tylenol w/ Ibuprofin instead of always using Tylenol.

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N.M.

answers from Detroit on

Couple thoughts -
1) Is it a really visible rash, or is it more just bumpy to the touch? Roseola is common at a young age. Usually starts with fever and ends with a bumpy but not super visible rash

2) Has there been any exposure to chicken pox, etc?

3) My toddler had a bad fever once, then developed a disturbing rash that almost looked like dots of blood under her skin. It was all over her body. It was just a virus induced rash

Bottom line - keep your doctor informed, and watch any other symptoms. But there are a lot of reasons someone might get a rash

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E.B.

answers from Duluth on

My doctor warned us that Fifths Disease was going around--my sister in law is pregnant and a little worried about everything, so I asked what was going around that my kids could get that would be detrimental to her pregnancy. She thought, and said that they had seen a few cases of Fifths, and to stay away if it showed up in our house. It doesn't look like it's incredibly severe, but it's something to google, as some of the other folks suggested.

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C.L.

answers from Minneapolis on

My first thoughts were 5th Disease or Roseola, but if the doctor saw the rash and said no then I would probably just keep an eye on it. Both of them just need to run their course anyhow, but in the case fo 5th disease she should stay away from pregnant women, especially in the 1st trimester. Sometimes for that reason the pediatricians don't even like to see possible cases in the office and prefer to talk about the rash over the phone. Like one other poster said kids can also get a rash or hives as a reaction to a virus. It happened to my son when he was 4-5 and it waso severe it interfered with his sleep and he needed a "burst" of oral prednisone. Is she old enough to take an anithistamine like Benadryl and see if that helps?

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B..

answers from Dallas on

Wow. I really think your doctor brushed this off too easily. Anytime a rapidly spreading rash is accompanied by a fever, I think it's worth looking into further. If it were me, I would call an urgent care office, or a nurse's line. (My son's health insurance has a nurse's hotline.) Just in case, they can confirm...or give you further instruction. The urgent care place and the nurse can tell you if you should seek other treatment.

I'd be pretty upset with my Dr. If it turns into something more, please find a new one ASAP!!!

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L.F.

answers from Chicago on

Was she taking antibiotics? My daughter developed a horrible rash a week after taking it. Could be an allergic reaction. Good luck!

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B.F.

answers from Dallas on

5 th disease. I am surprised the doc didn't call it. Don't go around pregnant women till its gone. It will just run its course.

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K.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

My son has had 2 episodes of this in his life. Full body rash of tiny little red bumps during or right after being sick with a virus. Both times I took him to be tested for strep just to be sure and you should too (looking in the throat is not enough, they need to swab). Both times his strep test was negative and the doctor said it was a rash due to a general virus and that sometimes that is just the body's reaction to certain viruses. Hydrocortisone cream for comfort and a couple days is all it took for it to go away. I really doubt it is due to dry skin, much more likely a virus that will pass soon.

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K.B.

answers from San Francisco on

Is she on any medication?

I found out I was allergic to pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) because I developed a rash overnight. The first time actually, it was a low dose and only affected my arms so I didn't make the connection. The second time, it was a 12 hour dose and I woke up with a rash over my entire body, except my face and hands.

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