My legs are covered in red marks. Not dots, or bumps.
Just ugly red marks all over my legs. It looks real ugly like if I have a disease. They started appearing a little before Easter and now they are dark and spreading.
Not itchy or burning. No symptoms as a matter of fact.
My husband said it was just heat rash but this morning he was making fun of me saying I was being infested by ringworms.
It looks so gross, can anyone help? I will be going to the doctor but all the doctors in my area are booked for a while. Unless I go to urgent care, which I don't think is necessary.
What do you think. Should I go now or wait for my appointment date?
Any ideas what this is? Any remedies?

Without seeing the marks it is hard to tell what they could be, if it is getting worse and spreading as you say, I would see a dermatologist as soon as you can

I set an appointment for my family doctor. But it's not until this Thursday. Should I set a different appointment with a dermatologist?

I would wait and see what your family doctor says
He may refer you to a dermatologist.
Unless it starts to itch or starts to burn then get in right away

A family practitioner may be able to determine what it is and prescribe meds if needed.. I am a firm believer that you go to dentists for your teeth,podiatrists for your feet and dermatologists for skin issues.. but that is just me. I like to know the dr I am seeing is specializing in what my ailment is and not just a general physician. Maybe it's because I have been referred to so many specialist after seeing my family dr. and having to pay 2 bills. At any rate.. please keep us posted as to what you find out. I'm curios.. Take care

I'll call tomorrow about a dermatologist in my area. If I can't get an appointment before Thursday I'll just go to my family doctor and see what he says. Either way I'll keep you posted, and let you know what the doc says.

About the symptoms; its not itchy or burning. Nothing at all. Just red splotchy marks all over. Today I found 2 spots on my arms. It's definitely spreading. Started at my legs.
I'm worried. Can this be stress related?
I am under a lot of stress lately. My family had a huge incident over Easter. That's around the time I first noticed these marks.
Oh and I have swollen lymph nodes on my neck. That's been happening also about a few months ago. But they go away then swell up again.
I'm all messed up I guess. Could that be stress related too?

It very well could be stress but you must see a doctor.
Take really good care of yourself,
Millie
:)

It sounds like you may have a rash or hives. It appears on the skin usually as an allergic reaction from eating certain foods, or taking certain medicines. It can also occur from dust, mold and other substances. I agree with the other answers. Please consult a dermatologist about the skin problem that you are having.

Hi thanks for the advise. I went to see my family doc and he said it looked like proteo-something rosacea. He gave me Cortizone tablets to take for 6 days. 6 pills on the first day, 5 on the next and so on until they finish.
He said if that doesn't clear it up then it's something else and he would have to refer me to a dermatologist to take scraping samples from my legs.

He did say that this is not stress related and I shouldn't worry much about it.

Well I only have 2 more days to go to finish my prescription and not much change yet. It kind of stopped spreading and only a few spots have faded or disappeared. But all the rest are bright and plain as day.

It kind of ruined my Mothers Day. I love to get all dolled up on occasion, and I couldn't even wear a dress. My legs looked bad.
I go back in soon. But I'll keep everyone updated.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

Okay Hi guys
So far my red marks haven't gone away. I went to see my dermatologist that I was recommended too and he told me that he was going to guess that I have Pitoriasis Rosea. He said it's a type of rash that usually occurs on the upper part of the body (except mine is on my legs). And that they don't really know much about it. Just that it's not contagious. Nobody knows why it happens and so therefore there is no treatment. It usually lasts about 6-7 weeks. But in my case since I was given cortizone I should expect it to flare up even worse and last longer. Maybe about 8-9 weeks.
He said the only thing he knows helps the spots to fade is sunlight. So he recommended giving my legs some sun and apply tons of moisturizer.
Sounds more like a beauty tip than a treatment. :)
So I'm hoping my ugly leg syndrome will be gone in about 2 weeks. I've had it for 7 weeks now. But really it doesn't look like anytime soon.
Oh Well! Take care everyone

I used to get that after using a tanning bed. I quit that and the red spots went away. Don't know if you are tanning, but just a suggestion. And yes it did go away with sunlight, but tanning beds caused it.

Hello everyone.
I finally have a chance to catch up with you all and let you all know what's happened so far. Been pretty busy, sorry.
Well My dermatologist I was referred to told me I had Pitoriasis Rosea. But if it breaks out again or starts to get worse to come back to see him or one of the Doctors that's in.
Well with my luck it did and I had to go back in this morning and I saw a new Dermatologist. He was sure it was a different type of rash called Pigmented Purpleva or something like that. I can't read his chicken scratch real well so I don't know how to spell it. Non the less he said there was no treatment for my condition. That it will disappear in a few months. Not a few weeks like Pitoriasis. He said it takes really long to get over. But just in case he wanted to take a Biopsy and run tests to make sure its nothing different or serious. I will get the results in 1 week.

The Biopsy was painful, cause I'm a big chicken. He took an actual straw like cookie cutter to my thigh. Now I have this hole in my leg and it doesn't hurt but it's freakin me out.
Well I'll let you know what the results say when I get them.

Oh and I've never used a tanning bed. If I need a tan I just run out into the sun for like 3 seconds and I'm golden. Thanks to my wonderful genes I never get sun burned, just darker. But thanks for thinking of me.
Have a great day everyone.
Talk to you all soon.

Your dermatologist is right about Pityriasis rosea. It is a common skin disease. It appears as a rash that can last from several weeks to several months. The rash usually fades and disappears within six weeks, but can sometimes last much longer. Pityriasis rosea often requires no treatment and it usually goes away by itself. However, treatment may include external or internal medications for itching. Soothing medicated lotions and lubricants may be prescribed. This skin condition is not a dangerous skin condition. It will gradually fade away.

Well I finally got the results in and it is in fact 'Pigmented Purpura'.

Not Pitoriasis Rosea.

I was told that I had some type of viral infection in my lungs or chest somewhere and that's how it starts. Somehow after I had recovered from the infection ( that I didn't know I had) my lower body was damaged. Capillaries bust and start to bleed out into my skin. Making thousands of red splotchy marks. It usually stays below your hips which mine did.
The bad news is that it takes an unusually long time to recover from. Some have recovered in 6 weeks other it lasted a lifetime. Because this condition is so rare. There is very little known about it. And there is absolutely no cure OR treatment.
Here's what I found:

In the US: Pigmented purpuric dermatoses are uncommon.

Internationally: During a 10-month period, the authors' United Kingdom hospital-based dermatology practice, which serves a population of 300,000 persons, identified only 10 such cases. Five cases were diagnosed as having lichen aureus, and the remainder had more extensive capillaritis.

Some types of purpura is fatal.
I'm not sure if I could progress to a more serious state, but I'm hoping I'll be okay.
This comes as a real shock. I come from a very healthy family and I always considered myself to be very strong and healthy. My medicine cabinets are virtually empty cause I never take any over the counter meds. EVER.
I always believed we can cure anything with what we eat.
But what now. When there's no treatment. I am sick with worry and very depressed about the whole thing. Nobody know about my condition except my husband and one friend. I don't know if it will get better but please keep me in your prayers.
Thank you everyone for your support.

I'm sorry to hear that you have pigmented purpura.There are several types of pigmented purpura, also called capillaritis, but the most common condition appears as pinhead-sized, reddish brown spots sprinkled in clusters on the skin, usually on the legs. The condition can fade away in a few weeks or months, or it can last years. There is no known cure for most cases of pigmented purpura. Itching, if any, can be relieved with topical corticosteroids.