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

I found this on the Internet this morning:

"Go to any multi-day walking event in the summer and you will see a red heat rash on the calves of many walkers. The heat rash often starts above the sock line and makes red patches and splotches up the calf. It usually doesn't itch and is believed to be heat-related, since these same walkers don't get it in cooler weather. What is it?
Golfer's Vasculitis

Ask most physicians about this common rash and they draw a blank. That is probably due to few people seeking medical help for it. The rash usually clears up in a couple of days, usually before they are able to get an doctor's appointment. At last, a paper in the Australasian Journal of Dermatology has described it and proposed naming it "golfer's vasculitis."

Causes of the Heat Leg Rash

Researchers interviewed several people with the rash and discovered that many underwent extensive allergy testing because they believed they must have been having a reaction to some chemical or plant. But it was simply an irritation of the blood vessels following prolonged exercise in the heat, such as walking for extended periods or playing 18 holes of golf.

The rash is more common in people over 50. Most walkers can't pinpoint anything new they have used that may be causing a reaction. And since so many walkers have it, they couldn't all have contacted the same irritant. The source is simply heat and age--your leg blood vessels getting irritated from the heat.
Prevention and Treatment of Golfer's Vasculitis

The research offered no treatment or prevention recommendations. It seems to occur in healthy, active people. The researchers suggest it should not be a health concern and recommend not getting allergy testing, etc.

In my non-medical experience at Breast Cancer 3-Day Walks and walking conventions, this rash appears on a vast range of walkers and commonly goes away by itself after a few days. Pampering yourself after a good long walk by taking a cool bath, sitting with your feet up, or applying cool wet towels to the rash may help relieve discomfort."

Maybe the Mrs. is sneaking out and getting in 18 holes of golf while I'm resting in the hotel!!??




I went to the first aid station at universal pulled up my pant leg and they handed me pamphlet. They told me it was Golfers rash. I have had it ever since. I work in the nursing field and when it gets really hot in the area of the hospital I am working in, I will have an out break when I get home. It has not gone away it has spread to my other leg. They told me they see this during those 3 day cancer walks a lot.
 
Just back from Disneyland and once again I have "the rash!" Now I agree with some of what I've been reading about it. We do walk a lot when we're in the parks but I walk almost every day for at least 3 miles when we're home. I do get the rash above the sock line on the insides of my ankles. It is usually red, flat and doesn't bother me at all. This time though it has become somewhat itchy. My ankles do not seem swollen. The weather was absolutely perfect in the low to mid-70's with no humidity. I get this every time I go to Disneyland or WDW no matter the time of year, what type of shoe I'm wearing, socks or no socks, long pants or shorts. This time we went 2 days with an off day in between. I walked a bit less than usual due to a sore knee. I just can't figure it out. It doesn't seem to fit the descriptions that I've been reading. I have not experienced this anywhere else!

Baffled!
 
My wife and I just returned from a week at WDW and Universal. We had a wonderful time but on the next to last day we noticed a rash developing around her ankles. It now covers most of her lower leg from the top of where her socks ended (nothing on her feet) up to below her knees. We Googled "Disney Rash" and found many references to it but no definite answer. The day the rash broke out we had done a lot of walking - probably in excess of five miles - but we're both in good shape and that amount of walking is not something we can't handle. She's more on the thin side rather than stout. From what I've read on the Google search the rash goes away quickly but I was just wondering what causes it. Any thoughts?
The First few times I thought it was because I am allergic to Mangoes. Then I realized that it was edema. I am In the DVC so we visit frequently and have gone on the DCL 6 times It also happened on the DCL Last time it was so bad I had to rent a scooter . My legs were that swollen.
 
Allergies and heat do this to me:crazy:The best way I found to deal with it was to take antihistamines and use oil free broad spectrum water resistant hypoallergenic sun screen that allows your skin to breathe a little. I found the Coppertone Clear and Sheer worked a treat for me it's a factor 30 though. I also take hydrocortisone cream from my local chemist. That cream can be such a relief along with a trusted frosty towel to cool the area before you pop the cream on it gets the redness down a treat. Hormones certainly don't help in my case, now I don't need birth control it's gone down a heck of a lot and last year I only had a small patch on each ankle instead of all over my arms and legs.
 


Don't they antihistamines make you tired? I already take zurtec for allergies. It does not itch it is the swelling so that I can't walk
 
Chlorphenamine maleate ( piriteze) doesn't make me sleepy and is even suitable for people with chicken pox. You do have to take it regularly though.
 
If you want it to dry up quickly and are not faint of heart, a good dousing of rubbing alcohol will make it clear up more quickly.
 


the first time I got it was Dec 2007... had it every trip since... worse in hot weather, one time it was so bad my legs above ankles looked like they were going to pop and had fever in them. after that trip my legs are kinda scarred, looks kinda like feckles
 
This is a really interesting thread. I recently developed this on the last day of a really hot trip.It was only on the back of my lower legs, not my feet, and I was wearing sandals. When I got home I was told it was some sort of contact allergic reaction but it did not itch. It was raised and blotchy and responded pretty quickly to hydrocortisone and benadryl, so I was willing to believe it. After the blotchiness went away it seemed like there might have been some blood under the skin as well. I am not older, not overweight, and I exercise pretty regularly. That last day was a really hot one, and we ended it Epcot of all places. I remember feeling it in in my legs that day. It sounds like I might have developed the Disney rash, that sucks.
 
Disney Rash is some kind of heat rash. I get it every year when I go to Hawaii - for the past 15 years. I get it when I go to New York City and to my local county fair. It's a red, bumpy, itchy rash. I get it between my ankles and knees whether I wear pants or shorts, socks or no socks, shoes or sandals. I get it when I'm out walking all day - as people do at Disney, or in NYC, or in Hawaii, or at the fair. Both my husband and I get this rash. It fades after about 5 days.
 
her are pictures of mine from last October...









this is as it progressed each day... by far the worst I've had in 9 years of having it every time I go to Disney
 
I was in Animal Kingdom today and saw someone who had quite a case of "Disney rash"-on one leg only. Has this ever happened to anyone else, getting the rash on just one leg?
 
Our DS (8) got it last week, on our 2nd day when we were in Epcot. (or at least that's when I first noticed). Just on one leg, mid calf. We were leaving Epcot and went over to the Boardwalk to get ice cream at Ample Hills. I walked over to the "General Store" and bought some hydrocortisone. A friend of ours who is an FNP had arrived at WDW that afternoon and was staying at the Poly like we were and she'd said they were going to the pool that evening. On our way to Ohana we cut through the pool area since we hadn't explored the resort much yet. She was there getting her kids out of the pool and I asked her about it because I was worried we might need to go to doctor. She assured me that it was most likely heat related and nothing serious and the hydrocortisone cream and the Benadryl I gave him should work. The next morning it had gone done about 50% in brightness. It was a cloudy day and we took mid day break for pool as well. It seemed to be clearing up. We had a couple more cloudy days, and then a sunny/hotter one again. Rash got brighter again on the hot/sunny day, so this reassured me that it must be heat related for sure.
 
BTW as my DH, wdrl in his post above, to prevent Disney Rash while I'm at WDW, I now use SPF 50 or higher sunscreen and reapply it every few hours. And if I stand in a line for an hour I elevate my legs afterwards for 15 to 20 minutes. Otherwise Disney Rash comes back.

We travel a lot and walk all over the place, just did a month cruise to Europe and the Baltic and I had no problems with the Disney Rash. However, we don't usually stand in one place on sun warmed concrete/asphalt. So I think the standing around compounds the condition.

Oh, and there was no rash on the surface, it was all underneath the skin. I believe the bumps on the skin can be a sun allergy or heat rash. Sunscreen helps that too.
IMG_0909.JPG
 
I've been getting the Disney rash for a few years. Every year it seems to get worse as I age and have gained weight. Never found a remedy until this year. DH suggested that I try goldbond powder on my legs, let it soak in and then put suntan lotion on top. Not only did it heal the rash but prevented it from coming back, and we were there for 10 days. Worked for me hope it helps others.
 
I've been getting the Disney rash for a few years. Every year it seems to get worse as I age and have gained weight. Never found a remedy until this year. DH suggested that I try goldbond powder on my legs, let it soak in and then put suntan lotion on top. Not only did it heal the rash but prevented it from coming back, and we were there for 10 days. Worked for me hope it helps others.
So, that really worked? Because I get golfer's vasculitis so badly. It's just as you said. It's worse as I age and gain weight. I'm 45 and it was so bad last year. Did you use the powder and sunscreen prior to each day? And will it be as bad if we're going in the cooler months?
 
I don't understand it's from the sock line to knees. Yet some have said it doesn't matter wearing long pants or not. I've never had it, but I've had my share of swollen ankles and have been to disney roughly 20 some trips in all kinds of weather. But doesn't look pleasant for those who have had it. I hope I never join that club.
 
So, that really worked? Because I get golfer's vasculitis so badly. It's just as you said. It's worse as I age and gain weight. I'm 45 and it was so bad last year. Did you use the powder and sunscreen prior to each day? And will it be as bad if we're going in the cooler months?
Worked great for me in September. Used it every day, put it on in the morning and it lasted all day. We will be going in December so we will see if it works in the cooler weather.
 

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