Why do my thighs randomly break out with pimples?!

August 15, 2007 5:08 AM

What are these pimples on my thigh? As you can see by the pics [1,2] my thigh is currently breaking out with some kind of pimples. This happens every so often, but I see no pattern.

They're really red and some of them are tender. About the same time I get them on my upper thigh, I get one somewhere on my face, usually on the corner of my nose. They all last about a week and then go away. I have a history of bad skin, including redness around my nose and breaking out when my skin comes in contact with anything scented. I haven't changed my detergent, shampoo, soap, anything. I'm not allergic to any foods as far as I know, and I haven't been doing anything out of the ordinary. Anyone have any idea what might be causing this? It's not a major deal, just sucks when I'm wearing shorts and my legs look all blotchy.

posted by jimdanger to Health & Fitness (10 answers total)

I've had a similar problem, and my doctor diagnosed it as Folliculitis. His general advice was to get a loofah sponge and use that on the affected areas on my legs.
posted by shinynewnick at 5:35 AM on August 15, 2007 [1 favorite]

I have a similar problem but my legs are hairy enough it is not generally visible. Maybe I'll try the loofah as long as it doesn't rub away all my leg hair!
posted by JJ86 at 5:39 AM on August 15, 2007

Yeah, and after the loofah, moisturize. It sounds counter-intuitive, but it really does keep them away.
posted by gaspode at 5:57 AM on August 15, 2007

Yep. Exfoliate, especially in the summer when you're all sweaty and there's all sorts of goo building up in your pores. Be gentle though, you don't want to rub your skin raw.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 6:11 AM on August 15, 2007

Make sure you throughly rinse the loofa after each use. Use it without soap. For the best results, hang the loofa up so it can dry throughly between each use. If you can't hang it up, give it a good inspection before using it to make sure nothing icky has developed.
Swishing it through a light bleach solution & rinsing it well every week or so does a good job of keeping down any lingering gook germs. The bleach may lighten the luffa and don't let it soak in the solution or the sponge will breakdown faster.

You can also grow your own.
posted by jaimystery at 6:29 AM on August 15, 2007

Are you sure its not shingles? Read up on the descriptions, check out some images of the more mild cases and see what you think. General symptoms are described.
posted by bkeene12 at 7:38 AM on August 15, 2007

It's not shingles. Prior posts were on the money. It looks like folliculitis.
posted by drpynchon at 8:18 AM on August 15, 2007

I don't like the feel of loofah, as a word spoken or a sponge used. I love these kinds of scrubby gloves, which retain lather as you wash and exfoliate anywhere/everywhere.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 9:34 AM on August 15, 2007

I used to get something like that when I wore jeans that were too tight in the thigh.
posted by Manjusri at 2:44 PM on August 15, 2007

I get a similar problem in the summer, especially after long, sweaty workouts. I don't use a loofah, though. I think the best thing is a salt or sugar scrub that has oil in it (for example, Trader Joe's carries a grapefruit scrub that works well). That way, you are exfoliating and getting moisture in all at the same time. Tea tree oil can also help reduce the redness and irritation of folliculitis.
posted by tuff at 4:05 PM on August 15, 2007