unusual facial eruption

[Terry]

My 14 year old daughter has a rash on her facial cheeks, that has erupted the past 4 years between April and June.It comes in the early a.m. and begins below the eyes,extremely red, warm.and edematous.It progresses to involve the entire cheeks, markedly sparing the forehead,chin and nose.In severe cases the hot stage last 2 to 4 days ,then the tissue turns tan and taunt and sloughs
Currently treatment is ice packs, Benadryl and vaseline, activity increases the warmth.She has seen a pediatric dermatologist and her colleages at Rochester Mayo and the U of Minn.A Rhuematologist was also seen. After extensive lab. and photo testing and also a biopsy to rule out phototoxic reaction, photo allergic reaction, polymorphous light eruption, underlying connective tissue disease and disorder of porphryin metabolism,the final impression was Atypical facial eruptions.She has eliminated all scented soaps, detergents,lotions,perfumes, etc.wears sunscreen and hats and has done extensive loggings of diet and activities with no connective factor found.She has seen a Chiropractor and accupuncturist and taken many herbal meds.She is an active growing girl, does not have her menstral cycle, and tans easily.She does not have any other signs of illness during outbreaks, i.e. temp.joint pain ,weakness, sore throat. No vesicles, bullae or milla formation noted. History of fifth disease in elementary.  Rx tried westcort,prednisone,atarax,keflex. Any ideas?

[e from london]

to answer a Comment By: Keila on Thursday, April 20, 2000

I am not a doctor, but your condition sounds extremely like mine which started at the age of 17, and was later diagnosed as acne rosacea.

good luck on finding a suitable remedy.

[Keila]

I'm 19 years old and for the last 4-5 years I have been having skin problems.  I have gone to many dermatologist, but all their medication dries out my skin.  My skin started out red on the right side of my cheek, then it spread to the left and it comes and goes regularly.  Sometimes I use a medication that gets rid of redness but eventually it comes back and my whole face is red.  My dermatologist first said I have acne and later said I had rosacea.  She must be wrong because I found out only people between 30 and up get that skin disorder. Please someone help me.  I have some little white bumps on my face, that have something to do with the redness.  I don't use makeup or anything allergic.  Please help me, I'm considering chemical peels, is it recommended?

[Erica Ann Lehnert]

This is a very important question!  I recently got a makeover at a cosmetic counter and they used a moisturizer with Vitamin E.  And like always it resulted in little bumps that are itchy on my facial skin.  I can't even use sunscreen because vitamin e is always an ingredient.  Why is this happening, can I use any products with vitamin e, please help me!

[Ethel Morris]

I also have a problem with an eruption on the top of my nose.  It started out as a pimple looking thing that would get hard pieces inside of it which I pulled out with needles and tweezers.  It began to spread so I went to see 3 different dermatologists.  None of them had ever seen the condition before.  It has been there for 2 years now and after one doctor froze it, it grew.  It is now the size of a quarter and I need to daily pick out the hard splinter-like pieces or they become too painful to bear.  It is not Eczema, psoriasis, or roseacea.  It has also been biopsied and is not cancerous.  I would appreciated any help that anyone can give to me so that I may obtain a bit of relief.  My e-mail address is ***@****.  Thank - You!

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

Terry:

I'm flattered that you think I can help with a condition which stumped the experts at Mayo.  Unfortunately, your description does not remind me of anything I've seen or read about.  I'm afraid I have nothing to add, except to say that it certainly does not sound part of any systemic condition.  Time will tell, perhaps by having the problem go away as mysteriously as it came.

Good luck.

Dr. R

[Stinky]

ANYBODY PLEASE HELP ME. this is the first chat sight i have come across dealing with skin disorders, and there is no room for new questions, so i am asking mine as a comment (I apologize, but if i don't get some kind of answer fast, my mental depression will get much worse).  I have had a CONTAGIOUS disorder for the past year, which I can not seem to get diagnosed.  I know it's contagious because my partner has it also. He doesn't know what it is either, and i believe i contracted it from him after intercourse.  Many of my symptoms involve my skin, but I'm concerned it may be some type of systemic disease.  I believe the onset of the infection began with "cold-like" symptoms that lasted 2-4 weeks. this "ill" period, I later realized, occurs every so often (3-4 months-making it seem like a virus), followed by a series of other symptoms. This "cold" has a very distinctive pattern: a persistent cough, producing yellow to green to brown phlem, depending on how heavy i'm smoking around the time, sinus infection, hoarseness that lasts about a week with no pain, general ill feeling, loss of appetite. The first outbreak was followed by numerous extremely painful ulcers in my right nostril(the right nostril of my partner also).  This lasted a month or more. the ulcers seemed to form, swell, pulsate, ooze a clear fluid that smelled bad, crust over and heal. the ulcers stopped forming and healing, but one stayed near the tip of my nose(near the opening, at the top, under the ridge, and has never completely gone away). The same thing with my partner. Now every time I have an "outbreak" (cold-like symptoms)the same ulcer enlarges and a clear, foul smelling dischrge comes from it. As the cold symptoms go away the ulcer heals some but doesn't go away completely and it makes my whole right nostril sore. During this year I have had many, many skin outbreaks. My face always appears to have acne, but it's not normal. The bumps are painful, numerous and more like sores (the majority on my forehead) and they too, when touched have the same foul odor.  At first I got sores in my scalp(1st outbreak), then my chest(2nd outbreak), now on my back. At one time my partner had them on his waistline.  First I feel itching and tingling in the spot they develop. These "bumps" are deep, a little larger than a pimple, and painful to the touch, very painful to bust, and they emit the same odor. The area of skin where the bumps form gets very sensitive, burns, swells(not visibly),reddens,tightens,and a film forms over my skin that feels greasy and has that same bad smell. Eventualy the outbreak will begin to cease and everything seems to heal, leaving small scars where i pick, and my skin remains rough. Nothing seems to cover up this bad smell. I have very good hygiene, even better since all of this, yet two hours after I bathe I can smell it on my hands.(That's because it comes out of my skin and I spread it by touching those parts of my skin)The smell seems to be worse when it gets on my hands, even baby powder only temporarily absorbs the smell.  I am just getting over the cold symptoms, with this outbreak (the third-including the onset-as far as i can tell) my scalp, chest, and back(top of shoulders and neck) are all involved and emitting the odor. but my back (the newest area involved) is the area that's painfull, swollen and the most foul-smelling. With each outbreak the tip of my nose on the outside gets sensitive, itchy, raw, and would peel and scar if irritated, the whole right side of my face seems to be slightly infected and swollen, my eye looks smaller, waters, itches, and dialates differently. my right inner ear feels infected, i get mouth ulcers inside only (hard or soft palate or tongue),my right sinuses is mostly infected, my right nostril flares(at first a lot), (other symptoms possibly wich aren't fresh on my mind)I used to get muscle spasms more often than normal, now I have muscle pains, and minor headaches all over at different times, mainly near my sinuses (I have never been prone to headaches in the past). This smell is so embarrassing and makes me feel like a walking infection, one could smell it if they walk close enough to me; I have cought people turning their nose up at me or taking a "second smell", disgusted by the odor. I need to get some form of diagnosis, not only for my physical health, but my mental health as well. I have seen a PC physician, EN&T specialist(said it was staph--not), STD clinic-all negative blood tests-no HIV, no syphilis, though I did have vaginosis. My last visit to Dr. said possibly a form of herpes because of the ulcer, but no way to be for sure. I don't think that's the answer either. ANY RESPONSE IS GREATLY APPRECIATED. Most dr.'s have considered me a cocain adict or a crazy person and I am far from either. I just get emotional about it because it's getting hard for me to deal with. I need to know how contagious it is, how all it's contracted so i am careful not to pass this horrible condition onto anyone else. PLEASE, PLEASE RESPOND IF YOU CAN SHARE ANY HELPFUL INFO, I AM DOWN TO MY LAST RESULT. I'M GETTING CLOSE TO SLICING MY WRISTS HERE. If it helps at all I live in NE Louisiana, maybe some new epidemic!? p.s I know of at least three other people with this condition, we used to socialize, never lived together and none of us knows where "it" started or what "it" is.          

[Stinky]

in case it matters the stuff in these "infectious pimples" is always white to yellow or grayish and thick, sometimes hard, and smells bad. the outsideskin is tough, and the bump is deep and painful, especially after bursting. These bumps don't burst on their own, I do it, but they seem to heal faster and the smell goes away faster if i do. If i don't, they dry up SOME after a WHILE, and lose the painful feel, then they look like little hard whiteheads that still contain the smell, just not as much of it. I am trying to give details so someone will say "oh man, i know exactly what that is..."    ...here's hoping. i still have some years left, i'll only be 21 this year, my partner is 44, so i will outlive him, i'm sure. Will i ever be able to be intimate with anyone else again?