Itchy, red bumps on both forearms...what was this rash?

This Monday night I noticed a rash on both of my inner forearms,
consisting of small red bumps, extending for an area about 5 inches
long and 2 inches wide. It was itching but not to a great degree.
Tuesday morning it was still there, and throughout the day Tuesday the
degree of itching would increase then decrease. But by the end of the
work day the entire area was red and inflamed, the bumps had increased
in size, and it was itching badly. When I got home from work I
immediately applied some Clobetasol Propionate cream (topical
corticosteroid). In a short while the itching had subsided.

Wednesday morning there was no itching, the red bumps and inflammation
had greatly subsided, and the bumps had decreased in size. Throughout
the day I had little or no itching at all. By Wednesday evening the
red bumps had decreased in size even further to small red dots.

Thursday morning the red bumps have all but disappeared, they are only
faintly visible. The entire area is almost back to normal skin color.
There is no itching at all.

What was this rash? I'm a 44 year old male, I've never had any
allergies in my life. A year ago I saw a dermataologist because of a
very small area of (clear not red) itchy bumps on my fingers that
would come and go. He told me that this was eczema, and prescibed the
Clobetasol Propionate cream, which is why I had some on hand. I
suppose my current rash could have been eczema as well, but the
symptoms, and the size of the affected area, are different.

My guess is that this was some form of contact dermatitis. Due to the
location of the rash, I believe this may have been caused by exposure
from a weight machine that I use at a Bally's gym where I work out.
The exercise on this machine is done by placing both forearms against
pads, and then pushing inwards toward your chest (Pec Flys). The rash
corresponded to exactly where both my arms contact the pads.

I work out on this machine Monday, Wednesday, and Friday every week,
so prior to me noticing this rash on Monday night, the last time I was
on that machine was that Monday evening, and the previous Friday
evening. I also spend a short time in the hot tub and the pool at the
gym each time I'm there.

The weekend prior to the rash I also spent a good deal of time in
chlorinated pools, spending the weekend at a water park.

I'm curious whether a rash like this can come and go so quickly on
it's own? Or was the one application of the Clobetasol a factor in the
rash going away so quickly? Any insights on the nature of this rash
would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

In <80417b15.0403110922.20a70b18.TakeThisOut@posting.google.com> Legend wrote:
> This Monday night I noticed a rash on both of my inner forearms,
> consisting of small red bumps, extending for an area about 5 inches
> long and 2 inches wide. It was itching but not to a great degree.
> Tuesday morning it was still there, and throughout the day Tuesday the
> degree of itching would increase then decrease. But by the end of the
> work day the entire area was red and inflamed, the bumps had increased
> in size, and it was itching badly. When I got home from work I
> immediately applied some Clobetasol Propionate cream (topical
> corticosteroid). In a short while the itching had subsided.

>
> My guess is that this was some form of contact dermatitis.

Yes, most likely.

> Due to the
> location of the rash, I believe this may have been caused by exposure
> from a weight machine that I use at a Bally's gym where I work out.
> The exercise on this machine is done by placing both forearms against
> pads, and then pushing inwards toward your chest (Pec Flys). The rash
> corresponded to exactly where both my arms contact the pads.

That's exactly what occurred to me when you described the location of
the rash. I sometimes get contact dermatitis if my skin comes into
direct contact with the pads on the machines or benches. I don't know if
it's the covering itself, or maybe something used to clean them, but
I've had exactly the same thing happen.


> I'm curious whether a rash like this can come and go so quickly on
> it's own?

Yup, sometimes. I've had them come and go in a matter of hours, even
without any treatment.

> Or was the one application of the Clobetasol a factor in the
> rash going away so quickly?

Could be that too.

> Any insights on the nature of this rash would be greatly
> appreciated. Thanks.

As you suggested, it's most likely contact dermatitis from the pads on
the machine. AFAICT your options are to stay away from the machines and
stick to free weights, wear long sleeves to keep your skin from directly
contacting the pads, or just keep doing what you've been doing and keep
the steroid cream handy.

HTH