Really Random Rash

Quite unexpectedly, I developed a really random rash last week that refuses to subside. As a side note, I remain unsure whether it was initially caused by an allergy, an infestation, or an irritant.

When I first noted the strange small papular blemishes on my feet, I casually dismissed them with a cursory raised eyebrow of acknowledgement and little else. They were unsightly but not causing me distress, and naturally, I assumed they would pass of their own accord within days. In appearance I would compare them to the onset of chicken pox, scabies or cercarial dermatitis for their unassuming and sporadic appearance with no discernible pattern. They were not itchy. They were not painful. They were simply random little spots/bumps. I read online skin conditions are often idiopathic.

March 22nd 2022

My initial theories of origin related to a couple of primary incidents:

• I had bought new socks and not washed them before wearing them. Contact dermatitis perhaps?
  
  
• I had been to the local park with my daughter and stroked a lot of dogs. Flea bites?
  
  
• I was overdue washing my bedding since Christmas. Bed bug bites?
  
  

Nothing else struck me as being relevant, nor a possible explanation for this bizarre sudden onset of random spots/bites/rash. Nonetheless, I expected it to pass as swiftly as it had surfaced. I washed all my bedding, dressing gown, towels, clothes, and socks to eradicate any instances of bed bugs (purely as a preventative measure to rule it out). I expected my skin to clear up thereafter. Over the following couple of days, I instead began noticing the same random blemishes appearing up my lower legs, and my forearms. Was it spreading?

March 24th 2022

After spending an unhealthy amount of time online fruitlessly attempting to ascertain what may be causing/had caused this skin issue, and on the recommendation of a few family and friends, I opted to err on the side of caution and get them checked out by a doctor for my own peace of mind.

March 23rd 2022

I attended an appointment with Dr. Ikenna Ezeamah on 24/03/2022, during which he dismissed the issue as being  a combination of eczema caused by insufficient moisturising, and/or contact dermatitis for which he prescribed me corticosteroid cream. I disagreed with his conclusion, but relented to attempt his course of treatment; he is the doctor after all. I was not aware that sudden onset of eczema in adults was even a thing, and I've never suffered with skin issues previously.

It's a week since the strange blemishes first appeared, and a few days since I began applying the steroid cream. The spots/bumps continue to spread over my limbs and torso indiscriminately. My feet are currently worse than they were when the strange bumps first appeared.

March 27th 2022

March 28th 2022

I am hyper-aware of itching sensations lately, as a byproduct of my fixation on the blemishes; unsure whether this is psychosomatic, if they are becoming itchy, or if I am simply very conscious of it and noticing it more than I typically would. 

I will post follow up photos below, but needless to say, I find it all very bizarre.

March 29th 2022

April 4th 2022