patchy red spots on face

My son has gotten red cheeks several times this winter. I can't pin point what is causing them, other than running around and getting really excited (he's 2). He got them the other night after taking a couple of bites of his Uncle's Uno's Store Bought Pizza but I called Unos and they assured me it wasn't the pizza. My son was horsing around with his Uncle that evening. My son still had red cheeks when I put him to bed that evening. Another time was over Thanksgiving when he was swimming and another time was after we had gone out to dinner for my birthday. All times when he got overly excited. I'm guessing the capilaries in his cheeks are coming to the surface. He's very pale skinned. I know some people have suggested Slapped Cheek Syndrome but I don't think that's what he has since he doesn't seem to be in any pain or even discomfort. I hope this helps you.

Oh, I should mention, one cheek always seems to be redder than the other side. (Is there such a word as redder? Well, you know what I mean)

[This message has been edited by Heather (edited February 07, 2001).]

Heather, Matt did the same thing yesterday! Right down to "one cheek is redder than the other". I thought at first it was the sun (he was playing outside), but Meagan, who burns within 30min as she is so pale, didn't have even a hint of pink in her cheeks. My best guess is either something he ate, or the dogs he was playing with for awhile. He gets the red patches on his face or tummy fairly often, but he'd never done the bright red cheek thing before.

My son has a condition called "pseudoallergy" that looks like, and has the same results as, an allergy involving IgE. The doctor at Arkansas Children's Hospital diagnosed him as having this in December. He also has PA, dog, and multiple drug allergies.

Anyway, he said that this explains why Matthew always get red cheeks when he is hot, cold, excited, or has been lying down on a cheek. His ears do, too. He said I could find out about this rare condition on the Internet, but I've had some trouble finding much.

However, my daughter, who is non-PA, had really red cheeks when she had fifth disease, which also comes with a measles-like rash.

Joshua's Momma - it sounds like they could be hives, just mild ones. Cayley gets hives around her mouth and on her cheek if she buries her face in our cat's fur - she has a mild allergy to cat dander. These hives feel warm and they don't itch or bother her like ones from peanut residue.

She doesn't even notice them - I do, so they can't be too troublesome for her. Does Joshua have environmental allergies that could be causing the hives (if that is indeed what they are)?

My non pa son gets red cheeks just like you have described. I can't pinpoint exactly what causes it. He gets them sometimes (but not all the time) after eating ketchup, pizza or anything with a tomato sauce. There have also been times when he wakes up from his afternoon nap with red cheeks and ears that feels warm to the touch. He's already got all of his teeth, so I know it's not from teething. He doesn't have any allergies that we know of.

Kathy Spencer--can you tell us a little more about your son's "pseudoallergy"? Thanks. Deanna

[This message has been edited by DMB (edited February 07, 2001).]

[This message has been edited by DMB (edited February 07, 2001).]

I don't know if my son also has environmental allergies. His allergist did not do skin testing. We have identified his allergies to foods by keeping a food journal. If his red patchy spots were from things in the environment, would he also have them places other than his face?

Now this is just my "theory", so don't take it as a medical fact, but I think Cayley reacts to the cat dander ONLY if it's near her face, and she has inhaled a fair quantity in close proximity.

She has never had these hives anywhere else on her body, just around her mouth and cheeks, so I think inhaling or ingesting the allergen is what's causing it. Plus she has fair, delicate facial skin that's prone to redness at the slightest touch, so getting the allergen on her hands doesn't affect the skin there so much.

Hives can certainly be caused by touching an allergen, anywhere on the body, I just think in this case, some of the allergen is being inhaled/ingested.

Now, when you say "red, patchy spots" you don't mean scaly, like eczema, do you? These red spots are smooth like the rest of the skin, just warm and red? We didn't know Cayley had environmental allergies until we had her skin-tested - we were very surprised about the cat dander allergy. How old is Joshua? Somewhere down the road it might be helpful to have him skin-tested, because he might need a daily antihistamine, like Claritin or Zyrtec (sp?), to help prevent cases of environmental allergy hives.

We intend to put Cayley on a daily anti-histamine in the springtime, when her tree and other environmental allergies are at their worst.

No, I don't mean excema. We deal with that on a daily basis also. I use aquaphor to keep it under control. Zyrtec has been prescribed for my son, but we have opted to try and avoid allergens and not medicate when it isn't necessary. If in fact he does have environmental allergies, I suppose we will have to medicate because they are not avoided as easily as food allergies. I can control what my 2 1/2 year old eats, but I cannot control the air he breathes as easily. Anyway, the red patches are smooth and warm when he has them. I do really think they are food related, and perhaps caused by skin contact with the food as well as ingestion. Cheryl
P.S. Joshua is also very fair skinned!

Joshua's momma: My son, also named Joshua, also gets these red patches around his mouth and other areas of the face. It seems to be more of a reaction to irritants in the food than a true allergic/hive response - sometimes from citrus or acidic foods (tomato, lemon), sometimes a salty food. They go away after a few minutes. They are red, splotchy, warm to the touch, but not raised. I used to think they were allergic reactions and I was going crazy wondering what I could feed him - but they do not seem to bother him or to progress into other symptoms.

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I've been experiencing the same "red cheek syndrome" with both my kids. When my PA son has a red face, often one side is definitely redder than the other. I tend to notice his red cheeks at night. He also wakes up from naps with very rosy cheeks. I have no idea why his cheeks turn red. My non PA daughter gets red cheeks in the evening for hours and we have yet to find out what she may be allergic to.

Deanna,

I don't know much about the syndrome, but the doctor said that it is the reason why, when his skin is slightly scratched, a red mark stays there for a long time. Hot showers leave him with very red skin. Spicy foods can irritate his mouth. Whatever side he has slept on is red in the morning. Whenever he and his sister are in sunlight for very long, they break out in red, raised hives on the exposed areas of their skin. The doctor told me that IgE is not involved like it is in a true allergy, but the effect is the same. I forgot to add that Matthew is extremely fair and has blonde hair. I tried to look this up in December on the Net and got quite frustrated at the lack of information available.

I forgot to say earlier that, whenever I get a cortisone shot for tendinitis, I get really red and hot cheeks the second day, and they stay that way for about two days. When my son was on prednisone for two weeks after his last episode of anaphylaxis, he also had red cheeks. I doubt that cortisone is the culprit with the kids here, but I thought it might be worth mentioning.

Yonit - Cayley get red splotches from ketchup and other tomato-based foods also. I never noticed how long they took to go away, to be honest. I just knew it wasn't an allergic reaction.

Joshua's Mom - How long do the red marks last? Would giving his face a wipe with a wet washcloth help them fade? If so, then it may be tomato/citris related.

Stephen started with the smooth red patches and red cheeks a couple of days ago. I don't know what to make of them. For Stephen I think they are they beginning of a development of an allergy of somesort. Especially since by nightfall he had hives on one of his arms. But they all went away witihin a couple of hours and never seemed to bother him unlike other reactions. He has had a teething rash for a month or so but it is bumpy and this wasn't. BTW the stephen is on Zyrtec (for allergies) and Zantac (for reflux and itching)
Anyway, I say all that to say Good luck figuring out the cause if you can.
Jami

[This message has been edited by blackmoss (edited February 08, 2001).]

Possibly the red cheeks could be caused by a slight allergy to the soap or detergent you use for washing his clothing and bed linens. Often our rinse cycles do not remove all the detergent, so traces of it are left. There are many chemicals in detergent, and I try now to buy those with the least amount of additives.

When I put my cheek on my pillow, if I have not really rinsed carefully, it causes my cheeks to get red -- one more than others because it is usually my left cheek on the pillow.

Also, dust mites get into bed clothing, and could cause the redness. And sometimes, people just react to warmth. A cheek can get pretty warm on a bed or pillow.

Try double or triple rinsing for a while and see it if helps.

As all of your children get older, you may notice some environmental allergies such as I have. I always try to keep track of new allergies to foods and environmentals when I have some sort of reaction. I think that I have just become allergic to crab -- right in the middle of crab season -- and will test it by going to just one more crab feed... By the way, I am 61, so it is never over. I am PA, TNA, with multiple food and environmental allergies, all made even worse by Rosacea. And most of the time, everything is kept under control. So your kids will get things under control, too.

My blonde haired, green eyed boy gets this also. His ears will also turn fire engine red, and be very hot to the touch. So far I haven't figured out any pattern.

Amy

my son gets this too. I realized the other day he had it after laying on the same pillow a friend of mine with lots of hairsray and perfume had layed on two days earlier. He also gets very red ears! I gave him a shower and it got much better.maybe the chemicals caused it.

I get this too on my forehead, sometimes I have been a room where nuts have been eaten by others, sometimes after I have held my guinea pigs or cleaned the cages. I know that I am allergic to them but can't bear to part with them. Other than feeling hot it doesn't bother me and has not progressed farther than that. I wonder what causes it?