Rash from bugs living in old books?!

Question: Last summer I went through a box of old books and got a rash on my hands. The rash was tiny red spots and bumps under the skin. The spots hurt, especially on my fingertips.

The other day I borrowed an old book from the library and got the same rash, but now I have a similar rash on my feet. I'm not sure if they are related. A friend told me there are very tiny insects living in old books, is this true?

I've been using Hydrocortisone cream and its been helping with the itching, but the rashes keep coming back, especially on my feet. Is it possible these insects got into my bedding?

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Answers: Last summer I went through a box of old books and got a rash on my hands. The rash was tiny red spots and bumps under the skin. The spots hurt, especially on my fingertips.

The other day I borrowed an old book from the library and got the same rash, but now I have a similar rash on my feet. I'm not sure if they are related. A friend told me there are very tiny insects living in old books, is this true?

I've been using Hydrocortisone cream and its been helping with the itching, but the rashes keep coming back, especially on my feet. Is it possible these insects got into my bedding?

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Yes, if the bugs she is refering to are dustmites. But they live everywhere... even in your carpet, so it doesn't make sense that you would only get them from books.
A more likely culprit is either mold or something that they used to bind the books with. Old books are notorious for containing mold (that's what gives them that smell, which I personally like). I reccommend going to see an allergist an getting tested to see if they can find out what your allergic to. If you know, you can just take benadryl before you come into contact with whatever it is that you're allergic to. In the mean time, keep up with the hydrocortisone and try not to sctratch too much!

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Thanks. I went to the Dr. earlier and found out I have Dyshidrotic Eczema. Dust/mites in the books triggered a reaction. I have had this all my life, but my past doctors kept telling me it was a "heat rash". He gave me an Rx for something a bit stronger than Hydrocortisone :) Report It

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