“Disney Rash”???

snowwhitesmom

DIS Veteran
Joined
Apr 11, 2005
We just got back from a long day walking in the parks and I had very bad footwear ( flip flops) - I now have an angry looking red rash on the inside of both my swollen ankles. Is this what people call the Disney rash? What do I do about it? We just got here!!!!
 
Strictly guessing, but, it probably is the Disney rash. It is caused by the heat coming off the pavement. I get it every trip, regardless of my shoe choice. The only thing that helps me is soaking in a warm tub and then putting my feet up. It can be itchy and swollen. Sometimes gold bond cream helps. Usually goes away a few days after our trip. Sorry you have joined “the rash club”! Hope you enjoy your trip in spite of it!
 
I am fair skinned and VERY prone to Disney rash. I’d love to hear if anyone has any tips to help prevent it....
 


Hopefully you've brought some running shoes or another type of shoe as well. We alternate shoes daily to avoid any blisters and foot soreness. If you can wear socks for a day or two, maybe that would help? Good luck!
 
I think you can stop by first aid and get a cream to help! I get dermatitis if I so much as look sideways at something, so I usually bring hydrocortisone and it helps (at least with the itching).
 
Yep I got it last week. Last time I got it was on a trip in 2009. It started about 5 days in and lasted until 4 days after I got home. Miserable.
 


The “Disney Rash” or golfer’s rash is a form of vasculitis. It is an irritation of the blood vessels of the lower legs following prolonged exercise in the heat and humidity, such as walking for an extended period of time on golf courses or at theme parks.

It's not contagious or harmful - but it is annoying and can be quite itchy and sometimes painful.

As mentioned, you can stop by the first aid station in the parks and they'll give you packets of Calagel to put on the rash. This helps a lot in dealing with the itching and redness. But the rash won't actually go away until you've been home for a couple of days (i.e. you've stopped walking in the heat and humidity).

Steve
 
I am fair skinned and VERY prone to Disney rash. I’d love to hear if anyone has any tips to help prevent it....
This may not be what you want to hear, but I used to get it every trip; especially in Epcot. Wearing long pants stopped it for me, but I don't go in Summer.
 
Doesn't matter what type of shoe you wear - has nothing to do with it. It is golfer's rash (vasculitis) and lots of people get it including dh & I (neither of us is overweight).

Nothing seems to affect or stop it until you discontinue walking so much in the heat, then it goes away on its own within a couple days. It is unsightly, but other than that, has never given us any other ill effects.

I didn't get it for many years, then out of the blue started getting it at Disney, then several years later dh also began getting it to a lesser degree.

Ours does not itch, neither is it painful, unless we irritate it by bumping or forgetting and run a washcloth over it.
 
I never get the rash, but I get swollen feet.

My feet looked like Wreck It Ralph's feet at the end of my trip, and I only wore my sneakers twice so socks squeezing my ankles only happened on Sunday and on Thursday.
 
OK so I always get these weird bumps that I have called The Disney Rash since the first time I went in 2001... but it's completely different! I get these weird little bumps, almost like teeny tiny little blisters, allll over the tops of my hands! That's the only place it manifests and I only ever get it in when we're in Disney. I used to think I was allergic to something in sunscreen, since basically the only time I use it is when we're in Disney, and then maybe I thought it was something in their water... but literally it only happens to my hands. It usually crops up within a couple of days of us arriving and then just disappears on it's own within a day or two of getting back home. I have no explanation for it! I got excited when I saw this thread because I thought other people were having the same thing but you guys are getting something totally different, it sounds like. So weird!
 
I get the Disney rash (golfer's vasculistis) every time and it's miserable for me. Very itchy.

I've searched every tip and suggestion. I've also been to first aid at WDW and Universal for the Calagel lotion (it does help).

For relief when you have it, a few things helped me:
Resting and elevating my feet up every chance I got--during shows, breaks, in transportation etc...
Having a couple of non-park days.
I also take a small dose of benedryl (break a 25 mg tablet in half) and take that every four hours during the day; at night I take a full tablet. This helps relieve itching.
I've read that drinking a lot of water and starting Ibuprofen a week ahead helps, but I'm not sure if that was effective for me.
What has helped me prevent it the most is wearing tall socks. Last July when we were there I actually wore toe socks with my Birkenstocks and I looked well, goofy. :goofy: But it worked! The pressure from the socks must prevent blood vessels from expanding.




I'm going back to WDW in two weeks and trying to decide if I do the tall socks again or give leggings a try. It's going to be 85 degrees so I'm not sure which way I'll go.
 
OK so I always get these weird bumps that I have called The Disney Rash since the first time I went in 2001... but it's completely different! I get these weird little bumps, almost like teeny tiny little blisters, allll over the tops of my hands! That's the only place it manifests and I only ever get it in when we're in Disney. I used to think I was allergic to something in sunscreen, since basically the only time I use it is when we're in Disney, and then maybe I thought it was something in their water... but literally it only happens to my hands. It usually crops up within a couple of days of us arriving and then just disappears on it's own within a day or two of getting back home. I have no explanation for it! I got excited when I saw this thread because I thought other people were having the same thing but you guys are getting something totally different, it sounds like. So weird!

Since you are talking about bumps on your hands and not your feet/legs this may be something different. I have very fair skin and I would get the exact same thing after about 3-4 days out in the sun (especially in florida). What I get is called "Polymorphous light eruption" (do a google search and see if the bumps kinda look like what you get). The examples I've seen show them really packed together but mine always start on my hands with small bumps and then kind of grow the more I stay out in the sun.

The best way I have found to stop this from happening is by using a super mega good sunscreen. I use La Roche Posay Anthelios (SX or XL) but it must include the ingredient "Mexoryl". The Mexoryl is simply a UVA filter. Its hard to find, I always end up ordering it from Canada but it is a lifesaver! I hope this helps you! :)
 
Since you are talking about bumps on your hands and not your feet/legs this may be something different. I have very fair skin and I would get the exact same thing after about 3-4 days out in the sun (especially in florida). What I get is called "Polymorphous light eruption" (do a google search and see if the bumps kinda look like what you get). The examples I've seen show them really packed together but mine always start on my hands with small bumps and then kind of grow the more I stay out in the sun.

The best way I have found to stop this from happening is by using a super mega good sunscreen. I use La Roche Posay Anthelios (SX or XL) but it must include the ingredient "Mexoryl". The Mexoryl is simply a UVA filter. Its hard to find, I always end up ordering it from Canada but it is a lifesaver! I hope this helps you! :)

Thank you! That's not the rash I get either so I don't know what the heck it is! It's like teeny tiny itchy blisters all over the backs of my hands, my knuckles, and sometimes the tops of my fingers. And it only ever happens when we're in Florida :confused3 Not a single picture on Google images matches up to it so I have no idea. I feel like it HAS to be an allergic reaction to something but it's just odd that I only get it on my hands and only when we're in Florida. It's very strange. :scratchin
 
OK so I always get these weird bumps that I have called The Disney Rash since the first time I went in 2001... but it's completely different! I get these weird little bumps, almost like teeny tiny little blisters, allll over the tops of my hands! That's the only place it manifests and I only ever get it in when we're in Disney. I used to think I was allergic to something in sunscreen, since basically the only time I use it is when we're in Disney, and then maybe I thought it was something in their water... but literally it only happens to my hands. It usually crops up within a couple of days of us arriving and then just disappears on it's own within a day or two of getting back home. I have no explanation for it! I got excited when I saw this thread because I thought other people were having the same thing but you guys are getting something totally different, it sounds like. So weird!

You may have dyshidrotic eczema (I have it, too, and it's no fun.)

from WEB MD: Small, itchy blisters on your palms and along the sides of your fingers could be signs of dyshidrotic eczema. This skin condition can also make blisters pop up on the soles of your feet or on your toes. Dyshidrotic eczema mostly affects adults ages 20 to 40, and it's twice as common in women as men. You're more likely to get it if you have allergies like hay fever, a family history of dyshidrotic eczema, or other forms of eczema.

Dyshidrotic eczema can be mild or severe.
Several things can set off dyshidrotic eczema, including:
  • Stress
  • Contact with metals like nickel, cobalt, or chromium salts on your job or from things like wearing costume jewelry
  • Sweaty or wet hands and feet
  • Warm, humid weather
  • HIV infection
  • Certain treatments for a weak immune system (immunoglobulin)
This condition isn't contagious. You can't catch it from touching someone who has it.​
 
You may have dyshidrotic eczema (I have it, too, and it's no fun.)

from WEB MD: Small, itchy blisters on your palms and along the sides of your fingers could be signs of dyshidrotic eczema. This skin condition can also make blisters pop up on the soles of your feet or on your toes. Dyshidrotic eczema mostly affects adults ages 20 to 40, and it's twice as common in women as men. You're more likely to get it if you have allergies like hay fever, a family history of dyshidrotic eczema, or other forms of eczema.

Dyshidrotic eczema can be mild or severe.
Several things can set off dyshidrotic eczema, including:
  • Stress
  • Contact with metals like nickel, cobalt, or chromium salts on your job or from things like wearing costume jewelry
  • Sweaty or wet hands and feet
  • Warm, humid weather
  • HIV infection
  • Certain treatments for a weak immune system (immunoglobulin)
This condition isn't contagious. You can't catch it from touching someone who has it.​

I thought that's what it was at first too, but that affects the bottoms of your feet and the palms of your hands. I only get it across the tops of my hands and knuckles and the bumps are way smaller than in the pictures on Google. :confused3 I also thought maybe it was granuloma annulare, but again, the rash just doesn't look the same.
 
I thought that's what it was at first too, but that affects the bottoms of your feet and the palms of your hands. I only get it across the tops of my hands and knuckles and the bumps are way smaller than in the pictures on Google. :confused3 I also thought maybe it was granuloma annulare, but again, the rash just doesn't look the same.

It may also affect the feet but can be just hands. I only have it on my hands...sometimes it's very mild, like one tiny blister on one finger. Other times, during high allergies, I get it along the sides of my fingers and last week I had it on top of one finger. It's very odd. My son has 35+ diagnosed allergies and he also suffers with dyshidrotic exzema on just his hands.
Anyway, I hope you find some answers and the condition doesn't interfere with you having a great vacation. :)
 
My DH got the dreaded Disney rash for the first time on our trip in June. He was MISERABLE. It burned terribly for him and took quite a few days to calm down after we got home.
 
Generally there are 2 possible conditions that people conflate as "the Disney rash". The most common is exercise-induced vasculitis, which as noted above, comes from unaccustomed walking in warm weather. The giveaway for this one is that if you are wearing socks, the rash will normally form a line where the sock tops are. (This is because the socks cause compression of those small blood vessels, which helps to suppress the swelling.) The best treatment for it is cool compresses, cool foot baths, & elevating your feet. Aloe vera will usually cut down on the burning sensation. Taking NSAIDS ahead of time helps some people. Wearing long pants won't prevent it. It happens most often to people who don't spend much time on their feet, so getting into the habit of walking before a trip will usually help.

The other cause is Polymorphic Light Eruption (PMLE), which is caused by unaccustomed exposure to UV-A radiation. It most commonly happens to people who are fair-complected, and most commonly when they travel from a colder climate to a warm one. Wearing long pants WILL help to prevent this one, *if* the fabric is rated to filter UV-A. (Many sunscreens work only against UV-B, so sunscreen has to be the right kind, too.) In this case, "hardening" by getting gradual exposure to UV-A before you travel (either sunlight or artificial sunlamps) tends to help most, and an anti-histamine taken ahead of time may help as well.

If you are out-of-shape AND fair-complected, it is possible to get a combination of both conditions, which becomes especially hard to treat effectively. Usually they will fade away completely on their own within 2 weeks of getting away from the situation that caused them.

IME, prevention is more effective for both of them.
 

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