contact dermatitis on body and face I think .

[dlee72]

I have been struggling and fighting with these bumps on my face,arms,hands,chest and tops of feet.The ones on my face are more irritated and sensitive in the way they fee where as the ones on body do get itchy.

The flare up started in April and I’ve tried everything in regards to creams  and briefly very briefly tried a otc 1% cortisone cream which I found to irritate my face which I I only used for three days and used it sparingly because it irritated more then anything plus I’ve read it can cause thinning of the skin and read you need to be careful because of rebound effects happening 🤷‍♀️.

l have my face skincare routine down to very bare bones simple non irritating ingredients which haven’t helped much and Ive tried eczema friendly creams and lotions that very little help with itch but not much for clearing things up.Heat and sweat seem to big triggers for making things really flare up.

Ive been referred to a dermatologist which will probably be about a 2 month wait.

But so frustrating and it’s causing a lot of anxiety and stress which I’ve heard can irritate things more but hard to control that.
I haven’t been wearing any make because face is just too irritable right now.

Getting outdoors for walks in the morning and sunshine (not sitting under sun and tanning) but just being able to get out doors is so good for mental health so I hate to have to avoid being able go outside and enjoy what is a short summer where I live.

I don’t want this whatever it is to rob me of my life.

I sure hope I can get things cleared up .

I am 51 and never had issues like this before …I’ve had sensitive skin but nothing like this.

I am entering menopause which I’ve heard can possibly bring on eczema but who knows 🤷‍♀️.

Very frustrating to say the least because prior to this I had pretty nice/goos skin so I don’t want this or what ever treatment I use to clear it up to wreck or ruin my skin 😦.

Im posting some pics .

Does this look like what I’ve described? 

[Westcoasty]

@dlee72   While I think the dermatologist is ultimately your best bet for a solution, I did want to suggest that contact dermatitis can also be caused by something like a new laundry detergent (or a changed formulation - I assume that happens with detergents just like it does with skincare and makeup). Did you change your detergent or fabric softener back in April?

Also, there's this from the Merck Manuals (sorry I can't post a link to an outside site):

"When people who are sensitive to heat are exposed to heat or engage in any activity that causes sweating, they may develop small, intensely itchy hives that are surrounded by a ring of redness—a condition called cholinergic urticaria."

You mentioned heat and sweat making it worse, which reminded me of this particular histamine reaction. If you try Googling cholinergic urticaria, you might find some methods of getting relief while waiting for your dermatologist appointment. Good luck!

[dlee72]

Hi 

no I haven’t changed anything at all.

And when things first flared up in the beginning of April it was still cooler here weather wise ..so no heat or sun exposure when thing’s first flared up  …I just notice now in the warmer summer weather the heat and sweat aggravate it and seem to cause things to flare up.

Also water  can aggravate the flare up as well…basically the things you read about what irritates eczema is what seems to irritate the flare ups especially on my hands and arms. So my hands and arms need to be moisturized regularly but I have to be careful with my face because anything overly heavy seems to irritate it.So for my face a fine line of keeping it moisturized but not over doing it or it gets  irritated.

But yes it will be good to speak to a dermatologist for sure.

[Westcoasty]

@dlee72   Well, rats. I know this sucks - I'm sorry. I wish you the best of luck in finding the right answer as soon as possible. 🤞

[dlee72]

Thank you …I hope so too.

I think I  will hopefully get some good advice from the dermatologist and I need to avoid reddit lol 

Not such a good place to get advice 😊…you read nothing but the worst horror stories there which just scares off of everything ..I find that to be the case with any type of conditions there.

[Westcoasty]

@dlee72   One last thought - I believe that this kind of issue can also be caused by food sensitivities. I know that eating wheat, for some people, causes a rash behind the knees - it does for me. If you want to try something while you're waiting for your appointment, you could try an elimination diet, or try cutting out common culprits for food sensitivities (one at a time), like FODMAP foods, soy, wheat, dairy...you get the drift.

I'm really hoping you get some answers! Good luck, hon.

[Westcoasty]

@dlee72   Yes, I'm always cautious as to what I use for sources when looking up symptoms! Reddit doesn't make the cut. 😊

I hope you get to see your dermatologist soon and get some helpful answers! 🤞