raised circular dry, scaley and itchy rash on my forehead?

[jane1981]

hello...about five weeks now i  had a rash on my forehead. At first, it was red and then it changed to a white color. Patch is scaley and it itches!!! it won't go away. Please help me dx this problem. I don't have health insurance.  Is it from my face being to dry?  

[beckyk221]

I know your comment is old; but I had a similar problem in 2007 started when I was in MA and by the time I moved back to FL (2nd time; lived there; 1st time this had every happened) it was so bad that I had to wash/wet hair every day cause it was all across forehead and down the sides of hair lines. I too did the lotions and everything I could thing of (was trying to find jobs and it didn't look very appealing).  I finally decided to ask a pharmasist and he said the only way to "completely" get rid of it is a steroid creame. How true that may be after another week or more I decided it wouldn't hurt to try an OTC creame (may not help; but was worth a shot) and within in days target brand (cortizone if I remember right) cleared it up so much and though I occasionally still get patches here and there; overall it has not come back like it started.

[jane1981]

thanks! I will be making an appointment to see a doctor or an dermatologist soon because nothing seems to work. I do apply lotion to keep it moisturized but it doesn't help at all. within the next couple hours or the next day it'll get very dry and scaley again!

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

Without examination,confirming a diagnosis is tough but this kind of rash can be contact dermatitis,sweat or seborrheic dermatitis,eczema or psoriasis.

Most likely,it loks like a case of eczema but other possibilities also have to be ruled out. Eczema is a form of chronic dermatitis (rash).Allergic reaction is one of the important causes of eczema. Allergic reaction can occur to strong soaps, Solvents, chemicals, certain foods, food additives, plants, metals, cosmetics, even urine and faeces of some animals (dust mites).

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).

These itchy dry rashes 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.

I hope that helps. Please do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional queries. Kind regards.