Forehead rash acne or an allergic reaction?

[At Wits' End]

My daughter, age 18, recently developed a red, bumpy rash on her forehead only. Before January of this year, she had almost clear skin--just a few pimples now and then. She washed her face with Clearasil face wash some of the time, and also used Clearasil Vanishing Cream with benzoyl peroxide for certain spots at times. My daughter has hay fever, for which she takes Claritin in the summer months. Just before Christmas she had an episode with puffy, swollen eyes, after smelling and handling herbal-scented soaps in a store. Then, after Christmas, she decided the benzoyl peroxide in the Clearasil cream also made her eyelids swell, so she stopped using it. About the same time, her friend bought her a new winter hat, and she wore it a lot on a week-long ski trip. It was wool, with polyester fleece on the inside where it touched the forehead. Dating from that week in January, my daughter has had a reddish, bumpy rash all over her forehead, but nowhere else. She stopped the benzoyl peroxide and used salicylic acid gel for a while. But the rash got no better--if anything, it was worse. Lately, she's been washing with Dove soap for sensitive skin and applying hydrocortisone cream, as recommended by a doctor friend. It's not working! She says the rash doesn't itch, although I catch her "picking" at it sometimes. It seems to be a combination of dry skin and rash right now. At times it looks somewhat better, but then it looks worse again. The rash bumps are fairly small and close together, which looks more like a rash than acne. I have set an appointment with a dermatologist, but it's not until March 11. In the meantime, my daughter is suffering, because she thinks she looks terrible. Is there anything we can do to help right now? Thanks.

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Sounds like acne to me.  The shampoo and hat are most likely not relevant.  It's hard to explain why acne chooses to come in a certain place at a certain time.

What to do until the dermatologist visit?

1.  Gentle cleansing with a nonmedicated soap (Dove, Purpose)
2.  No picking!
3.  I would hold off on any other OTC creams for now, so as not to confuse the issue.

Your daughter's frustration is understandable, but acne takes months to clear, and trying to speed it up often delays things.  But there seems little reason to doubt that she can be helped a lot, and relatively simply too.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff

[dom1n1c]

hi i am 28 years old and have newver had acne (the odd spot but thats it) but i have for the last 3 days been suffering from exactly the same symptoms?  the only extra comment is that it is worse when i get hot and then it slightly burns.  there is also a little bit of the sam spot/dry skin on my cheek just left of my nose.  do you think this is acne?
(4 months ago i came off a large dose course of steroids which i had been on for 6 months due to a relapse of crohns disease which i suffer from)
hope you can help

cheers
dom

[ctall5]

A related discussion, Forehead rash/swollen eyelids was started.

[distressed__sometimes]

A related discussion, Allergic Reaction was started.