To Petechiae or not Petechiae? - Skin Problems Message Board

eDeal · 02-08-2006, 06:55 AM

I have these spots growing on my feet. Here is a picture:

[url]www.safehavenpointe.com/leftfoot.jpg[/url]
[url]www.safehavenpointe.com/rightfoot.jpg[/url]

Anyway, my doctor had no idea what they are. After doing some reseach, I came to think of them as maybe being petechiae/purpura. The only problem is that I am pretty much absolutely healthy. My platelet counts are completely normal, I do not bruise pretty much ever.

The number of tiny dots seems to have increased since I have been doing more walking lately. Also, I have been noticing more on my lower legs than I had previously, and the ones on my ankle have noticably increased. The area along the toes seems to be where the individual dots have consolidated into one big spot.

To be honest it is becoming rather unsightly, and the lack of concern from my doctor and the PA there does not reasure me, as they do not even know what it is.

It is unclear from the photos, but they do not itch or hurt, and are not raised in any way. I cannot tell where they are by feeling around, and they do not blanch when I put pressure on them.

As they are not spreading, I am growing alarmed, as I cannot remember noticing them a month ago (although I did see some spots like this on my ankle 3 years ago)

eDeal · 02-09-2006, 04:35 AM

So no ideas? Well that's what my doctor was giving me too.

dianabarry · 02-12-2006, 06:27 PM

It almost looks like some kind of sunburn, I have never seen anything like it before, sorry.

eDeal · 02-15-2006, 07:24 AM

Thanks for the reply. I have never seen anything like it either, and neither has my doctor, but he is a G.P.

It is definitely not sunburn, as I don't think my feet have even gotten sun in at least 15 years. The key thing is that it seems to be completely asymptomatic. If I feet my foot, there is no difference in the skin that is discolored and the skin that is normal. There is also no sensation of pain or itching. The only think remarkable is that the amount of skin that is covered grows every day, and is slowly creaping up more onto my shins.

As an experiment, I created Petechiae on my arm (I sucked on my arm) and let them fade, and the color is exactly the same. So, I am pretty sure it is the result of bleeding into the skin. The concern is that this type of symptom is found in all sorts of really nasty diseases, but is also found in at least one benign condition called Schamberg's disease. I had a complete blood count and everything looked normal, and since I can't remember the last time I bruised, I think I can rule out the bad stuff.

Anyway, I finally have my dermatology appointment today, and hopefully will get some kind of answer.