"Disney Rash" - I only get it at one park. Anyone else?

[elgerber]

I wonder if it is from sitting on the benches in the monorail or the ferry to get to MK. Maybe Disney cleans the benches overnight and the chemical residue is still on the seats?

Later,
Dan

Not for me, I havent ridden the ferry in 13 years, and didn't ride the monorail on this last trip until our very last day.

 

[kstrayer8]

'm a local, and have walked through the parks for years and years and years without issues. I'm also a runner, and my legs have never once showed signs of heat rash, "golfer's rash", etc.

My past 10 or so visits to the Magic Kingdom has resulted in awful rashes on both of my lower legs. I've read the long thread about the "Disney rash" and I'm not quite sure what in the world is causing this to happen in only ONE park. I can walk around the other 3 WDW parks, the water parks, DTD, Universal Orlando, Sea World, etc etc etc and absolutely nothing happens.

But if I go to Magic Kingdom for more than an hour? THIS happens.

I went to the doctor this morning and she's a bit baffled herself. She's thinking there is something there that is causing an allergic reaction of sorts, but I have no idea what that could possibly be. This stupid rash will be here for a good week or so, be itchy as heck (nothing helps it, nooooottthhiiinngggg), then disappear until I head into Magic Kingdom again.

Anyone else here ever have this type of rash happen in only ONE park? Any remedies you can suggest? (For the record, I've tried wearing pants to cover my legs, skirts, shorts, slathering on sunscreen, slathering on Benedryl cream, Calamine lotion, etc before going INTO the park - nothing prevents it from happening.)

I'm more or less embarrassed by its appearance, and with my running season going into full swing at this point, I hate wearing shorts and capris that show this grodiness. Blah.

Are you allergic to cats? Its been said there are cats all over MK that come out at night and help with pest problems..i've seen a thread on here about them before. Sleep during the day, but could have an allergic reaction through the air though? Just a thought.

 

[Sydnerella]

OMG! I got the exact same thing last week but it did not matter which park. It was there for all and MK was day 3 and no spash until day 6. I assumed it was irritation due to walking so much/blood pumping and possibly a little swelling. It felt like a sun burn. I wore capris which made me wonder but i sunscreened them just like everywhere else.

 

[Dr.Girlfriend]

Are you allergic to cats? Its been said there are cats all over MK that come out at night and help with pest problems..i've seen a thread on here about them before. Sleep during the day, but could have an allergic reaction through the air though? Just a thought.

No, not allergic to cats - have one at home, and have never had a reaction to him before.

I would agree with the heat and humidity - but I'm a local, I'm in all of the other theme parks on a weekly basis, run every other day - and the rash doesn't appear unless I go into the Magic Kingdom.

 

[EagleScout]

No, not allergic to cats - have one at home, and have never had a reaction to him before.

I would agree with the heat and humidity - but I'm a local, I'm in all of the other theme parks on a weekly basis, run every other day - and the rash doesn't appear unless I go into the Magic Kingdom.

Given that you get it near entrance, in addition to horse allergy theory (which makes a lot of sense), Maybe an allergic reaction to something at the security checks or the ticket gates? Either the metal itself or the paint? Maybe try to be very careful to avoid contact, and wash hands and legs right after? Or maybe something in bathroom stalls if you (like my wife) always have to stop in bathroom right near city hall as soon as you get in. Another option is if they changed the ink, etc on the newly designed maps at mk, and maybe it affects you on your legs because you have small shaving nicks, etc? They also waft in a slight scent ih the park that is most concentrated in the little tunnels between ticket pavilion and town square, so maybe that is culprit? Good luck!

 

[PrincessV]

Hi Dr. G!

Okay, questions:
1. What if you enter the MK after sunset - does it still happen? That could potentially rule in or out the sun reflection theory.

2. Does it only happen when wearing sunscreen?

I haven't had that particular rash, but I get bouts of eczema when allergens are high and my immune functions are low; I discovered over the summer that the combo of sunscreen, my cocoa butter lotion, and heat and/or sun was causing eczema flare-ups.

I think the horse theory is possible, though unlikely... but what about the cleaning agent used on the walks? I know they hose them down daily, and I'm 99% sure they use some kind of cleaning agent when they do; I can smell it when the walks are still wet in the morning, and the sudsing that occurs when it rains is highly suspicious. Even if the walks are dry, that residue would still be there, and vapors could be emitting while it bakes in the sun. No other parks have equine traffic going through them - maybe the Mk uses a different product and you're sensitive to that?

 

[MJ6987]

Could this happen due to "excitement"?

 

[SarahInMN]

Did anyone else figure out why only certain parks/locations?

My last two trips to WDW I got this rash on my calves/ankles but thanks to disboards I kind of knew what it was. I am in Orlando now, at Universal, and fully expected to get the rash as it's hotter and more humid than when I got the rash at WDW. However no rash and I've ridden water rides here. It has never happened anywhere other than WDW- I don't even get it into Vegas and we walk a ton more there.

Ideas, theories? I'm glad I don't have a rash but am baffled as to why not. It's frustrating to not be able to know what's different because I don't know what to avoid at WDW.

 

[sympatico]

DH gets this but it's usually at waterparks. I blamed it on the combination of sun screen and chlorine (or whatever) in the water. The sun doesn't help it either, makes it more itchy. He doesn't usually get it if he's just walking around parks. A friend of mine that goes quite often calls it her Florida Rash. She says she usually gets it but doesn't know why.

 

[Sandy321]

you can google it - I also took a picture of my legs - I was shocked! it looks awful

I think I stopped at First Aid, and they just said elevate and add some ice paks

http://walking.about.com/od/medhot/a/legrash.htm

I get mine at DHS and I thought I remember they saying it has to do with the black concrete reflecting the sun on to our legs?

 

[Pookasaurus]

The first family trip we took do Disney I ended up with an AWFUL painful rash on my lower legs after our first day at MK. It stuck around the entire time we were at the parks, through all 4 of them. It started before we went on any water rides. I have lupus and mild light sensitivity as a result and just chalked it up to that and my pasty legs getting a massive dose of sunlight and heat they weren't used to. On our last trip I went tanning before we left - not enough to actually get much of a tan, just a few minutes here and there to get my legs a little more custom to heat/light and didn't have any problems at all and we had gone the same time of year. This time we're going in January so I'm hoping it won't be an issue, but (crossing fingers!) since I'm hoping for at least some shorts weather I'll probably do the same just a little bit to get my legs used to sunlight again.

 

[logisticsMama]

This happened to me last year too, in early October. I didn't notice that it was a specific park. I just figured it was cumulative by the middle/end of the week (although I think we did our 2 MK days at the end of our week). My daughter had a terrible rash too, but it was also on her back and maybe even face. She was 3 and spent most of her time in the stroller so I was kind of freaked out about that part. It may be that she was having a reaction to pool chlorine though and it was just a coincidence that I was having what my husband called "road rash." We were both so itchy!

 

[GovieMom]

The one and only time we went to WDW when it was HOT and HUMID was in early May, and I ended up with that dreaded rash after spending the day in Animal Kingdom. I had also read several accounts of others developing the rash at AK, so there goes the MK/Splash Mtn. theory.

 

[sookie]

'm a local, and have walked through the parks for years and years and years without issues. I'm also a runner, and my legs have never once showed signs of heat rash, "golfer's rash", etc.

My past 10 or so visits to the Magic Kingdom has resulted in awful rashes on both of my lower legs. I've read the long thread about the "Disney rash" and I'm not quite sure what in the world is causing this to happen in only ONE park. I can walk around the other 3 WDW parks, the water parks, DTD, Universal Orlando, Sea World, etc etc etc and absolutely nothing happens.

But if I go to Magic Kingdom for more than an hour? THIS happens.

I went to the doctor this morning and she's a bit baffled herself. She's thinking there is something there that is causing an allergic reaction of sorts, but I have no idea what that could possibly be. This stupid rash will be here for a good week or so, be itchy as heck (nothing helps it, nooooottthhiiinngggg), then disappear until I head into Magic Kingdom again.

Anyone else here ever have this type of rash happen in only ONE park? Any remedies you can suggest? (For the record, I've tried wearing pants to cover my legs, skirts, shorts, slathering on sunscreen, slathering on Benedryl cream, Calamine lotion, etc before going INTO the park - nothing prevents it from happening.)

I'm more or less embarrassed by its appearance, and with my running season going into full swing at this point, I hate wearing shorts and capris that show this grodiness. Blah.

No clue friend, but I can tell you that I have never been bitten by a mosquito or seen another bug in the Disney bubble...

 

[goofy4tink]

My dad gets that as well after going to Disney and walking a lot in the heat. His dr originally thought allergic reaction, then maybe something to do with taking Advil and thinning his blood, but neither of that was it.

It's called Golfers vasculitis. Nothing they can really do for it... He could wear compression socks, or if he puts his feet up immediately after being in the parks all day it does tend to help some. He usually has it for a few days and then it fades.

Some one on a previous thread says it happens at MK because the pavement has some kind of reflectors in it... Not sure if that's true or not.

He gets it more at MK I think because its such a large park and we usually walk almost 10 miles at that park and all the other ones are considerably less.

But... I've been getting heat rash on my legs when we have gone recently...

Golfers vasculitis isn't painful, there isn't any way to prevent it. It is a result of age and blood vessel irritation! It doesn't itch, there isn't anything you can put on it.
I actually started getting it really badly a number of years ago. Found that it was a side effect of my blood pressure meds. Changed them and it doesn't happen nearly as often. Just returned from a week in WDW....the 'rash' started but I caught it early. Put my feet up and rested more than usual. Nipped it in the bud before it could get worse.
Yes, there are other true rashes out there, but golfers vasculitis is very different than a regular rash.

 

[GovieMom]

Golfers vasculitis isn't painful, there isn't any way to prevent it. It is a result of age and blood vessel irritation! It doesn't itch, there isn't anything you can put on it.
I actually started getting it really badly a number of years ago. Found that it was a side effect of my blood pressure meds. Changed them and it doesn't happen nearly as often. Just returned from a week in WDW....the 'rash' started but I caught it early. Put my feet up and rested more than usual. Nipped it in the bud before it could get worse.
Yes, there are other true rashes out there, but golfers vasculitis is very different than a regular rash.

I agree with everything you wrote...except...for the non-itching. My rash itched like crazy; it was horrible! My doctor agreed my blood pressure meds likely played a part, combined with the heat/humidity.

 

[johnnyr]

OMG! I got this for the first time this year. In all the years I have been going to WDW I never had a problem. I can walk in heat all day long and it doesn't bother me. After my first day sitting at the A0A pool, the top of my foot started to itch like crazy. Then the next day I woke up to a patch on my leg. I thought it may have been a allergic reaction to the pool chemicals or bed linens. It never cleared up until I returned home.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I did get this once. It was on our fourth day of the trip so I can't pinpoint it down to one park.

I think there are two different things going on...one is golfers vascularitis, one is polymorphic light eruption.

I figured out mine was PLE. Now I use an opaque sunscreen with zinc oxide (like the old white sunscreens that you would see lifeguards put on their noses) versus the newer ones which go on clear. That seemed to give me more protection and I haven't gotten it since.

 

[PirateD]

I think the horse theory is possible, though unlikely... but what about the cleaning agent used on the walks? I know they hose them down daily, and I'm 99% sure they use some kind of cleaning agent when they do; I can smell it when the walks are still wet in the morning, and the sudsing that occurs when it rains is highly suspicious. Even if the walks are dry, that residue would still be there, and vapors could be emitting while it bakes in the sun. No other parks have equine traffic going through them - maybe the Mk uses a different product and you're sensitive to that?

This is an interesting theory. We were at MK during a massive downpour one summer. We are from Washington so we just embraced it and got totally drenched. My sister's shoes started to foam up though and her feet started to burn. We originally thought it was her shoes (maybe a chemical reaction caused by the water and the glue in the shoes???) as no one else was having that problem. Her shoes were mostly made out of cloth though, and everyone else was wearing crocs or sandals. She ended up buying some crocs from a kiosk and trashing her shoes. Her feet were very itchy and red for quite awhile. All of these years we blamed the shoes when it could have been the cleaning agent used on the walks. Hmm...an interesting twist to the story.

 

[goofy4tink]

I agree with everything you wrote...except...for the non-itching. My rash itched like crazy; it was horrible! My doctor agreed my blood pressure meds likely played a part, combined with the heat/humidity.

I suppose there could be some differences. You're lucky....my doctor kept telling me it was psoriasis! I even took photos to show her as it would be gone by the time I got in to see her! She even showed the photo to other doctors in the practice. I finally did my own research...and found golfers vasculitis and the fact that my b/p meds could make it worse!!! Brought her in the printed sheet...she looked at my meds and was astounded to see it as a common reaction! Geez! And to think I had to pay her for all those visits!
But mine have never been itchy....maybe a little tiny bit when it first starts but it isn't long lasting!

It would seem that there are most probably several different types of rash that occur in the hot/humid weather, when walking around a lot.