Fibromyalgia & Skin Problems

"My skin is always so itchy, it drives me crazy," says Shayne, who has recently been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. "I get red rashes, like heat rash, with lots of little red bumps across my chest and shoulders and face, and my skin feels sore and painful to touch. I also get this crawling feeling," she adds, "as though little gnats are crawling over my skin. I keep reaching up to wipe at my face thinking there is something there, it must make me seem a little crazy!"

Antonia, who has had fibromyalgia for many years, can reassure Shayne that she isn't alone. She also started experiencing problems with her skin around the same time that she developed fibromyalgia. "I get spots that itch like mad and strange rashes that come and go for no reason," she explains. "The itchiness is always worse at night in bed or when I overheat and it really hurts to scratch as my skin is so sensitive."

Around 50% of people with FM suffer with skin problems according to Dr Mark Pellegrino from Canton, Ohio, who has treated over 20,000 fibromyalgia patients. "Patients report tingling, numbness, crawling sensations and a burning or sunburn type feeling," he reports. "The main skin symptoms you will see on examination are areas of dry, flaky skin, non-specific red rashes, blotchy or mottled skin and bruising."