Case report: Travel rashes

I saw a 20-year-old girl, one of four members of a family who had all come to our walk-in clinic yesterday. Upon returning from a vacation in Mexico, the other members of the family were suffering from sore throats and coughs, but this patient presented only with a variety of rashes. Having flown to Mexico a week prior, the patient reported leaving the plane with pain and a red rash on the lateral aspect of her left leg. The pain resolved within minutes, but the rash—which was not itchy or sore—persisted and faded slowly. Read: Case report: And just one more thing... Remnants of the rash can be seen in this picture. The erythema was cut off at the top of her ankle socks as shown. During her vacation, the patient developed a bilateral rash on both legs—right up to the hip—which was asymptomatic but distressing in appearance. Once again, the rash was cut off below her ankles, but was widespread over all aspects of both legs. The lesions are best seen on her upper legs, but continued in increased numbers almost to her waist. She was in good health with no allergies, no underlying illness and taking no medications. She had shaved her legs (up to the knees) just before travel, and again during her stay in Mexico. She had swam frequently in the ocean, but had not been in a hot tub. Examination revealed no tenderness or swelling on the lateral aspect of her left leg. The multiple lesions extending up to her waist were obviously follicular in origin. Shaving can certainly contribute to folliculitis, but she hadn’t shaved above her knees. Read: Case report: A winter rash I inquired in more detail about the patient’s entire experience. During the flight to Mexico, she had removed her shoes and slept with her left leg pressed against the fabric of her seat. That undoubtedly resulted in the temporary leg pain and rash, which resolved quickly. Although she had thought that her more extensive rash was related to the first, I didn’t think so. Shaving could have contributed, but I felt that her folliculitis was a result of swimming in the ocean. She had swam in shoes and a miniscule bathing suit, which explained the border of the rash at her ankles. There seem to be many potential hazards when travelling. The patient unfortunately encountered several. I reassured her that her rash should disappear quickly with soap and regular water—and less frequent shaving of her legs. Dr. Robert Dickson is a family physician in Hamilton. This report is based on a real case from Dr. Dickson’s files.

Case report: Travel rashes

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