Hmm...I've heard of kidney diseases causing rashes and itchy skin but I'm not sure about the marks.

I have some as well and have often wondered about them.

They have grown bigger with age but not super big.

Perhaps they're just freckles?

I hope someone else can have more info for us :)

Never heard of any red marks on the face being a sign of PKD; this is a silent, invisible disease (which is what makes it such a challenge to educate people about it!).

Do these marks look like little red pin point magic marker spots? If so, those are tiny broken blood vessels, although darned if I remember what they're called at the moment but I will remember and let you know.

The other options, especially based on your fair skin, is rosacea, which is a persistent redness on the skin of the face, nose and even ears and can cause flushing and even bumps resembling acne, but isn't acne.

If you have what looks like a butterfly rash across your face, please talk with your doctor about the possibility of Lupus, an autoimmune disease that can also affect the kidneys (lupus nephritis).

Your best bet is to have your doctor take a good look at the your skin, ideally head to toe, and point out any areas of concern, from freckles to red spots to moles, to unusual looking areas. I know insurance is an issue, but a primary care doctor can do this for you and then refer you to a dermatologist if/as needed for a more thorough evaluation and biopsy if needed.

Hopefully whatever these spots are is perfectly benign and will simply go away in time. Be very gentle to your skin; it doesn't like harsh treatments and scrubs but greatly prefers gentle care with gentle washes (no soap) and defintely lotions and moisturizers in the winter (sometimes oily skin is caused by a lack of moisturer and the skin tries to compensate by overproducing oil, so if you can find a happy balance with simply products, your skin will be happier, softer and look better as a result).

I hope this helps and come morning when I'm a bit more coherent, I'll find the name for those little red marks causes by pin point broken blood vessels (I don't have any on my face but a plethora of them on my arms, torso and legs). I do have rosacea (sensitive skin prone to redness at the slightest touch which will extend to my nose and ears; they'll turn bright red too), and plenty of freckles and new age spots, including a couple that I need to get a dermatologist to look at.

Best wishes,
Ruth

i have a few of them but on my leg and belly, look more like red ink pin spots than anything else. i always assumed they were a product of the PKD because i never had them before the kidneys failed.

Petechiae is the name for these little dots (and yes, Larry, mine look like someone went and used a little marker on my arm or leg or abdomen). Per the Mayo Clinic website (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/petechiae/MY01104/DSECTION=causes), there are any number of reasons for them to occur, including hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) (which is basically a fancy name for kidney failure) so yes, kidney failure itself could be a cause.

I've had them for years and am not close to kidney failure. But I do have this massive liver that is causing some serious venous and arterial compression that's been going on for years (although I've had some of these dots on my upper arms and chest for decades...maybe I'm just a dotty person (oh the places you could go with that twist of a phrase!).

I've pointed them out to all of my assorted doctors and dermatologists over the years, as well as a few rheumatologist when they were concerned about a couple of separate autoimmune diseases separate from PKD (tested positive for generic autoimmune markers but dont' appear to have any specific autoimmune issues beyond whatever PKD is causing). None of my doctors have been concerned about the dots. And while the Mayo site states they can occur in clusters, mine are random and very far apart and none on my face at all.

I do know there is a form of laser treatment that will basically "cook" the tiny blood vessel and cause the spot to fade entirely (expensive if you can't find a medical reason for the treatment or participate in a clinical trial). Otherwise, just use sunscreen (as always) and makeup if you're concerned with how they look.

I consider knowledge is the most important part of the battle; it's incredibly relieving just to know why something is happening and usually once I know, I rarely find a compelling reason to get something fixed, as long as it's not the cause of serious pain or disability.

Jenn,
If yours are changing/growing, please talk with your doctor. I couldn't find a good source that says these petichea dots should change or enlarge over time, only that more can form, so there may be an underlying condition (I know, just what you need!) that may be a contributing factor with yours. It's worth investigating the cause (medications may also be a trigger, although no specific medications beyond chemo and oral diabetes medications are listed). You already have enough to deal with so you want to ensure there's nothing else going on (and if there is, whether it's a contributing factor to your seizures and if so, can it be managed and thus perhaps your seizures can be better controlled as well (I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you!).

Well, that's the story on petichiea dots. I hope this info helps! Amazing what some more sleep will do to help the brain work better!

Best wishes,
Ruth

PS For those who developed them in renal failure, it's safer to consider them a "product of renal failure" and not just a product of PKD itself. We just happen to have PKD as our kidney disease, but other kidney patients develop them as well. :)

I have rosacea, as does my sister who also has PKD. I had the treatment Ruth mentioned...laser treatment to "cook" off the red dots and tiny lines. It was pretty effective but not covered by insurance. I believe the one treatment cost about $200. Not cheap, but I did it at a time when my enormous belly was causing damage to my self image and having nice looking skin sure did make me feel a bit more confident. Now I have a small belly again (smaller than it's been since I was 22!) but due to the immunosuppressants my skin is a disaster. Well, we can't all have everything at once, can we?!

Polykid and Jenn...you both look FANTASTIC in your pictures. The little things can kinda pile up on one another when you have this disease and I know it can get you down. I wish you both all the best.

Thank you, Ruth...I will mention it to him on Saturday...my next appt.

I'm actually weaning off of my seizure meds. They weren't working and all they did was make me feel nauseous and crazy. I wasn't myself. I feel like things are so much clearer now and I can't even believe some of the things I've said/done the past 9 months.

I've tried 3 different anti-seizure meds and get the same result each time. I still seize and they just scramble my brain and turn me into a complete psycho.

They're not for me. My trigger is the weather for Pete's sake. What can I do about that? Nothing. So I accept.

My doctor is only a GP at a clinic for "poor people" like me. He's nice and does what he can and is especially helpful in my disability case. He's writing letters for me and has tried to get me Medicaid numerous times without success. He said to come to him if they deny me again though...so that's cool.

I don't think he'll have much to say about the dots. They are still tiny even though I have noticed they got a little bigger as I've aged. They look like the blood vessel thing mentioned but I'm not near kidney failure either.

I'll have him take a look. Thank you Ruth for all the advice. :)

sorry for rambling!