Itchy red rash on face, swollen eyelids and under eyes on and off for month

I'm 34 and had the red, puffy and itchy skin around eyes, little on my forehead, and sometimes on my neck and chin. Went to the dermatologist. She only prescribed cortizone creams and ointments. The creams helped a little. But only temporarily. Somehow i think it's a food allergy. It seems to flare up depending on what i eat. I've been eliminating different foods on and off. So frustrating! My PCP is referring me to an allergist. I'm hoping to get some allergy testing done or blood work. The rash just seemed to appear one day and so far it's been one month. Good luck to all!

Wow...read everyones notes. Its kind of interesting. I've been trying to figure this out [exactly]but its illusive. I've thought everything each of you suspects time and again. I caught the flu and it seems it's sent me into a tail spin again. I was for lupus, not lupus... the allergists and dermatologist only know to treat symptoms They can't figure it out. It just hit me again on 2/26/08 pretty bad. I've been clear for the most part for almost two years. Its mostly aggravated by certain foods (food sensitivity not "allergy") I'm run down now too as my husband broke his ankle in early jan. and I caught the latest flu the day he got his cast off, and my boy just turned 18! Wonderful. SO...I'm carefully trying to reboost my immune system with Omega 3's, Ambrotose, B complex, C based foods, and flavanoids; celery and carrot juice is good. Stay away from spicy and acidic foods, dairy might be a culprit too. I think jasmine, ginger and red peppers are possibly my big offenders; this is about the immune system and stress. Ps: Stressing about it only makes it worse. Pray and imagine your face beautiful and normal . Don't focus on it. But do try to eliminate toxicity in your life. I just turned 45 last week. I had eczema as a child and have a heart murmur. Anxiety has been an issue but I think the symptoms are brought on by food sensitivities. All I know is that when I'm right and relaxed with the world I'm usually relatively free on allergic response, anxiety and pain...

I just went to the dermatologist today for the exact same thing; red, puffy, itchy skin around my eyes and on my neck and chin, and it's been on-going for the past month. I don't know if you're a man or a woman, but I'm a woman and my dermatologist said nail polish is the number one thing she's found in her patients to cause this...the chemicals in the nail polish rubbing off from your nail to your face maybe? I don't know; I don't wear nail polish. But in my case, it's makeup removers. You would think that makeup removers are ok to use but I guess many of them are extremely bad for your skin because of the type of chemicals they have in them. And it makes sense too because I started using this new soap by Clean and Clear about two months ago that's supposed to remove even water proof makeup. I've also started using an oil-free eye makeup remover by Neutrogena in the past two months (although it doesn't exactly feel oil-free). The second I told my dermatologist about these products her immediate reaction was "Oh no no no stop using those." She also told me the problem could be a sensitivity to clothing detergents, which now when I think about it, I think my husband just recently switched to a cheaper version of the normal one we get. I'll have to take a look at that. Anyway, she said if you can't figure out what's causing the problem, they typically send you to get an allergy test. So now I have to play process of elimination for the next two weeks. She sent me out the door with a cortisone shot and fluorometholone (FML) ointment to apply to the skin...we'll see in a few days if this works or not. So I hear ya on the frustration!! But I hope this info helps someone other than me!!

I am another woman (40yrs) with this rash and reading all these post really helps me feel I am not alone or crazy

mine started right around new years no changes in products and I use all natural stuff anyway!!

Never had anything like it

same rash around the eyes, looks like someone punched me, red rough, itchy flakey, cycles through.....

went to the MD last week and they gave me two creams to try Elidel and Nizoral (use first) the Nizoral made it worse and I have not tried the other yet.

I am back to the MD in a few weeks to see

They did mention Lupus and I have been worked up for it in the past due to other symptoms - but they say now that is more likely either Seborrheic dermatitis or eczema

I am going to try the EFAs and vitamin B that someone mentioned I used to take anyway but got sick of pills I hate to swallow them! I also found an herbal cream that is for eczema/Seborrheic problems and that has helped some


AND I am NOT using the Elidel cream because the flyer from the Rx said use as a LAST resort that it can possibly cause cancer!! Since this rash is anoying but not life threatening - I don't think I will take that chance! AND it cost 60 bucks copay!

CG

I am so glad to have found this site. I've been battling swollen, itchy, burning eyelids (mostly in the corners of my eyes) and some blotches on my chin, neck and behind ears. This morning I can barely open my eyes. Lips are swollen and even the tip of my tongue is tingling. This has been ongoing, off and on, for two years, this morning being the worst yet. Been allergy tested. Minor sensitivity to nickel. Dermatologist doesn't know either. When this dies down it will scale and peel.

In my late 40's, I think it may have something to do with hormonal changes. I remember having similar itchy patches as a young girl, on my legs, arms, and swollen lips. Doc didn't have a clue then, either.

I've been on a steroid series (7day) three different times, which clears everything quickly, but symptoms only return when I've completed the series. Also, cannot take too frequently because of possible liver damage.

I'm hoping I will "outgrow" the condition. My inner sense tells me it's not life-threatening. I have learned to be patient, relax (I'm a workaholic), drink lots and lots of pure water, vitamin E and sublingual B vitamins, and pray for healing. It will subside - but is certainly annoying.

I believe I have your answer. This started with me in Dec.08 and has continued since then. My allergist (yes, I now have 1) has determined that it IS contact dermatitis from either the new construction dust in my school or mold or a combination of both. It started when the heating system went on and only happens at work, but I carry the particulate home. I was never a wearer of makeup and have only used Ivory all my 42 years. I've NEVER been allergic to animals(farm girl) nor poison ivy. Now because of having been in a mold infested room for 10 years in my OLD school, I have become extremely sensitive to mold and dust. They've shut off the vents to my room and that's helped, but whenever I go to another class, I feel it start up. If I'm home for 3 or mre days, I actually look normal!! It is NOT blepharitis. Prednisone helps when it's bad, but I hate drugs. I wipe my eyes several times a day with witch hazel and apply neosporin and 1% hydrocort. I have also been diagnosed with unexplained rapid heartbeat. Ice helps a lot for the swelling. Chalk in one hand, ice in another!

Hi everyone! I can't believe how many people are experiencing this. Very interesting to see everyone get different answers, it's amazing how often this is improperly diagnosed! I am a nutritionist and personal traniner and eat extremely cleanly and take my health very seriously. I couldn't believe that I had this rash around my mouth, then chin then around the eye. Like others have mentioned, I have gotten eczema in the past fairly easily and it increased when I was stressed. It is also brought on by food sensitivities. This new rash also seemed food related. The only thing I had changed in my diet around the time of the rash was that I had started eating fruit for breakfast. Fruit obviously has quite a bit of sugar. Other than that fruit, I eat no simple carbs at all. No bread, wheat, rice, potato, etc. I eat lots of veggies and organic chicken and eggs. I somtimes eat fish. The fact that the increase in carbs and sugar was related, led me to the culprit. A candida yeast infection. I am a guy, 31 years old and couldn't believe I had a yeast infection! When the candida yeast becomes overgrown, it mulitplies quickly, feeding on sugar and carbs. It releases over 70 toxins and creates acetaldehyde, a poison that is converted by the liver into alcohol. That is why people experience 'brain fog'. The toxins start to secrete through the skin which is the rash part. Also the rash usually occurs along the energy meridian which is related to digestion. The fungus puntures the intestinal lining and creates leaky gut syndrome. Undigested food particles leak into the bloodstream and the body considers them foreign invaders. This leads to food sensitivities, food allergies and auto immune diseases. The worst thing you can do is take antibiotics or steriods or use cotizone cream. You can buy complete Candida kits from a health food store. It should include a fungal killer (to get rid of the yeast), a probiotic (to replace the fungus on the intestinal wall) and a product to help you expell the waste and dead fungus. Using fibre and a natural clay like 'dentonite' is a good combo. You should couple this with an 'elimination diet'. That means no sugar, yeast, simple carbs, potato, rice, fruit, bread, wheat, oats, grains, barley, rye, wine, beer, alcohol, vinegar, etc. Basically anything that has any simple sugars or yeast. Also, when the fungus dies, it will release toxins and you will see a 'die off' reaction. Basically it will get worse before it gets better. Use the internal clay for that. Also you can use external clay masks on your face and problem areas, it will help suck out the toxins. It is also a good idea to do a full parasite clense, as some symptoms are common and people with a yeast problem usually have a parasite prob as well. My name is Zach :-) Be well everyone. Hope this has helped.

All these posts have been really useful and fascinating. There are lots of possibilities as to what it could be! Almost too many - I don't know where to start...
I have the same red, itchy, flaking eyelids (upper and lower) and spots under the eyes that have been referred to on many of these posts. Like almost everyone, I had a history of excema as a child. This particular bout is the third recurrence. It has previously been diagnosed as blephoritis and I have been on antibiotics and it has cleared up. On this occasion however I have been told that it is not blephoritis, have been given hydrocortizone cream (which made it worse) and now given a hydrocortizone mixed with something else which I am going to try for a couple more days before moving on to some of your suggestions.
Fascinated by the yeast infection possibility as the overload of sugars rings true, but it could also be contact dermatitis (eye make up remover) or mould (moved into a new house which is old, crumbling, slightly damp!).
Anyway, it is great to know I am not alone, or indeed going crazy, and to have some tangible things to try out rather than scary creams from befuddled doctors.
Remaining hopeful, albeit swollen-lidded.Thank you for your posts and best of luck!

I have the same painful burning, swelling around the eyes and can't get rid of it. Don't use Elidel - it can also cause Glaucoma and is only supposed to be used for a short period of time which my dermatologist failed to mention and I used it for a whole year!

I use Vanicream for my face lotion which has no added dyes or perfumes and can be bought at the drug store. I have tried all kinds of different make-up and it goes away and comes back out of the blue.

I do take Claritin in case it is an allergy and it keeps it flared down, but not gone completely. I'm so frustrated - the already thin skin around my eyes is getting thinner and wrinkling like crazy. Any new soothing cream you try like Aveeno even burns!

So happy I found this forum page and am just floored by how many of us are dealing with this same situation! Several years ago had a very mild case of something like this this & was told I had Blepharitis...Was given Blephamide ointment which contains a form of steroid and was fine...had a few fare-ups over the past few years but really nothing really significant.

Suddenly I too have been going through a scenario (for past 2 months) where skin around eyelid gets REALLY red & crackly looking(looks like a really intense sunburn). Within a day or so, this is followed by a drying out "cycle" and then peeling of skin (again, very much resembles what happens after a bad sunburn).
It does seem much worse on one eye,(with a small wart just recently appearing on my right eyelid) and now (oh lucky me) I have developed an area on the front of my neck (about 2" wide) that looks like a bright red allergic hive.
Okay, so heres what I can share so far,.. went to the dermatologist- who insisted this is contact dermatitis..Its your eye makeup she tells me....(right...like I apply eye-make-up to my neck I tell her..)
Gave me Elidel...( I agree with previous poster...there's a black box cancer warning on this cream..YIKES..no thanks.....) Also had some patch tests which consisted of tapes across my back which apparently contained 65 known allergens...yadda, yadda---
Tests came up with 2 (very faint) reactions to some chemicals in hair products & soaps ....Okay so now (for over 3 weeks) I"m avoiding all these products..running to health food stores....paying a bazillion dollars for shampoo/conditioners and soaps...and guess what....Still running around with my gorgeous RED EYELIDS and bright red neck....DUH!
Like many of you, if I use steroid creams everything goes away...but a few days later, mamma mia it starts all over again..Blech!
Okay..so..I have an appt scheduled with an opthamologist for next week--(figured it could'nt hurt)....and then also am going for a second opinion with a different dermatologist at the end of the month (it's my Plan B option, in case opthamologist idea does'nt work out...LOL...).
I promise all of you I will come back and share more info as I learn more- I have to believe that between all of us here we can figure out this mystery, and although the answers may not be the same for everyone, I will be soo happy if in the process of helping myself I am able to share that help with even one other person ! ...and besides I don't know how much longer I can survive without my mascara!!!...ha! ha!
signed, MMM...miss my makeup

I have had blepharitis for the past 12 years. Sometimes it seems like it went away. However, it has been really bad for the past 2 years and a half. It goes away only with steroids.

However a month ago I started a died with no carbs and no sugar. No carbs such as bread, rice, potatoes, tortillas at all and no sugar and no meat ( only organic)

I have felt a lot better.

After a month I decided to reward myself with pizza (it is my favorite food) and I had a lot of pizza. About one medium size pizza and pepsi (about a litter)

Well, almost immediately my eyelids are itchy again and they were o.k. for a month. It seems like it is a reaction produced by sugar and carbs (white bread) I will keep you informed. I will go back to my regular no carbs diet.

I am a 35 yr old female and have been experiencing these same symptoms since January 08. It started with swollen eyelids, then a red raised flakey rash progressed to about 50% of my face, down to my neck and then onto the torso and legs. It was itchy sometimes. The rash on the torso and legs went away within a few days, but the rash on the face and neck lasted for 6 weeks. The worst areas were around the eyes and mouth. Constantly flaking skin all around eyes and mouth. Lips sometimes swelling and I also at times experience tongue tingling. I too went the M.D. and M.D. trained in Eastern medicine and allergist route. They did blood tests for some foods and environmental allergens as well as the 65 different items taped to the back test. All testing resulted in Very Low allergy to ragweed and possibly egg. But I eat eggs once in a while and don't notice any negative effects. My test for Lupus was negative and they could not find any thyroid problems.

Cortizone cream helped with the itching somewhat, but burned like crazy. I have been using paraben/sulfate/chemical free lotions and hair products for more than a year now, but non of those are helping. I have tried non-natural lotions as well and sometimes wear makeup when the flaking is not as bad. Of course, like many others, I changed laundry soap to allergen free, stopped using dryer sheets, etc. I haven't noticed anything making the rash worse or better. Finally, I went to an accupuncturist, 5 days after my 4th treatment the rash was clearing. The swelling continued to go down and all was back to normal within a couple more days. I continued the accupuncture treatments once every week or two. But when I would stretch the treatment to two weeks, it seems to want to flare up again. I was rash free for 2 months. Now it's been 3.5 weeks since my last accupuncture treatment and I have all the sypmtoms back on my face and it continues to get worse.

The only difference between myself and other posters is that I didn't have childhood eczema, but I've always had allergy issues and have taken Claritin D for about 14yrs now. Also, Benadryl, in addition to the Claritin D, doesn't seem to help with the rash or itching much either. I have always been a tired person, who didn't and doesn't want to be tired. Maybe that has something to do with all this. Of course the doc's never have been able to help me with that either. Although I really can't afford to continue to pay cash for Accupuncture, I'm left with no options at this point. I will investigate the yeast overgrowth and research blepharitis. Thanks for your postings.

I'm a 37 yr old female and have been dealing w/ similar symptoms since late Feb '08. Started w/ flaky eyelids so I used cortisone cream, but didn't clear it up and then my lips became unnaturally dry and would swell at edges. Went to the derma who told me it was stress and gave me Rx cream and told me to use Aquaphor (petrolatum) and double up on OTC allergy meds (Claritin). My eyes got much worse - red, leathery, and then swelling and flare-ups would result in my lips swelling, peeling and 'weeping' around my mouth. Got so bad the derma put me on Prednisone, which kicked it instantly...but came back the day after I finished the meds. I decided to stop following all of the derma's advice (no creams, not petroleum-based products) b/c it was making it worse and she didn't seem interested in solving my issue.

I tried fasting and noticed symptoms seemed to stay under control. I only ate bland food for a while and cut out dairy - seemed to help. Then went to allergist who also tested me for everything under the sun - no food allergies and nothing else showed up that would cause such a reaction.

Went to my GYN and got my thyroid tested (negative) and convinced her to let me try Diflucan (Rx yeast med) - which didn't help.

For the last 10 days it has been under control and getting better, but not exactly sure why. I only use Cetaphil wash and lotion and still avoid dairy. I also stopped using my metal eyelash curler and metal rimmed sunglasses - based on friend's experience w/ contact metal allergy. It has actually seemed to help in the last 5 days.

Today I went to a chiropractor/kinesiologist who, I feel, is going to be the one who figures it out. He says my adrenals are shot - due mostly to not enough sleep and too much caffeine and gave me some herb-based adrenal supplements. I had read on another msg board a guy who had same reaction to caffeine build-up in his system, so it could be the same thing, just not identified by traditional MDs. When your adrenals are worn down (you said you're a tired person), your body can't fight off hystamines that otherwise wouldn't affect you and show up in odd form - in your eyes, face, mouth. If you can find a similar type practitioner (your acupuncturist might be able to recommend), try it out and ask him/her to test your adrenals. Also, try cutting out the caffeine for a while and look for some adrenal-boosting supplements at a health food store.

I've been treated for weak adrenals in the past, by similar type of Doc and it really made a difference. When I was younger, it was just fatigue...I guess now that I'm older, fatigue + the facial "explosion" is how it presents itself. I really believe this is getting to the root of the problem, not just band-aiding like the creams and meds have done. Good luck!

I'm a 36 year old female, and I'm having the same problem. I've been dealing with this for months. My eyelids and under my eyes get so red. My whole face swells too. I've kept a journal of possible triggers, I've changed products, and I've been to my regular doctor. Then I went to an allergist who did all sorts of tests with no explanation. He gave me a prescription to Prednisone and that worked great until the pills ran out. He gave me a second Prednisone pack which did the trick, but now I'm out and back to being red and puffy. I've tried all the major allergy (prescription and nonprescription) medicines with no luck. I don't know what else to do. There are too many of us having the same problem; a solution has to be found.

Hello again to all! Been meaning to come back & post an update so here goes...Please forgive me for how long it is but I did want to share as much info with you all as possible as I am hoping that somehow as I help myself I may offer something that is shelpful to someone lese out there too...
Days after my first post I did meet with a great eye Opthamologist.(just to make sure I did'nt have "eye" issues............
He gave me a thorough eye exam and essentially advised me that he agreed with the original dermatologist opinion regarding the skin condition around my eyelids being a form of contact dermatitis (and not food related). This doctor has put me in touch with a dermatology specialist in my area and I am now a few weeks away from an appointment at a special clinic, which I am hoping will shed some light on this issue...BUT..
In the meantime about 8 days ago I wake up one morning and the entire right side of my face is swollen to the point where my eye is almost completely shut----NOT A PRETTY SIGHT...Oh my!

In a panic I called my orginal dermatologist group ( I'm kind of fed up with them but I was desperate), and after a quick office visit they put me on Prednisone... & reviewed the allergy tests I had taken, and this time
they went into greater detail about a slight reaction I had shown to Formaldehyde----an item they had not seemed concerned with on my earlier visit- They said to follow up with them in a week---gee thanks...

Started the Pred and of course in 3 days its skin to die for....everythings delicious, but..........
Meantime I started wracking (is that even a word???ha! ha!) my brain trying to think of anything that I did differently..something that would have caused this crazy reaction---so I'm remembering that for a few days at work I was using our laminating machine, & laminating quite a few documents----I start googling Formaldehyde , laminating sheets and WOW!!! It is unbelieveable just how many products are out there in the world that use Formaldehyde in one way or another...and it is often in Laminating sheets!! (not to mention personal care products, permanent press clothing, bed linens, plastics, vinyl, leather.....its just amazing!)

So, honestly I don't know if I'm truly on to something here, and of course I don't know what any of you might do for a living but I am an administrative assistant and I am shuffling papers of all sorts around all day, only to discover now (on my own) that many, many items in offices (including regular computer copy paper) may very well be coated with some form of Formaldehyde. YIKES!!...also learned that apparently you can be around all this "STUFF" for years (with no problems at all) and then ultimately become sensitized to it, and literally begin have reactions to it all of a sudden...(seemingly out of nowehere).duh!

So here is exactly where I am right now---in 3 days I'll be off the Pred---(meantime earlier this week, while at work.. I started getting a mild red/scaly area around my right eye again (even through I'm still on steroids) I have'nt gone near the laminating machine, but of course am still dealing with paperwork---I have also read that sometimes when handling items that may have this Formaldehyde coating you can be releasing an odorless, tasteless, colorless form of gas into the air around you which can come into contact with your skin (and since the skin around your eyes and on your neck is the THINNEST SKIN, and therefore the most sensitive) it is comment to develope rashes in those areas...AHA!!
I did come across a Vitamin E creme yesterday at the Nutrition store which I applied & it actually seemed to help--swelling looks a bit less and some of the redness actually looks better too...
I wanted to share with you in case anyone wants to try it --its by a company called JASON..and is CO "Certified Organic" is called
Jason Age Renewing Moisturizing Creme (25,000I.U. Vitamin E)
I'm pretty sure this brand is well known and could be found in most local Health or nutrition stores...(plus I only paid $12.00 for it so thats not bad especially if it helps right???)
What I liked too was the fact that the cream had a really nice feel and was'nt overly greasy so you would't have to feel worried about getting it right into your eye (which is always a concern when you're putting something right near your eyes).
I promise to come back with any significant updates on anything new I might learn,(especially after my visit to that dermatitis clinic). In the meantime I plan to wear safety glasses I got at the hardware store,
when I go to work tomorrow to see if it makes any difference in protecting my eyes from all that paper shuffling ...(I think my boss will definitely think I've lost all my marbles for sure...but if it helps I don't care..ha! ha!)
Hang in there everyone...better days are coming...and I am bound and determined that I will get to the bottom of this mystery!!
Peace!!, Mamma Mia