My "Cruise Rash"...

[sherilyn70]

I am the queen of skin allergies... I'm allergic to everything that touches me pretty much.

 

When you sleep, do you sleep on your stomach? If you do then this could explain a rash on your chest since you use the same cruiseline each time... the detergent they use on the sheets would be the most likely culprit.

[Deb in Cali]

This is an odd one...

Every single cruise I have taken, by day 5 or 6 at the latest I develop what looks like a heat rash....typically only on my chest. I used to think it was indeed a heat rash due to sun and sweat and/or excessive sunscreen, but on our Christmas cruise, the weather really wasn't that hot (there was definitely no excessive sweating etc) and yet - there was my day 5 rash - right on schedule.

 

Eliminating the heat factor, I'm left thinking that maybe I'm sensitive to the water on board. I assume it is heavily treated, so perhaps after a few days it begins to not agree with me. The other possibility is the soap, but I've never had any kind of reaction to other "hotel" soaps so I think it's probably less likely to be that. Has anyone else experienced this strange phenomenon? :o I'd love to be able to figure it out and avoid it but so far no dice. I usually use some cortizone cream when it "arrives" but it's rather pointless because it never goes away until a few days after I'm home.

 

 

Since the rash is only on your chest and I am going to assume that you are a male. Based on that assumption and that most males don't wear nightwear on their chest area it might be the laundry detergent that the ship uses.

[victravellers]

I wanted to have a guess too.....

 

If the rash is just appearing on the chest or even the back it could be fungal. If it is fungal, it was probably already there and a tan is just making it more obvious. You could try an antifungal cream from the chemist.

Probably mentioning it to the doctor next time you go wouldn't be a bad idea either.

[jerseygirl3]

What you are describing is something that has afflicted me since I was a very young child. I have been told by several doctors that it's a simple sun allergy. For years I thought it was an allergy to sunscreen, but that's not it. It appears several days into my vacation, after I've been in the sun for 3-5 days. I find if I try to limit my sun exposure or go to a tanning salon for a few sessions before I expose myself too much/too soon, the rash is less extensive. Frequently it appears only on my chest (why, I have no idea) and is very itchy. Sometimes I get it on my arms, tops of my feet, thighs, etc.

 

It does seem to have gotten somewhat better as I've gotten older, but if I go into the sun too quickly and for too extended a period of time, the rash appears. I do find that topical steroid creams (i.e., Kenalog) works well.

 

We've been in Marco Island for the past two weeks and I was very careful to limit my time in the sun and expose myself gradually. It seems to have worked. We're 10 days into our vacation, I'm getting a nice tan, and so far (fingers crossed), no rash!

 

Jo-Ann

[wrp96]

This year I avoided the Purell (much to the chagrin of one particular lady in the buffet who accused me of being the cause of all sorts of disease and suffering in the world) and had no problem.

 

Ah, someone else who gets the evil stares. I too skip the Purell because it aggrevates my ezcema and contact dermatitis. I can deal with the evil stares, I can't deal with the pain from the rash.

[Deb in Cali]

I don't get a rash but it is a bit of a family Joke now that a couple of days into a cruise my ankles/ legs etc... Seem to swell up ! Really bizarre !!

 

 

That might be due to an increase in sodium intake from the change in your diet.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

It could be the soap

[5326jan]

My first thought is MSG. It is a flavor enhancer, usually used in Chinese Restaurants, but used frequently in other restaurants too. I am not affected by it, but I know people who are. The fact that you acquire the rash after sailing and it goes away a day or two after you are home, supports a reaction to something you are ingesting or in contact with on the ship. As long as it doesn't cause shortness of breath, hives or other signs of distress, it's probably a mild sensitivity. :o

 

Here is an article that might explain:

 

http://www.msgtruth.org/inflamma.htm

 

another article from emedicinehealth.com Another example of food intolerance is reaction to MSG. MSG, or monosodium glutamate, is a white-colored additive used to enhance the flavor of food. It is a fermented mixture of glutamic acid, sodium, and water and is used mainly in Asian cooking. Over the last 30 years, side effects from MSG have been related to its use in Chinese food and referred to as the Chinese restaurant syndrome. In this syndrome, MSG was suggested as the cause of the symptoms following a Chinese meal. In 1995, a new term was coined, the MSG symptom complex, to include all the reactions that were reported to be related to MSG. These reactions are not a true food allergy, and the exact cause of the reactions is unknown.

[Krazy Kruizers]

a few years ago HAL switched brands for the shampoos, soaps, etc -- now have elemis products -- there is something in the elemis products and combined with all the medications my dh takes -- he breaks out in a bad rash which is very itchy - so now we have to take all our own soaps and shampoo

[Ginnyfyr]

Any chance you are taking any medications that make you more sensitive to the sun? A few years back, by doctor suggested I take anti-histamines for some mild allergies I was having (sniffles & the like). At the time I was still foolish enough to use the tanning beds before our holidays, and I developed a mild rash on my chest & shoulders. I figured it was probably just from too much "sun", as it went away pretty quickly. Once we were on our holiday I was dismayed to see it had come back and was sticking around for longer, not to mention it was itchy and uncomfortable. It wasn't until I got home and did some research that I found that anti-histamines can increase your sensitivity to the sun. I have no doubt that's what caused my rash as I'd never had a problem before in the sun & was using the same sunscreen I always use.

[CalCruisers]

It is helpful to hear everyone's idea. My daughter, 21, went on 2 cruises recently with the same cruise line and wound up with 2 rashes. The first one started early in the cruise and she was covered head to toe with thousands of red acne looking spots. On her face they were connected and she was solid red, even her ears were solid red.

 

Her next cruise was 6 months later and it started again, but not until the night before the cruise ended. When I picked her up at the airport I brought a prescription that her doctor had called in for her.

 

Now, the solutions. On the first cruise we talked to the room steward and he requested her sheets be steam cleaned rather than use the harsh detergents. She only went into the hot tub once and never went into the pool. She did use different sun screen than usual, so we figured it was that. But she had a lot of sun exposure before and during the cruise so that could account for the problem being early in the cruise.

 

On the second cruise she brought her own sunscreen and only got in the pool once via the water slide and did not stay in the pool. And she never got in the hot tub. She use acne medications though so maybe that is giving her a sun sensitivity so we will look into that next time. Also we will buy her a sleep sack. They sell them on Amazon and you sleep in them and don't touch the bed linen. Maybe that will help.

[notentirelynormal]

The same thing used to happen to my daughter when she was younger. She broke out from shoulder to toe starting with her legs. She decided it was the laundry detergent they used and started bringing her own sheets. That did solve the problem although she no longer brings her own and doesn't have the problem any longer.

[luddite]

That's interesting. A few years ago my wife came down with a rash on her hands a few hours after using the hand sanitizer in one of the dr's. We went to the ship's doctor and got some medication for it but never found out what it was. She is allergic to nickel, silver and obviously copper too ( at least that's what she tells me when shopping for "GOLD" jewerty )

 

I married into a family full of VERY strange allergies but nobody has that one!

[5326jan]

It is helpful to hear everyone's idea. My daughter, 21, went on 2 cruises recently with the same cruise line and wound up with 2 rashes. The first one started early in the cruise and she was covered head to toe with thousands of red acne looking spots. On her face they were connected and she was solid red, even her ears were solid red.

 

Her next cruise was 6 months later and it started again, but not until the night before the cruise ended. When I picked her up at the airport I brought a prescription that her doctor had called in for her.

 

Now, the solutions. On the first cruise we talked to the room steward and he requested her sheets be steam cleaned rather than use the harsh detergents. She only went into the hot tub once and never went into the pool. She did use different sun screen than usual, so we figured it was that. But she had a lot of sun exposure before and during the cruise so that could account for the problem being early in the cruise.

 

On the second cruise she brought her own sunscreen and only got in the pool once via the water slide and did not stay in the pool. And she never got in the hot tub. She use acne medications though so maybe that is giving her a sun sensitivity so we will look into that next time. Also we will buy her a sleep sack. They sell them on Amazon and you sleep in them and don't touch the bed linen. Maybe that will help.

 

Do you think she could be allergic to MSG? It's frequently used in restaurants for flavor enhancement, especially Chinese restaurants.

[fischymom]

Another thought that could be contributing to the rash is the stress you are exposed to just prior to and during the vacation. Packing, flights, being sure to make connections, changes of routine, etc all can aggrivate the rash.

I had a rash that was all over my legs, arms, chest and back and even though did not think I was under stress the doc said that any stress from changes in routines aggrivate the condition.

[jdvmd]

A lot of over-the-counter meds can cause rashes and reactions when mixed with sun exposure.

[crzycick]

On our 1st cruise we snorkeled in Roatan and Belize, we went to the beach in Grand Cayman, and on day 5 we just walked around Cozumel shopping. In Cozumel I started getting weird stares and I ended up having a bad rash. It later turned itchy and I got really worried so I went to the onboard doctor. The nurse said it was most likely due to the sun, that it affect people more in the Caribbean plus I was in it a lot more that trip that I usually get in such a short time. It's possible the ocean water had a part in it as well.

 

I have never been in the hot tubs or ship pools. I haven't had it since but my other trip excursions had more shade so maybe there was something to it being a sun reaction.

 

 

You'll see the chest picture, with my shirt off it was exactly the shape of my v-neck shirt. It got worse than this picture later but this is the least blurry picture I got. My husband took it when I noticed people staring at me and I wanted to see what they were seeing. I also had spots on my temple, from my neck up to behind my ears, a little bit on ONE of my legs (where my capris didn't cover that day), and a tiny bit on the back of one of my arms.

 

[Mr. Bungle]

This has been an interesting discussion because I have suffered with the itchy rash not only on cruises, but any time we vacation in a hot, humid area. The itchy rash is always where I get sun exposure and it's getting worse with every vacation. I switched to hypoallergenic sun screen because I thought it was from that.

 

Our last vacation was in Cancun and the rash was so bad I looked like I had a weird disease. I discovered that if I regularly swam in the ocean or cooled off in a pool, the rash would start to go away. I wasn't sure if it was from swimming in salt water or just from cooling off.

 

When we got home, I asked my dermatologist about it. He had a long name for it and said something about perspiring :eek: in humid climate and the pores getting clogged and it itches like crazy. He said try to avoid getting hot and sweaty and cool off often. What kind of vacation is that?

 

It's interesting that everyone has the same type of rash, but we're all coming up with different reasons. I wonder what the real story is.

 

How many of us take a Claritin or similar 'Loratadine' tablet daily for allergies? I do, and I have to take a Thyroid med daily. I get a red, raised, ITCHY rash after being in the sun for a little while and find that swimming or soaking in cold water helps the best. It doesn't go away immediately, but soothes it the best. I went through a tube of hydrocortizone once and it didn't help as well as a cool soak did.

 

...that's the easy reaction to deal with...

 

i've had allergic reactions that make both my eyes swell almost shut. Looks like the DW kicked my butt for leaving the seat up...:p

[palmtree12345]

I guess it's possible...the most sun I ever get is when we cruise. I had dismissed that possibility during the Xmas cruise since we had a couple of crappy weather days and I had gotten very little sun before the infamous rash showed up.

 

I'm going to bring my own soap this summer and see if that helps (and it likely won't be terribly hot in the British Isles!). This is a 12 day cruise so i really don't want to be sporting the rash for the last week - it looks like a bad case of body acne!

 

 

 

Good idea...I get this rash EVERY CRUISE. so I always take Benedryl along and that relived the itch ..this will be our 9th and on the last cruise it didn't happen..but I didn't stay out in the HOT SUN on Sea Day cause I am thinking I might be allergic to the Sun as when you are in the Caribbean you are very close to the equator...so I was told that makes the Sun much Hotter....Now I start out using 60SPF and limit the exposure...I still come home with a beautiful Tropical Glow so it works...and I will do again this April........Hope that helps :cool:

[suezlk]

Today I just got off a cruise & have a rash for 2 days. Started on my chest, then neck; now on cheeks and nose. I can't figure it out either. Skin is the first defense against infections. I have horrible immune system.

 

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[Bizmark'sMom]

It's an old thread, but....

I can't use products with any kind of fragrance, because I get eczema. This is pretty common, and my first episode of eczema was from sun screen on a hot week. Avoidance is really the only defence. I pack my own soap, shampoo, and lotions. I use unscented sunscreen formulated for babies. I cannot use insect repellents at all, so I just deal with bugs.

 

I still get itchy spots sometimes, but nothing like the first full body breakout that required oral and topical steroids to get back under control.

[chengkp75]

My guess, having read most of the other, older posts on this thread, is a reaction to chlorine. Some said it got worse in the hot tubs, where the chlorine is kept at 8-10ppm (much higher than home hot tubs), pools (2-4ppm), and even the water from the showers. Unlike water at home, where it is chlorinated and then piped to every house on the system, and may sit in the pipes for hours or days until used, the water on the ship is constantly circulating, from the tanks to the users (cabins, galleys, bars, etc.), and what isn't used at the faucets is returned to the tanks. This allows for continual dosing of chlorine, and the requirements are that there must be a measurable residual chlorine content at the furthest point from the dosing equipment, typically measured on the bridge, of 0.5ppm. So, if your cabin is much closer to where the water mains come up from the engine room than the bridge is, the chlorine content in the shower water could be higher than 0.5ppm.

[obnurse]

It could be Polymorphic Light Eruption. Check it out and see if it sounds familiar. I've had it for years.

 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/polymorphous-light-eruption

[suezlk]

I think it's an autoimmune inflammation. I used my usually same products. Didn't do pools or hottubs. Did swim in Caribbean. But only on face, neck upper chest.

 

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[donaldsc]

That's interesting. A few years ago my wife came down with a rash on her hands a few hours after using the hand sanitizer in one of the dr's. We went to the ship's doctor and got some medication for it but never found out what it was. She is allergic to nickel, silver and obviously copper too ( at least that's what she tells me when shopping for "GOLD" jewerty )

 

You are lucky. My daughter is allergic to the alloying metals in gold jewelry. Her husband has to buy her stuff made from platinum.

 

DON