Q. about weird freckle pattern

[Penwiggle]

Hi. About 5 or 6 years ago my house-mate and I got a cat. Around about the same time, I noticed I was developing what looked like age spots (aka liver spots, sunspots) that looked like freckles on the tops of my feet. Over the course of a year or so they spread and covered 80% of the top of my feet. They didn't give me a problem, didn't itch or anything, so I never paid them much attention.

Last year I learned I had a cat allergy, and my cat moved out and is now living with my son. And, over the course of the last year, these spots have all but vanished. There are just a few left, and even they are fading.

I never connected them to being allergic to my cat, but now I do. And I wonder if they are a symptom of MCAS. I've not read of anything like this being associated with standard allergies, but I did see mention of it on a site or two talking about MCAS.

Does anyone have experience with this?

Thanks, Pen

[Jess-UKMasto Partner]

That's interesting! I haven't heard of it before in exactly the same way. Certainly rashes can come and go in anyone, and some people do get rashes when they are allergic. And I guess you can't be sure that the cat is the cause, though if you were feeling like doing an experiment you could spend time again with a cat and see what happens-- but that could be unpleasant (or I suppose even dangerous if you were to really react). One thing you might find interesting is that in mastocytosis, the skin lesions can be relatively unnoticeable on some body parts, except when they get irritated. On the inside of my arms, for example, you wouldn't say I have skin spots, but if exposed to heat and sunlight they will appear and get raised and red. The spots don't move, so they reappear in the same pattern each time. The most common areas for the skin lesions (which tend to be brownish to reddish and freckle-like in adults, and be flat unless irritated when they get raised and redder) is on the trunk of the body and the thighs. I haven't heard of them being just on the feet. I do have them on the tops of my feet though. Anyway, something to consider.