Recurring Rash on Face, Eczema related?

[MCopley]

I have had eczema all my life, and over the past year it became severely worse, I was seen on regular intervals by a dermatology specialist, and the eczema which was covering over 90% of my body has been kept at bay from several creams and 6 months on 60 mg ciclosporin tablets. I also had a patch test done and was told i am allergic to nickel.

I am still having check ups with my dermatologist every few months however, i wanted to get a second opinion on something in particular. For the last few weeks i've been getting small rashes appear on my face; i normally use protopic cream on my face to keep eczema at bay, however these rashes seem to be different. They occur every so often on my chin, under my eyes and around the cheek/nose area. They look like little spots, and are especially tender under my eyes and more recently under my right eye it has begun to swell slightly whilst this red patch had been present. I don't feel the protopic is the right treatment for this. Could this be an allergic reaction to something or would you be able prescribe anything for it?

[jktebben]

One day, about a year ago, I threw up from eating something that tasted bad. (I have a sensitive gag reflex). Anyway, immediately after, I looked in the mirror and saw that my face had red itchy burning patches of skin on my cheekbones and around my eyes. I thought it was probably something my skin was sensitive to, or it had become inflammed from throwing up and took some benedryl. The rash has since hung around and only goes away for a day or two, if I apply cortisone. I've been to dermatology, had a patch test done and found my skin is indeed sensitive to some items. I've also seen several doctors who tell me it looks like this, that or the other. I've been prescribed everything for every kind of rash there is, stopped wearing makeup, began using only the unscented stuff the dermatologist suggested and NO change whatsoever. Then, suddenly, I would find rashes throughout my body. On the backs of my legs, under my arms, on my ankles...same story. They go away if I put cortisone on them, but return a day later. I've been tested for lupus, had my thyroid checked, which came back that I was hypo--started medication, went back 6 weeks later to test my thyroid levels again and they are now back to normal. Still....the rashes are there. I feel like no one is listening to me. I feel like these doctors aren't testing me for DISEASE and it's been a year now. I'm also BURIED in medical bills as a result of the countless trips to the primary and dermatologist. Now, my doctor wants me to see an allergist, but I am simply tapped out of money. I can't afford anymore bills. Health Partners has me on a payment plan for bills and they can't even tell me what's causing this. I'm so upset all the time, stressed to the max! And no doctor I've seen cares. No one cares.

[ducky406]

My mom is so allergic to make up that mascara and eyeliner will make her eyelashes fall out and her eyes swell. My own personal reaction isn't nearly as bad, but I use nothing that isn't mineral.. so yes see how you react without the blush and mascara.

If you rule something out make sure you do it one at a time. For example if you take out all the typical food allergies: wheat/gluten, dairy/ whey, eggs, fish, soy, chocolate, Msg, food dyes, fake sugars, caffeine, etc. you won't know which is causing it. Go without something for a week or two to see how your body reacts. Then slowly add it back- any change?  These are a good place to start from because they are the causes for most food allergies. You can also talk to a doctor to ask for testing, there are specific tests they can look for to see if you have an allergy to a food item. Sometimes people have to remove multiple things to remove all symptoms.

The thyroid gets told to start working by the TSH (Thyroid Signaling Hormone) from another organ (I believe the adrenal gland). Anyway if you thyroid isn't working like it should the gland goes crazy and starts pumping out TSH to get the thyroid to work. If your thyroid is working too hard the glad shuts down TSH production to try and make the thyroid stop. It's a bit confusing but your thyroid is doing the inverse of what the TSH says. So if you have a high level (usually 6+) your thyroid is probably under active and you might have hypothyroidism; and if your levels are very low (like under 1) you might have hyperthyroidism. The T3 and T4 are the actual hormones that the Thyroid uses and FREE T3 and t4 tests tell you how much are available to be used. So these tests basically tell how well your thyroid is functioning on a molecular level and not whether or not another gland in your body says it's working "enough". So now here is where my problems start and why I suggest a Thyroid test...

I have had highish levels of TSH since I was 12 (when they were first tested). They were always between 4.0 and 7 so none of the doctors wanted to treat me for hypothyroidism because it was still within their medical definition of "normal". YET I was experiencing the common symptoms- weight gain, difficulty loosing weight, constipation, foggy mind, lethargy, fatigue... and dry skin. My skin would get horrible rough patches of skin all over; my knuckles would get so dry they would crack and bleed every winter. This dry skin I just assumed were patches of eczema and no doctor ever said differently because it looked and acted like my regular eczema that I get in reaction to my main allergy (fragrance). And the weight problems and constipation was due to everything from family history to a bad diet to me not being active enough. Hypothyroidism can be hard to diagnose sometimes so mine wasn't treated or acknowledged until July of last year. I seriously had 12 years of doctors saying oh your TSH is high, but maybe your just depressed because of genetics. Oh it's high but maybe your hair is just falling out for another reason. Oh your obese, that just means you're not dieting and exercising. I was never tested for Free T3 and T4 which could have shown obviously that I was NOT ok.

HOWEVER, after I was treated everything went into place, including things I never knew was a problem- like my eczema. I always assumed that because I'm allergic to fragrance and it's in just about everything I will always have some eczema. I have had only one out break in the past 4 months and that was due to laundry powder. It went away as fast as the allergen was removed.  My skin has never been healthier than it is now and I know it's all because of my thyroid problem being treated.

Now if these symptoms don't sound like you at all then maybe it is just an unknown allergy acting up. But if you feel like you might have some of those symptoms, it's definitely worth getting your thyroid tested.

[MCopley]

Thanks for your response, i am aware of the products containing nickel as i was informed fof this when i received the results of my patch test. I tend to steer clear of using products on my face. However i do wear mascara and on occasion blusher; I am going to start monitoring my skin with/without blusher i i feel this could be a possibility.

I do not have any other allergies (that i am aware of) but i have not ruled out food and this could be a possibility. I have tried to relate my eating habits to when the rash seems to appear but i can not find any food or product which seems to make this flare. Should i try ruling out food groups? i.e. all dairy products etc.

Could you tell me more on this thyroid level testing? Has there been a known correlation between it and eczema? As i have never come across this needing to be done when i have gone to my GP or Dermatologist regarding my skin. Also what do the T3 and T4 tests measure?

Thank you for your advice, i am looking forward to hearing your correspondence.

[ducky406]

It's possible it was from an allergy. Do you have any allergies besides nickel? Are you aware that nickel can be in stainless steel -so any jewelry under 9 karat gold and maybe even chains or zippers? It can also be in money, do you handle a lot of cash? It can also potentially be in the containers that could hold make up- do you wear a lot of makeup? Also make up has a bunch of other nasty stuff in it so it's possible that to be causing problems for sensitive skin, regardless of the nickel potential.

Have you had food allergies ruled out? I know that some people can get eczema in reaction to a food allergy. Also I'd suggest getting your thyroid levels tested because having my thyroid recognized as a problem and treated has removed 99% of the eczema that I've had since I was 2 weeks old. Not that there is anything wrong with your thyroid, but you never know. Ask your doctor to get your levels tested and push for a Free T3 and T4 test as well as the standard TSH because they are a bit more reliable at telling you what your thyroid is doing.