Burning irritating sensation

Hello doctor, for the last 3 days I have been experiencing a burning sensation and lot of irritation on the lower left side of my head. When i touch that area, it feels like some small bumps but it is has a burning and irritating sensation. I applied neosporin thinking it was an infection. Now it seems to irritate the infected area even more. Please advise on any medication that I can apply to the affected area.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

I cannot confirm anything without examination but it sounds like irritant contact dermatitis. Irritant dermatitis, the most common type of contact dermatitis, involves inflammation resulting from contact with acids, alkaline materials such as soaps and detergents, cosmetics, or other chemicals.

Avoid using any lotions and creams over the skin for the meantime. Wash the skin with a mild cleanser with moisturizing properties like Cetaphil. Pat it dry. Then apply a good hypoallergenic moisturizer over the area and see if this improves.If the symptoms still persist then you can apply mild steroid like dermacort.

If the irritation persists then pls get it evaluated from a dermatologist.
Hope it helps .Take care and pls do keep us posted in case you have any additional queries.Kind regards.