dry skin on face

[prophecy_07]

I'm a 20 year old male and I've been suffering from severe dry skin above and below my lips for a little over a year. The skin from time to time will become inflamed and itch badly. It also becomes chapped and and I can rub off white flaky skin and it's very noticeable. Recently, a little over a week, I've been using a moisturizer that helped with the flaking problem, but now the pigmentation of the dry skin is much lighter then the rest of my face and also very noticeable. I was wondering if there is any thing I can use to help restore my natural skin color or just alleviate the problem all together. I saw my doctor about 2 months ago and she gave me some aquaphor cream that didn't help at all and I asked her again if she had any suggestions and she just said no and didn't seem to want to help me at all. I've tried a variety of different thing including a psoriasis gel which also had no affect. I've become desperate for an answer and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated seeing as the condition is very noticeable since it's on my face. The condition also worsens with smoking which I've also given up a little less then a month ago. thanks.    

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
I cannot confirm without examination but it can be eczema. Wash the areas several times with fresh water. Do not use any cosmetic products at the sites. You can apply some calamine lotion at the rash as it will help in soothing the skin. You can take some OTC oral antihistamine medications like Benadryl or Claritin and see if it helps.

For mild-moderate eczema a weak steroid may be used (e.g. hydrocortisone as dermacort), whilst more severe cases require a higher-potency steroid (e.g. clobetasol propionate, fluocinonide).

Eczema can be exacerbated by dryness of the skin. Use good quality moisturizers to prevent moisture loss from the skin.

If still the symptoms do not improve then pls get a clinical examination done by a dermatologist.
Hope it helps.Take care and regards.