What’s going on?

[Anonymous]

Hello, I’ve never had this happen to me before and I was wondering if anyone had an idea as to what is going on? This just popped up today, but I’m not sure why. It feels like a mosquito bite but I feel like this is too frequent and too odd of a location for that. I’m not sure what to do as this has never happened before. Any suggestions as to what caused this? Or at least what I can do to stop it? (I don’t wear any makeup so I’ll definitely need a good fix)

[tg1973]

@Anonymous When I was younger I went through a period where my skin would welt like that in response to benzoyl peroxide. It was random because I had been using the exact same Clearasil product for years prior with no troubles. I avoided BP for years before using it again, and I don't have problems anymore. Keeping in mind that lots of things touch your face that you don't necessarily apply there, think broadly for possible culprits. Any new hair products are probably touching your face when you sleep, as are perfumes, laundry detergents and fabric softeners, dryer sheets, a new piece of clothing or linens that you maybe wore/used before washing (I never wash new clothes before wearing though I know you're supposed to), any hair products/scent/bug spray/sunscreen etc. that was sprayed near you and may have gotten on your face, including products used by other people. I also wondered immediately if you started using a new face mask that might have had some kind of sanitizer sprayed on it, or if you have been using cleaning products a lot more than usual or maybe a new one during this pandemic. We're all more stressed than usual and it's possible that something like a plug-in room deodorizer is bothering you that normally wouldn't even be noticed. It's also possible that you developed a sensitivity to something you've been using without problems before, but considering that it cleared up, that seems less likely than being exposed to something new. There's also the possibility that it was some new pollen or grooming product on the fur of a pet you interacted with. There's already great advice here on how to treat it, but I know how much it drives a person crazy not to know what happened, so think of literally everything you might have interacted with that matches the time frame. Also know that it could have been a product somebody else used!

[WinglessOne]

@Anonymous  What did you put on your face before that badness popped up? Did you use any new skincare or makeup products? 

It kinda looks like hives. My skin looks like that (and usually itches) when it’s reacting badly to an ingredient in something I put on my face. To calm it down, I take an oral antihistamine and wash my face with a gentle cleanser to remove whatever’s irritating my skin. Then I apply a cold compress for a few minutes and follow with a soothing product or two. Soothing products for me are a hydrocortisone cream (I like Aveeno’s) and/or a sheet mask or oil containing colloidal oatmeal, cica (centella asiatica), CBD, and/or green tea—with no bad essential oils that can cause more irritation. Sometimes my hives calm down within 15 minutes. Other times it can take up to an hour. I recently had hives on my neck that took 4 days of babying to fully disappear. 

Whatever you do, don’t scratch them. That’ll make them spread. Of course, you could have something else—maybe not hives after all—and might need to share photos with your doctor for more help. Whatever it is, I hope you can find some relief! 

[Anonymous]

I was using the same face washes that I used to always use, and started back up probably a month ago, but this reaction was new. It really did itch, but as I woke up this morning it has disappeared. I do have Aveeno so I will keep that in mind in case this happens again, thank you!

[allriledup]

I would highly recommend washing your face with something like cetaphil and following up with hydrocortisone. Also try some aloe