I get huge red spots on my arms and legs in the sauna, in the bath and in the shower. It’s not hives. My son has that sometimes, so I know what that looks like. The skin also hurts. As if the sweat can’t get out or my skin can’t regulate the heat. I sweat very little anyway, not even in the sauna, where it seems that the sweat can’t get out through my pores. Now we have heart disease in the family, so I’m afraid it has to do with my blood vessels…
Corina
Dick van Gerwen, dermatologist:
Heat buildup with red spots on arms and legs can be caused by miliaria.
Our body is made to keep the body temperature at a constant 37 degrees. When cold, for example, muscles ensure that extra heat is produced (shivering). The blood flow to the skin decreases when it is cold, so that less heat is released to the environment.
If the body gets too hot, in the sauna, in the sun or after exercise, the body has to dissipate the excess heat again. Then you start to sweat, so that moisture evaporates through the pores of the skin and cooling is given to the skin. The blood circulation in the skin also increases, so that the excess heat is released back to the environment.
In miliaria, the ducts of the sweat glands constipated. If the blockage is close to the epidermis, small clear blisters (filled with sweat) can form. If the blockage is deeper in the skin, the sweat accumulates deeper in the skin and red spots appear.
The ducts of the sweat glands can also become blocked by using sun creams, but for some people it is more or less a predisposition issue.
What can you do about it? In the first instance: avoid heat and exertion and wear light clothing. Avoid oily creams on the skin. In case of persistent complaints, a visit to the dermatologist may be necessary.
Do you also have a question? Then ask one of our experts. Always go to your doctor with urgent questions, the experts are not the right person for that. They don’t diagnose either. The other conditions can be found here.
