inflamed neck?

[danafull]

I have an inflamed neck that started as a little patch of redness here and there.  The last 2 days it has slowly gotten worse and woke me up last night stinging and burning.  Feels like a bad sunburn or nettles of the neck.  Now it is my whole front neck and upper chest area and feels like it is moving toward the back of the neck and onto the cheeks.  
I have tried everything...antihistamines-oral and topical cream-zyrtec, benadryl cream, cortizone cream, clamine lotion, aquaphor, healing oils, cold compresses...nothing is helping.  
Can't think of any new foods, beverages, clothes, products...nothing
Have a Dr.s appt wed. afternoon but not sure i should wait.
I have a lot of allergies and asthma, but this is all topical, I am having no throat issues or wheezing.
Any thoughts?

[danafull]

thanks dr. for your input!   no swollen lymph nodes, no sore throat, no bumps on the neck, just red, itchy and stingy and dry.  last night i tried a benadryl at bedtime and aquaphor for the dryness and it seems no worse, finally, and perhaps even a little bit better

[Dr Santos]

In this case, with your history of colds, this could be  a viral exanthem. In particular, rubella or german measles may present with enlarged lymph nodes, sore throat, nausea, or fever. The lymph nodes are swollen along the neck and behind the ears. The rash develops up to five days after the symptoms first occur. The rash is described as small red patches and bumps  that start on the face and neck and disappears the same way it came. Otherwise, you may need to have this checked by your doctor. Direct clinical examination of the rash is important for proper diagnosis.

[danafull]

don't really feel like this is chronic, if it is, it just started with a bang. i had a cold last week but the symptoms assoc with that ended mostly as this started.  this is day 3

[Dr Santos]

Hi,

Are there other symptoms present? Poikiloderma of Civatte is a chronic, benign skin condition in fair-skinned adults, which is probably caused by long-term sun exposure. It shows a specific pattern of color change in the skin due to sun damage to the neck and sometimes the center of the chest. This is also associated with aging. There are no oral or topical medications that can improve this condition. However it is important to use sun-protective measures to prevent further damage. If there is no relief with the medications you've tried and this condition persists, I would recommend that you have this evaluated by your doctor for proper management. Take care and keep us posted.