DS has for a time had a pimply like rash on the back on his legs and his arms although it is not really a rash ( geez I am not making sense )

Just wondering if anyone else's kids have this, it looks normal-ish in that the skin is not red/raised/itchy etc.

Tx

If it looks like actual tiny pimples, watch it very carefully it could be a type of staph infection & can very quickly get worse. But if he has already had it for some time then chances are it may not be.....hhmmmm contradicting myself aren't I!

Is it on the backs of his legs and backs of his arms? Google Keratosis pilaris and see if it fits. My kids have it from my DH. It's hereditary - and something to do with the over production of keratin I think? Its not red like the picture on google - just like little bumps that sometimes get a tiny white head. When its bad they get it on their cheeks too. And it can go on the buttocks of adults. Check out your husband to see if he's got a bumpy bum...

Hmmm, DS developed yesterday tiny red spots behind his knees. Today it seems worse and there is also a wee patch on his bum. He's happy as though.

We call it bumpy arms, me and DS have it...

His isn't bumpy at all, they're flat, just red. Which I think is what MadMum is describing. I wonder if it's a dermatitis thing.

Neats - if its scaley and red it could be excema? Excema seems to like backs of knees, elbows, nappy waist etc. And that is a dermatitis thing. If its getting worse, maybe a visit to the GP?

Not scaley either, just spotty. He has eczema too and it's totally different. Sorry for the threadjack MadMum, but hope it's helping you too!

DS gets this too, mainly on his arms, lower legs and on his face, just on his forehead. DH has it too on his arms and legs.

my boys get this. and i get it on my upper arms. as far as i understand its related to dry skin and, as the others have said, is hereditary. its also related to eczema. a dramatic change in temperature defintely triggers it, for my boys. the best thing is a mild moisturiser like sorbalene. i use one from the health food shop which is like sorbalene but has no parabens. i just don't like the idea of slathering the lads in preservatives and parabens and petrochemicals every day. it costs $30 for a large tub that lasts about four months.

My DS has something like this on the backs of his arms (we initially thought it was a heat rash, but it hasnt gone away now that we are into winter). It doesnt seem to bother him...no itching or redness, just bumpy. I think DH may have a little on his arms too, which explains the hereditary part.

As long as its not bothering him MM I wouldnt worry

DS has little red spots too, they come and go and the doc says it's infantile eczema.

leelee that cream sounds good, I've been using that emulsifying ointment but would prefer something a bit more natural. Might look into it.

...just be careful with that infantile eczema diagnosis. That's what we were told with DS1 but now he is well down the allergic march (food allergies, asthma, severe environmental allergies, hayfever, eczema) due to not having been more careful at the first signs of allergies . They (being GPs/derms) use to say that only 30% of infantile eczema was linked to food allergies. It is now considered (by allergy specialists) to be more like 60% of all children with infantile eczema.

That is it exactly, nice to have a name for it. He has had it for a while so was not too worried - better go check D's bum too.....LOL



DS's looks like this, just not as much or quite so red, so from reading it sounds like a mild case and to just apply moisturiser.....

Thanks guys

Yep, thats what O's looks like too MM, except not as red.

oh wow really?

What do you mean "by being more careful"?

By be more careful I just meant you to think about any underlying causes as your GP really just has you treating the syptoms of eczema. Allergies are the main trigger for eczema. Old fashioned thinking (most GPs are still touting this line)is that eczema triggers are environmental like heat, wool, irritation to the skin and therefore advice tends to be to moisturise and it will go away or be easier to control.

However the more modern and up to date info on eczema is that allergies (food or environment) play a big part in eczema. So rather than just addressing the symptoms (moisturising and infection control) it's important to check for underlying causes like allergies.

Unfortunately it can be a bit hard to dx in babies because the allergy tests available can throw a lot of false negatives (that doesn't mean you shouldn't do them though). However if your baby is fully bottle fed and shows no other sign of dairy allergy like constipation, diarrhoea, reflux, increasing redness in the eczema esp after feeding, rattly breathing then it's likely to be an environmental problem triggering the eczema. If you are breastfeeding then it could well be something coming through the milk (dairy, eggs, peanuts, treenuts, soy are most common followed by wheat).

interesting 3boys...
re the pic: thats what my sons' and my arms look like when its bad too.