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Allergist or Dermatologist for Skin Welts
by Catherine
(Eagle River, Alaska, USA)
My daughter has had strange welts that appeared a few months ago, lasted a few days, and then were gone. Since that time she would have one or two welts here and there, but nothing major. The last few days she has been acting as if her skin hurts, refuses to wear clothes and a diaper. Yesterday she broke out with the welts again and I took her to the pediatrician. The doctor mentioned dermographism, but then moved on to discussing allergies. I have been researching dermographism and she has all the symptoms of it. I gave her Claritin yesterday and today and it helped until bedtime when the welts appeared again. Should I take her to an allergist or a dermatologist? I just want an answer to this and want the owies to go away.
Answer
Dermatographism is often triggered by an allergic event and so you can make an argument to visit either one. It would be a good idea to detect if any allergies do exist with your child. Constant contact with an allergen can make things worse. However, for proper treatment and diagnosis of dermatographism, a dermatologist is the way to go. He/she should be able to confirm whether dermographism has developed or not.
I am particularly concerned about the use of antihistamines in young children. Proper treatment of dermographism with antihistamines usually goes beyond simply taking over-the-counter antihistamines. The selection of the proper drug and dosage are very important and close monitoring is required for an effective treatment. In someone so young, the dermatologist should be able to guide you on the proper and safe use of antihistamines for treatment of this skin condition.
In my case, I never saw an allergist for my dermatographism, only a dermatologist and I/We did get it under control.
