peeling skin under nose

[345medhelpFAN]

Hello -

Sometime in early December I got a cold with nasal conjestion.  The cold went away in about a week, but left the openings to my nostrils red and flaky.  It calmed down a tad, but all winter long its still a little irrtated.  I tried Neospirin for some time, no luck.  I tried facial lotion, no luck.  Then I tried 1% hydrocortisone and it seemed to help.  But it won't just go way completely and if i do blow my nose it seems to come back.  I know the winter can be dry, I have added a humidifer to my bedroom, it seems to help a little.

Should I keep putting on the hydrocortisone twice a day?  I have been using if for about 10 days, I have backed off a little bit and I have blown my nose some in the past few days and it looks like its irritated again.

thanks.

[Playing Doctor]

I had the same thing after a cold. My husband used my nose spray, which I thought a bad idea.  After the cold lessened, my nose started peeling was red and burned.  Makeup covered it, but without makeup I looked bad.
My doctor told me to use the jock itch cream and mix it with a little hydrocrodisone for the itch.
It was gone in less than a week.  I had had the rash and burning for several months.
Try the jock itch cream.  Buy the expensive brand. I believe it was lamisil.
Good luck.
I'm not a doctor, just play one with my family!

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

It sounds as though you have irritation from nose-blowing.  Mild hydrocortisone should help, along with moisture lotions and gentle cleansing.  Now that your cold is gone, the irritation should go away too.

Take care.

Dr. Rockoff