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Sorry that this summary is a bit delayed but I broke my finger this
week and email has been a bit more entertaining to do since then. :-)
I appreciate all the comments that I got even if I haven't written
back to you yet!

The original question was: does anyone else get sore/sensitive spots
on their skin after they ingest gluten and how do they treat them?  I
don't think it is DH since DH involves blisters.  I received a lot of
helpful suggestions and email from people who were simply relieved to
know that someone else had the same problem.  It is nice to know that
you are not alone with some of these issues.

Here is the summary of the messages:

1) gluten can most certainly cause it (multiple people experience the
same symptoms).  Other than finding the hidden gluten culprit, relief
seems to be tricky.  The suggestions were:

        a) Use http://forums.delphi.com/celiac/messages to find the
        hidden gluten

        b) Blue liquid advil gel caplets and cortisone 10 on the
        painful areas

        c) Caladryl lotion (Not calamine, Caladryl, with Benadryl),
        sprinkled with Gold Bond Powder while the Caladryl is still
        wet.

        d) Dermovate 100 gr (Glaxo Smith Klein Beecham) which is
        non-prescription or DiproBase emolient cream by
        Schering/Plough (this is prescription).  Both of these are
        from England so the names may differ in the U.S.

        e) Benadryl Itch Stopping Gel

        f) Castor oil (the person who suggested this said it also
        works on bruises, rashes, and dryness)

        g) Alka Seltzer Gold had limited results

        h) Quoting from a long email:

        We have found some excellent products that contain beta
        glucans. They are all natural immune potentiators. Since most
        of our skin problems are associated with allergies (including
        the reaction to gluten), something that helps the immune
        system, will help the body to properly react. Some of the
        products are taken orally & some are applied topically. One
        good one for the skin is called "Immuskin" from a company
        called NSC. Check them out on the web at NSC24.COM It helps
        with age spots etc. We have found that the oral Beta glucans
        have increased our energy etc. They help your body to help
        itself. They help remove bacteria, virus, fungus & other
        parasites from the blood. Any questions? Don't hesitate to
        e-mail.....Mike & Karyn [log in to unmask]

2) It could be a reaction to something other than gluten (nuts,
strawberries, tomatoes).  Have to keep a food diary to figure this one
out.  One lady gets them only on her head and wondered about gluten in
shampoo, etc.

3) Two people suggested that something else was wrong.  I've just
quoted those messages rather than summarizing:

        What you are describing sounds just like classic fibromyalgia.
        This sometimes responds to gentle heat - try a warm pad, like
        a bag of polystyrene beads or a gel pack - the kind you can
        buy to go over the eyes either hot or cold.  I give mine about
        50 seconds in the microwave, make sure it is safe for
        microwave use.  Wait until it is quite comfortable against the
        skin.  What ever you do, don't use ice packs or anything which
        causes discomfort.  You can damage already painful skin.
        Don't be tempted to try deep massage as this can exacerbate
        the problem in my experience.  Also try taking magnesium 3 x a
        day.  Take care - Sheila (Stockport, England)

        you might have DH, dermatitis herpetiformis, which is celiac
        disease of the skin. but most people with DH have very itchy,
        stingy tiny spots which take a long time to heal even when
        watching the infernal GF diet.  From [log in to unmask]

-Amy, N3ZTY