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

[pepperw23]

My DD (19) got a rash all over her body our last trip after visiting Blizzard Beach. Nothing seemed to help it. Not even Benedryl. I think there are two types of rashes we are talking about. One is caused by the pavement, and one by something in the water....literally.

 

[gsb126]

We were just there last month, and both my boyfriend and I got it. His kids were spared. He got it first, and he never went into the pool or hot tub. I got it and accused him (jokingly) of giving it to me. Thanks for solving the mystery!

 

[Disney_Luv]

If this is the rash you have, there is little you can do for it...other than get off your feet, cool down, and rest your legs/feet. No cream, powder or spray will help it..it is all under the skin.

Mine is under the skin, but the Benadryl spray and the Neutrogena Sensitive Skin Sunscreen made it go away and not come back.

 

[Planogirl]

I feel lucky that I've never gotten this so far! From the links above, I seem to get a touch of prickly heat sometimes and my hands swell a little too. I can handle this.

 

[goofy4tink]

Mine is under the skin, but the Benadryl spray and the Neutrogena Sensitive Skin Sunscreen made it go away and not come back.

Then it isn't the same thing a lot of us have had. Our issue is vascular, as well as circulatory. It would be nice if there were something that could be done to make it go away though. Glad you found a solution to your issues.

 

[Disney_Luv]

Then it isn't the same thing a lot of us have had. Our issue is vascular, as well as circulatory. It would be nice if there were something that could be done to make it go away though. Glad you found a solution to your issues.

Actually, it looks exactly like what a PP, WDRL, pictured, and what most people are describing. My doctor diagnosed it as Golfer's Vasculitis. I've done a lot of research on it to see if there was anything to do to get rid of it on our trips. This trip, I finally found something that worked, so I wanted to share it with anyone it could possibly help.

 

[jannylynn]

I haven't been to Disney yet. I'm not sure if this is what I get in the summer when I go to the pool. I also get it on my arms, so this is something entirely different than the golfers vasculitis. But I will say, just don't try a new sunscreen when you go. I have a problem with heat rash and using the spray sunscreens seems to make it worse for me. Heat rash is often caused by clogged pores and that stuff really clogs the pores and doesn't allow you to sweat properly.

I agree about the Neutragena Sensitive Skin Sunscreen. It's the only kind I can use because of my heat rash issues. So just make sure you use something you know for certain you aren't going to react to!

 

[kk8273]

My son got a really bad rash when we went in August of last year on the back of his leg. At first I thought it was poison ivy, but it just kept spreading and getting worse. We took him to the walk in clinic and they told me it was the "disney rash" or maybe from the detergent they use to wash the sheets.(after waiting for 3 hours) When we got home 3 days later, my son was in agony. We immediately took him to his pediatrician and it was a Staph infection!!!! The pediatrician was so mad. My son was very very sick!!

 

[RMulieri]

It is a known thing in Florida called Golfers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golfer's_vasculitisvasculitis.

 

[bartleby1]

My Mom and I both get the disney rash. It is not bumpy at all, just a red rash from above the sock line to mid-calf. Our rashes usually itch like crazy though. The first year I got the rash was when I was pregnant, but now I get it every year. We go in August so it is HOT. From what the doctor told me, it seems to affect women more than men. Maybe hormone related? We also get it worse in Epcot than the other parks.

My mom has some kind of prescription cream that works for us but I'm not sure what it is. I'm guessing it is some kind of cortizone based cream.

 

[LisaY]

I get this rash every time I go to Disney in the heat and humidity. It burns and itches and can be miserable! I sometimes get it at home if I go walking and it is humid and I'm walking on pavement. I've also gotten it when it's cloudy and humid. A couple of days before leaving for Disney in the hot weather I start taking Claritin or Zyrtec. This reduces the severity of the rash and itching, and sometimes I don't get it at all. Hydrocortisone cream (OTC) helps my rash. But one thing--I am a female with fair skin, but I AM NOT overweight. So you don't have to be overweight to suffer from this as some posters are implying.

 

[phamton]

But one thing--I am a female with fair skin, but I AM NOT overweight. So you don't have to be overweight to suffer from this as some posters are implying.

I think you might be referring to my post which listed the 4-Fs (fair-skinned, forty/fifty, female, fat.) You don't have to be fat to get it. In fact the first time I got it, I was very thin. Not everyone will fit the profile. In fact, several men have also said they got it. It's just a profile. If your legs, feet, or ankles swell then you are more likely to get the rash.

 

[goofy4tink]

Actually, it looks exactly like what a PP, WDRL, pictured, and what most people are describing. My doctor diagnosed it as Golfer's Vasculitis. I've done a lot of research on it to see if there was anything to do to get rid of it on our trips. This trip, I finally found something that worked, so I wanted to share it with anyone it could possibly help.

Truly, I meant no disrespect. I know what I had and nothing, absolutely nothing, helped it go away other than elevation and cool.
If you have found something that works for you, that's terrific. And it certainly is great to post it here in order to have others give it a try.

I have to think that there are a couple of different types of rash being discussed here. Obviously mine is a bit different since it was exacerbated by my b/p meds. Once that was changed, I got it very seldom.

 

[ktlm]

You think you get it bad at WDW, try walking around the sidewalks of NYC for a full day in the heat. I started going to NYC every summer when I was in my 20s, thin, and in good shape (blows the 40 and fat theory). I do have fair and sensitive skin. Every time we spent the day walking the streets and exploring, I would get this over a good part of my lower legs. It does burn or itch a little. Most of it would be gone by the next morning, and within 2 days, it would all be gone. I just assumed it was from the steam and dirt on the NYC streets and sidewalks. I figured the steam coming up from the pavement was probably tinged with all types of dirt that aggravated my sensitive skin. At WDW, I do occasionally get a little bit of it, but nothing like I did when we were going to NYC every year. At WDW, it is almost always gone by morning. I just figured it was the dirt from the ground, and the rubbing up against all kinds of surfaces from rides, sitting on the ground for parades, etc. It definitely isn't bug bites or anything like that. It is just some sort of allergic skin reaction to the heat and pavement. I'm surprised from this thread to see how common it really is!

Oh- just to add- I use cortizone on it which seems to take care of it. I think I have tried Benedryl too and I think that worked. Definitely chlorine and water are not a factor- no getting wet in NYC- and No bed bugs or other bug bites- stayed at inlaws for NYC trips. I don't get swollen feet or ankles. Can't say whether the chemicals in sunscreen would have played a part, but I doubt it.

 

[gracelrm]

In addition to getting this rash (as I posted earlier) I almost always get something on the back of my thighs a little above the bottom of my shorts. It tends to be bumps that itch terribly in the heat and will last for quite a while. It will stay for up to 6 weeks after returning. The bumps will be there a while, but then my skin is really rough and scaly after the bumps leave. When I went during April - it didn't happen, but happens every summer that I go. I don't know for sure, but it seems to occur after sitting on the ground for a parade or illuminations. Anyone else experience this?

 

[b&edisneyfans]

My mom gets the same thing everytime we go down. Anti-itch cream seemed to help for her.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

Well, this Floridian gets it and has for the last 7 years. If your legs swell, you are more prone to it. Floridians also don't usually go commando when they visit the parks. I have gotten it at Universal Studios also so that blows the "glass in the concrete" theory at Epcot. The time I got it at Downtown Disney was one very hot evening, my husband and I decided to run over to DDD. I wore jeans and it was very hot that night. I got the rash that night also. I once got it at Seaworld in San Antonio on a hot summer day.

Sometimes, when I'm on the Disney buses while park hopping, I look at the people in shorts and see lots of people who have it. In most cases they are middle aged women, fair skinned, and slightly overweight. They also seem to have a little bit of swollen ankles.

I do get swollen feet, not ankles... but I get that whenever I walk for long periods of time. ... you are right, most of us who live here don't go full steam so we may not get it due to that & being used to walking in the heat on concrete...

 

[InLikeSin]

You think you get it bad at WDW, try walking around the sidewalks of NYC for a full day in the heat. I started going to NYC every summer when I was in my 20s, thin, and in good shape (blows the 40 and fat theory). I do have fair and sensitive skin. Every time we spent the day walking the streets and exploring, I would get this over a good part of my lower legs. It does burn or itch a little. Most of it would be gone by the next morning, and within 2 days, it would all be gone. I just assumed it was from the steam and dirt on the NYC streets and sidewalks. I figured the steam coming up from the pavement was probably tinged with all types of dirt that aggravated my sensitive skin. At WDW, I do occasionally get a little bit of it, but nothing like I did when we were going to NYC every year. At WDW, it is almost always gone by morning. I just figured it was the dirt from the ground, and the rubbing up against all kinds of surfaces from rides, sitting on the ground for parades, etc. It definitely isn't bug bites or anything like that. It is just some sort of allergic skin reaction to the heat and pavement. I'm surprised from this thread to see how common it really is!

Oh- just to add- I use cortizone on it which seems to take care of it. I think I have tried Benedryl too and I think that worked. Definitely chlorine and water are not a factor- no getting wet in NYC- and No bed bugs or other bug bites- stayed at inlaws for NYC trips. I don't get swollen feet or ankles. Can't say whether the chemicals in sunscreen would have played a part, but I doubt it.

The funny thing is I got this rash after a few days at WDW but i've been to NYC and Baltimore in July, tons of walking heat & humidity, but I've only ever had the rash the one time at WDW.

 

[MPHARJ]

I get this "rash" every year we go,except last year in the summer???, I am the only one in the family that this seems to happen to. Usually starts after a few days and clears after a few more. I have always thought it was due to the heat, but never happens to me at home. I have never had a problem with it itching, it is more just annoying and I feel llike everyone is wondering what the heck is wrong with her legs! Only time it bothers me is when I need to shave, ! Oh well nice to know it isn't only me!

 

[Disney_Luv]

Truly, I meant no disrespect. I know what I had and nothing, absolutely nothing, helped it go away other than elevation and cool.
If you have found something that works for you, that's terrific. And it certainly is great to post it here in order to have others give it a try.

I have to think that there are a couple of different types of rash being discussed here. Obviously mine is a bit different since it was exacerbated by my b/p meds. Once that was changed, I got it very seldom.

I take Norvasc for my BP, and the rash didn't start until my trips after I started taking it. I have asked my doctor if it could be the cause of it, and she said no. I know when I was taking HCTZ along with the Norvasc, one of the side effects of it was sensitivity to light. But, I still get the rash each trip, even now that I haven't taken the HCTZ in 2 years. The Norvasc does cause my ankles to swell when I am on my feet a lot, so I know that alone can cause the rash to be worse. I'd like to think switching my BP med would help. I'll have to ask again next visit.

Also, I just noticed we'll be in Disney at the same time...end of July/beginning of August! Have a great trip!