Anyone else get the "Disney Rash" on their legs?

[bookworm75]

Just a quick note to says "Thanks" to all of you who took the time to post this information. As a DVC member we spend several weeks a year at Disney and have this problem everytime we are at the parks in the Summer months. I was starting to become concerned that I had a larger issue looming here rather than just "Disney Rash", so happy to see that others have experienced the same thing. I will tell you that although the rash may happen at Disney frequently, it's not exclusive to Disney. I have experienced the same thing at other parks like Kings Island when we were there for more than 2 days. For me it's always after the 2nd or 3rd day of exposure that the rash really takes off and becomes nasty. I will try more suncreen in the future. It seems that frequent application of suncreen slows the process if you can stay on top of it but once it's started you just have to deal with it until your back home and then mine disappears within 2-3 days of normal activity? Quite bizzare if you ask me, so THANK YOU all for taking the time to share your stories. I'd hate to think how much time and money I would have spent going to various doctors who have no idea what this is!

I am amazed that I stumbled across this thread today. I have had this three times, and it happened during our summer trips. Only in Disney, never at home. I blamed it on the water parks and the oil from sunscreen floating on top of the water (because I am allergic to baby oil and mineral oil). Because of that, we have not gone back to the water parks since I want to say 2003, and my DH is devastated. I might have to try a water park again!

 

[rmom50]

It is sun poisoning - be careful with it. Best to cover it (socks or whatever) if you are prone to getting it.

 

[Sandysbuddy]

Just wanted to add that I had a very similar rash on the back of my legs when we were there in May. However, it burned horribly when I was in the sun and I started running a low grade fever. I ended up going to an urgent care clinic and was diagnosed with folliculitis which is an infection of the hair follicles. I was put on an antibiotic and an antibiotic cream to clear it up. So if it burns or you start running a fever, you may want to see a doctor rather than waiting for it to clear up.

 

[carrie1626]

My sister got the rash a few years ago when I was with her at WDW. Hers took a few days to clear up.
Lo and behold I got the rash this year ( and she was with me). I didn't even notice.... it was our first night at the resort-she did. The warm shower I took didn't help.

( spent no time at the resort- was only at MK our first day and it was HOT,and HOTTER!!)

I found the first aid room at EPCOT the next morning and was given a few packets of a BENADRYL type gel and that helped ALOT!!.The rash lessened everyday.

 

[wendypooh]

OMG - I am SO glad I stumbled upon this thread ---- I got this in May - and had NO clue what it was - I've never gotten it before, so I was worried about it being something much worse. Mine seemed to "go away" each night, but returned each day after walking for awhile. (The one day we took off and spent in the pool - it did not happen). But, I did elevate my legs at night as they were REALLY REALLY swollen and very itchy. I'm glad to know what it is now so I can be prepared next time!!

 

[girlcop]

I, too, developed the same rash. Mine was only on the backs of my legs. Based on the research I did, I think mine is due to a combination of the heat and poor circulation in my lower legs. The kind of poor circulation that comes from working on your feet the majority of your life (waiting tables, walking a beat) without proper support hose. I hate to admit it, but my mother was right, I should have worn hose when I was waiting tables. If you've ever noticed the severe rash on the lower legs of very over weight people, its along the same lines. My rash wasn't uncomfortable, just very obvious. A little hydrocortisone creme and elevating my legs at night did the trick.

 

[minandmick]

My husband got this rash

We ended up in the urgent care because his legs swelled so badly. the doctor (and our home doc confirmed) that it was combo of heat and walking. essentially what happens is the blood vessels swell and then the capillaries leak into the interstitial spaces. this makes it all worse. it started from the sock line up to the back of the knee around the calf. eventually it started to spread below the sock and to the front of the leg.

we did 3 days of 12 hour pounding the pavement commando style park hopping. we will never do that again.

and yes, my husband is overweight.

hope that helps.

 

[floridascgirl]

My mom and I both got it this past July on our first day in the parks...Epcot to be exact. Neither of us are overweight and we are in pretty good shape. It stuck all three days until we returned home. I usually visit in the winter months and it has never appeared then.

 

[EloiseHarper]

I have always gotten a rash everytime I went to WDW, at least from the time I was a teen, but always only on the backs of my hands and wrists. I thought it was something at Fort Wilderness, but we stayed at the All-Star Music resort once, and I got it then, too. It's red, raised and itchy. Lol, we've always called it the Disney Rash, too!

 

[mkbroas]

I seem to get this every year. I am 5'2" 120lbs for comparison purposes. I found that wearing Keen's sandals without socks instead of tennis shoes and socks was helpful. I did not get the rash near as bad this year as in the past. I also found by chance that soaking in a warm bath with lavender bath espsom salts helped tremendously. The rash was almost gone in the mornings and didn't itch nearly as much.

 

[sherabby]

My ten year old son had the rash on his feel and ankles for only a few days while in Disney. It wasn't on the back of his legs like mine.

 

[lilandvisma]

this is what happened to DD#1 during her first visit last year. Very strange and went away the next day after some benedryl ??? I remember it happening on our first day there right in the middle our dinner @ Kona.

I just thought it was some sort of allergic reaction...

 

[lilandvisma]

Anyone have a rash that looked like hers?

 

[shimmyshimmy83]

I have also had this rash and now I get it every trip to Disney. The first time I had it, I actually saw a doctor when I got home, because I had the rash covering my calves for pretty much our whole ten day visit. The doctor I saw told me it looked to be what they call Travelers Rash...a rash you get when you vist warm places, due to the warmth hitting the back of your legs off the pavement. My doctor also said he found it to be more frequent with patients that were not used to the excessive walking that you do on a vacation, such as to Disney. I have noticed at Disney, my rash gets especially bad and much worse quickly if it rains, because of all the steam/hot air that then comes off the pavement.
As this is something that now plagues me every trip, I know try to walk everyday for at least a month prior to my trips, in an effort to build up stamina. I also spray my legs a couple times throughout the day, with a spray on sunblock. This has helped tons, I do still get the rash, but now it is usually just a small spot.
My rash does in the beginning look like the previous photos...a ton of spots kind of connected by thin lines, but then mine blossoms rather quickly into one big area.

 

[goofy4tink]

Anyone have a rash that looked like hers?

Nope, mine is only on the bottom of my legs, mid-calf to sock line. It doesn't itch or hurt. My ds says it looks like leprosy....niiice. It is a form of vasculitis, a circulation issue. There are no bumps, it's all under the skin. Evidently broken capillaries due to excessieve walking in the heat/humidity.
I did start to get it the day my dd and I went to US/IoA this past August. We didn't stop and sit down nearly as often as we do at WDW...so by the time I got back to VWL, my legs were looking a bit mottled. Stayed off them for the rest of the night and they were much better in the morning.

 

[Robmom]

I got this rash years ago, but amazingly I didn't get it on my last trip.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

Is this what it looks like? See the red spot on the left leg above the ankle. I had a few more on the back of my legs. Only water we played in at WDW in Oct 07 was BB and park rides. No pools or hot tubs. Family Dr told me it was a heat type rash.

I cannot believe that people actually wear these things out in public. COME ON! you look ridiculous.

 

[NotUrsula]

There are actually two different conditions that cause rash-like symptoms on the legs, plus good-old ordinary heat rash makes a third. (Heat rash is normally in areas covered by clothing, or in places where the skin rubs together, such as the upper thighs.)

The first condition is called Golfer's Vasculitis. This is the one that manifests with the line where the socks hit. This one is caused by a lot of unaccustomed walking, and as someone else pointed out, it causes the capillaries in the lower legs to leak and cause little blood spots and swelling. GV usually isn't very itchy, and it doesn't usually show below the sockline because the elastic in the socks keeps the fluid from pooling in that area.

The other rash that hits the legs is a reaction to unaccustomed exposure to UV radiation, and is called Polymorphic Light Eruption, or PMLE. This one is a histamine reaction to sunlight on exposed skin, and it is VERY itchy. Women are more susceptible to it; doctors say that the most likely sufferers are 4F: fair, far from home, (over) forty, and (usually) fat. It seldom happens to people except when they travel, because they are accustomed to the sunlight levels where they live. Taking preventative doses of antihistamine both before and during your trip usually helps to prevent it, as does "hardening" the skin ahead of time in a tanning bed. Once you get it you pretty much have to just wait for it to go away, but prevention works a bit better. Also, once you get PMLE, you are more likely to get it again and to get it more severely -- just like other allergic reactions.

It is possible to get both GV and PMLE simultaneously. You can also get PMLE on other exposed body parts, whereas GV only affects the legs.

 

[burnurcomputer]

I cannot believe that people actually wear these things out in public. COME ON! you look ridiculous.

I think the Disney Crocs look nice on people who are an vacation and having a good time. Its amazing what a positive attitude and a smile can do for someone!

 

[Teri1]

I have suffered from this at WDW when we visited for more than a few days, and my Dr. told me the only way to help decrease the redness was the compression socks and keeping the sun off my legs. She said to keep my legs elevated when possible and use ice packs when we got back to the room at night. I had high blood pressure so I am on meds now. We went this month for a week and I was real worried about how bad my legs were going to look and when it appeared again I was disappointed but it wasn't severe like on previous visits, the redness was only in spots, not all around the lower leg like before. Besides getting my blood pressure back to normal here is what I did: I wore the NB "Mens" sport socks that are thick and snug on your lower calf, I used a good sun block 30+ spf, and I also put the Dr. Scholes gel inserts in my shoes. At night I got a couple of ziplock bags filled with ice and cooled my legs down where the redness was starting to appear. We did two days in the parks and then took a day off to rest my legs and so on. It sure helped and my legs only got red above the socks and that was when I was standing in line for long periods. I was pleased with the results and won't be afraid to go back. I really thought I would have to give up WDW or use a wheelchair.