Question: Hi,
For the past seven years, I have had this issue. It starts with a small, red bump that almost looks like a zit or ingrown hair. The first three times, it started on my forearm. The small dot quickly turns into a round, red, dry patch that looks like a cigarette burn. It doesn't hurt or itch until I stretch the skin too much. The first few times, I cauterized it and it went away. Last year, I broke out in one on my stomach. I decided to leave it alone, and it stayed the same size for month, then more appeared and they started to grow to about the size of a silver dollar and lost their round shape. I had them all over my lower abdomen and a few on my upper inner thigh area. It looked more like dry skin surrounded by a red, uneven and wavy ring at that point. I went to a doctor, since I work with the general public. He said, after quickly looking over it, that it was cowpox and I shouldn't worry about being contagious. It took another five months for the last one to disappear. I just got another case of it. This time it is inside my elbow. It's the diameter of a cigarette butt, round, red, shiny, and looks very much like a scar. It has been there for a few weeks, and is now beginning to grow. Any ideas? Is this really cowpox?