Itchy red rash on face, swollen eyelids and undereyes - part 2

Hello everyone. I am a 38 year old woman, experiencing all of the things you are all describing. I don't know whether to laugh or cry that I found this forum. I have always had perfect skin even to the point that people would always comment on how smooth and porceline my skin appeared.
Then about July or August of 2008 I started with the itchy skin around my eyes, it was minor at first and I thought I had been exposed to something... but here I am almost a year later and today I havent left the house because I look like I've been beaten. My eyes are swollen, purple and itching. I have a medium sized red swollen patch on one cheek and a long hive across my neck, that literally makes me look like my fiance took me by the neck and beat me!
I have tried changing all cosmetics, facial scrubs, detergents, moisturizers, shampoos to no avail. I also am experiencing the tingly almost numb (or constantly chapped) lips. I have not been to a doctor since I am self employed and carry no insurance. I've been researching everything online and for awhile started to wonder if it was thyroid related... I really dont know.
I've tried all of the over the counter meds such as histamine blockers or cortisone creams, they are all very temporary, and really don't offer much relief. I have even started to become depressed by this. I was out of town recently with my fiance's family in Philly, a much different area than my own home in the midwest and still had an extreme breakout one morning. I broke down and cried, I am absolutely frustrated beyond words.
I do have small hives on my arms mostly on the back of my arms near my armpits. I'm not heavy... I'm 5'2" about 125 pounds so I dont think its heat related since I'm usually cold anyway. I haven't had any outbreak on my torso or legs at all... very bizarre.
I wonder if we all started comparing journals of meds we take, foods we've eaten, atmosphere's we live and work in... if we could come up with some sort of connection...
Please let me know if anyone is interested in trying this?! I am at the point of desperation. If I can figure out how to post a pic on here I will show you what I look like and we can compare to see if our symptoms look the same.
Thank you all so much for posting your information on here. I pray we can help one another come up with an answer!
Much love,
Rachel

BIOTIN! BIOTIN! BIOTIN!
I've had the same rash on and off for about a year now and thanks to one of the comments I found here I'm better. Look it up, research it. Was one of those DUH moments that makes me wanna kick my doctors cause they were all clueless. Now I just wish I knew why I was deficient in Biotin since it's apparently difficult to become deficient in without eating a ton of raw eggs. But my rash has cleared up after 5 days when I've had it over 2 months this last time so I'm very happy regardless.

Tracy

A few weeks ago, I used Oil of Olay Regenerist daily cleanser for the first time. I used it two mornings in a row, and on the evening of the second day, I thought I was getting a pimple on my forehead. When I woke up the next morning, my forehead was all blistered and swollen, and red.

The rash moved down my cheek, over to the other side of my face, covered my chin, and went around my lips and down my throat and ears. It also appeared on my fingers and wrists, but no where else.

On the second day, my eyes began swelling up until I could barely see.

I tried washing my face with a mild cleanser I had been using since I was in high school. (I am now 56). I also tried Bees cream which I had bought at a loca lfarmer's market, and which had always cleared up cuts, scratches and burns really fast. I also tried witch hazel diluted with water. It just got worse.

After a week or so, I experienced the peeling. Finally, I thought I was okay. My skin had returned to normal for a week and a half. After that, I was very careful to only use mild hypo allergenic things on my face.

This morning, I woke up to another outbreak. I live on a remote island in Maine, and was looking for dermatologists in Maine, when I came across this thread. All day I have been drinking water, and I tried the cider vinegar and water thing. It really helps as long as I keep applying it every hour or two. My face is less red, and the rash is better, but after an hour or two, it starts tingling and the tight feeling comes back.

We are going off the island tomorrow so I can try to get some aquafor and Aveeno. I also just happened to have some of the Clarins Clarifying Lotion #2 that someone mentioned on hand.

So far, since the vinegar was helping, that's all I have used today. I dread looking in the mirror in the morning. I think I will keep the vinegar/water solution I mixed up next to the bed tonight, along with some cotton balls so I can use it if I start itching in the night.

Thanks all for posting. I hope we can find out the answer.

Oh, I also have allergies and asthma, but had never had skin allergies before, in case it helps to narrow this down.

I had all these same symtoms since February. Nothing I've tried worked. My Dr. put me on Dexpack (steroid) and it did some good but the side effects were horrible. I couldn't funtion and just wanted to sleep or throw up.
I'm lucky in that I don't work so I can sit home all day peeling my face. That's gross. A warm washcloth helps exfoliate too.
Right now, I'm using an over the counter alergy cream. It helps with the itch except for at the hairline.
It's comforting to know I'm not alone in this.

Robin

I finally couldn't stand it any longer. I went to the Dr. He was stumped. Gave me scripts for prednisone and claratin. The rash is gone but the dry, peeling skin is still with me. Not as bad as it was.

I just read through many of your posts and, while I'm not sure about this, some of you might want to consider eliminating gluten from your diets.

About 10 years ago I was getting frequent terrible rashes on the insides of my elbows, behind my knees, on my hand between thumb and forefinger and on my face. My face was red and scaley with tiny whiteheads all over and my eyelids would puff up and crack. Even the skin behind my ears would crack and ooze. It was horrible.

I went to an allergist who gave me a scratch test and told me I was all of a sudden terribly allergic to dust. When he tried to put me on a flight of steroids, I panicked and bailed. I then went through a long search, finally ending in my chiropractor telling me that this wasn't allergies, it was my liver. My body was full of toxins and, because it couldn't process them it was dumping them out through my skin. Turns out I was at least gluten intolerant and probably have celiac disease. I was suffering from something called Dermatitis Herpetiformis.

I haven't seen this show up yet on anyone's response, so I thought I'd put the information on here, just in case. If you want to look into it, start here: celiac.com/categories/Dermatitis-Herpetiformis:-Skin-Condition-Associated-with-Celiac-Disease.

When I was diagnosed with this disease, very few people had ever heard of it. I'm very lucky to have such an aware chiropractor. It's now becoming diagnosed more and more commonly, but there's still not full awareness, by a long shot. There's a very good chance your doctors wouldn't know what to look for because the disease is a systemic problem so it kicks up weird reactions all over the body. If you have it, chances are good you've suffered many disparate symptoms over time and didn't know they were all related.

I really hope this helps at least a few of you! And to the rest of you, good luck. Keep searching and consider branching outside of traditional western medicine for a cure. I went to the best traditional allergist L.A. has to offer and he wasn't willing or able to see the underlying issue. Suppressing the symptom isn't the answer if you can fix the underlying problem.

This is quite interesting to come across this exact thing with so many people having the same thing and NO common cause. I'm a 21 year old male living in Arizona. I've had this exact thing happen to me every single year at the same exact time range May- September, the hottest time of the year here in this state. It starts with a small itching under my right eye and it eventually spreads into my right eye swelling, then my left, then the itching, then the redness then the red blotchy rash that starts from the eye onto the top of the cheek to the ears back of the ears sometimes on my chin, never around my mouth.

Every single year since I believe 6th grade I have had this same problem, it was worse when I first came down with this mystery condition now it will basically make it to the swelling and rash I usually don't get to the horrible flaking and eyes swelling shut stage anymore.

A long long time ago when my eyes had almost both been completely swollen shut and grossed over, my doctor at the time had told me to use a non abrasive soap bar (I can't recall exactly what he had told me) but it was basically just a clear bar of soap and using that every day in the shower for about 3 days managed to clear everything up. The only thing that I can think of that may cause this is the flying ants that are more active during the summer months, the summer heat, or maybe the fact that monsoon season starts during the months that I experience this and the humidity makes something start to grow that I am allergic to.

Has this occurred at the same time each year for everyone who's been having this problem?

I have the same problem. It started with itchy, swollen eyes last April. Then it progressed into a rash on 1 side of my face. Near the hairline. Then progressed to the other side of my face. I've had it for over a year. I never had itchy eyes or a rash in my life. I went to a dermatologist and she did a biopsy and it came back negative for fungus, dermatitis, etc.
She said it was an internal reaction to something....but couldn't tell me what. I was diagnosed with celiac disease around 1 1/2 years ago.......but have eliminated all gluten from my diet......so I don't think it is that. I switched to all natural (no gluten) hair care products.........and I still have it. I'm very frustrated....so I know how you all feel. It comes and goes............pops up fast......and then goes a way for a litte while. It stings when it first starts and then turns itchy. I can feel it coming on. It still just stays on the sides of my face but runs up to around the eye level....then stops. Do you guys have similiar symptoms?

Have the same problem. I work with horses and I cant go in the sun, really desperate. Dr.s dont know, I have spent over $500.00 on
creams and 1 dr. put me on difulcan went to hospital 2 days later when rash on face was so bad. No body seems to know what is the cause. Really suffering here.
Dianna

Thank you all. I am 53 year old female with red, dry swollen, flaky skin around my eyes and mouth. I have not yet found the cause but did discover a way to get rid of the dry peeling skin symptom around my mouth. Moisturizers and oils had no effect. Two steps: First, wash the skin around your mouth with Selsen Blue with Aloe. This actually makes it worse and more dry but stops the itching. Second, find something with a flat edge that you can use to gently scrape your face. I use the long not-sharp side of my tweezers. Dip it in rubbing alcohol and gently smooth it over the peeling area with the flat side, putting plenty of alcohol on. Then use the long edge of the tweezers (not the end with the points), although it is not sharp, to gently scrape away the peeling skin which is wet with rubbing alcohol. Keep re-dipping the tweezers in the alcohol.
Also would like to contribute a possible clue: I went to San Francisco (I live on the east coast) for a visit. My symptoms completely disappeared the entire week I was there, waking up the first morning with completely clear skin. When I returned home, it immediately came back. This is helping me isolate by ruling out everything I had with me on the trip including my dog, makeup, toothpaste, etc. as well as everything I ate while there which included chocolate, wine, strawberries, cheese, peanuts, and some of the other typical suspects. I plan to try the vinegar cure mentioned in one of the other posts, since my latest suspect is a carpet that got flooded a while back. Plus I am getting rid of the carpet of course. This rang a bell with me because I know vinegar is a natural fungicide.

I finally got an answer. I had an allergy "scratch" test and tested positive for the foods chicken, peanuts, cow's milk, egg whites, and corn, and for dust mites and a common mold called aspergillus. I had eaten those foods all my life so I was skeptical. But I stopped eating the foods and reduced my exposure to dust mites and the mold with thorough cleaning, changing a/c filter, etc. In a day or two, the red, swollen, flaky rash around my eyes and mouth was gone. As far as my symptoms clearing up in San Francisco... Just per chance, I had not eaten any of those foods in San Francisco. A continental breakfast of fruit, toast, juice came with the room everyday, and we had Mexican carry-out of beans and rice and fruit type snacks the rest of the day. At home, cereal with milk, peanuts, peanut butter, corn tortillas, and corn chips were staples. Also, the southwest is the only place where aspergillus does not grow; even though San Francisco is further north, I wonder if it is true for that area too. The dust mites are a mystery because I stayed at a hotel (Hotel Nikko) and hotels usually have a lot of dust mites in the bedding.
Hope you all find relief soon. I will be watching this thread in hopes you are successful.
ps - I have always had reddish colored skin around my eyes with dark circles underneath, and thought it was just my natural coloring or aging. This has also gone away.

I too have had these same issues with the rash on cheeks and around nose and forehead with swelling and itchy eyes. After reading over 15 pages of forums I have one question for all of you that have posted infomation on this site.

Do any of you have bad teeth?

Twelve years ago I had the same problem. Derma told me I had herpies and gave me valtrex. Never took the valtrex because I was very confident that herpies was not the issue. During this time I was in college and had not seen the dentist in a couple of years and was having teeth problems. After I went to the dentist the rash on my face clear. Continued seeing the dentist for eight years on a regular basis and no rash. Two years ago I began working like a mad man and have been traveling for work. I have not been to the dentist in over two years and have started to have teeth problems again. Due to my work load I have put the dentist off and low and behold the rash is back. I have no idea if this is related, but I am scheduling a dentist appoitment to get my tooth fixed and will send some info in the rash again goes away.

I first posted back in June, when I started out with this problem. I'm the one who used Oil of Olay Regenerist Daily Scrub.

I had the problem all through May and June. Here in Maine, we finally got sunny weather in July, August, and the first week of September, and my face cleared up. I spent every day outdoors and had no problems, and thought I was over having these rashes.

Now we are getting rainy weather, and for the last three weeks my face has been a mess. Instead of starting around my eyes and forehead, it now starts on my chin, and the outside of my nose. My face turns red and swells up around my lips, and gradually moves up to include my eyes and forehead. I also have the itchy rash, almost like blisters, and the dry flakiness after it starts to clear up. I no sooner think it is getting better when it starts over again.

I have used nothing on my face except Cetaphil and vinegar/water. The sun seems to help my problem, and when we have rainy spells, it comes back. I'm dreading this winter.

Today, I am going to try water out of the ocean, since it seems to have healing properties. As a teenager, I had very few problems with acne, and I remember that when I did, the ocean water seemed to help. I'll let you all know if it helps with this.

A couple of weeks ago, when I was at my worst, I was working in my shop, and a lady and man came in. I said: "Excuse my face, but I used Oil of Olay Regenerist, and I was apparently allergic to it". The woman said: "That's our product". I said: "Oil of Olay?", she said "No, Proctor and Gamble". I told her the whole story, but of course she tried to deny the fact that it started with their product. I suppose, at least she saw what I looked like, but that doesn't do me any good.

i think a body detox may be the answer to unexplained rashes, tiredness, and other problems... the body needs to detox itself of toxins every 6 month that accumulates over time due to poor diet, lack of sleep, lack of exercise etc etc. check if your lymph nodes are swollen by any chance by (especially by the neck), that might have something to with the face getting easily swollen. what is happening on our skin is just the body's way of communicating to you that something is not working properly within . this calls for a change of habits to turn clean our body inside out.
also the optimal time to sleep is between 10- 3am. it is between these specific hour where our livers and gallbladders are cleansing and detoxifying itself which requires us to rest while they so.
research more on how to have a detox plan.

What kind of toxins are you referring to specifically and what would you need to do to avoid getting them in the first place? Can you let me know?