wrinkles at 21!?

[babygirl08005]

for the past couple months,ive been experiancing dry,itcy patches all around my face& neck...they were red too..i finally made doctor appts, when my eyelids were swelling up with tha dry red patches...she  recommended me to an allergist,who diagnosed me with mild eczema... now my concern is i have wrinkles under my lower eyelids! & sometimes puffiness to accompany it..im so stressed out with it...should i use wrinkle creams? somebody please help me im only 21 ;(    

[Sandy Feldman, MD, MS]

Dear babygirl08005,

I would recommend that you seek the care of an eyeMD to determine the best treatment for your eyes.  Wrinkle creams will not help the eczema, which may also be occurring around the skin of your eyelids.

Dr. Feldman

Sandy T. Feldman, M.D., M.S.
ClearView Eye and Laser Medical Center
San Diego, California

[yarrow]

Unfortunately, it's not enough to buy a product because the advertising says it's mild or natural or hypoallergenic.  You have to read those little, teeny-tiny ingredient lists, and here are the first three ingredients in Aveeno Body Wash:

Water, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate

See anything there that the allergists have flagged as a possible bad boy?

[babygirl08005]

your right i didnt even realize that there was a dermatology forum...when i first woke up with the dry itchy red patches & swollen  eyelids at one time i was devastated and my doctor gave me methylprednisolone tablets ,and when i took them i didnt see much of a diffrence.. my 1st appt at the allergist,she prescribed dermasmoothe, but that was just for tha small exzema patches on my face and neck...i still wakeup with wrinkels under my eyes &bags...im gettng more than enough sleep,and have since changed my bodywash to aveeno,ive switcheds all of my makeup& creamsits so frusterating because i cant think of anything differant that ive done to be causing this...ive been using proactive for months& months  before these issues have started...who knows...thank u so much for helping me

[yarrow]

Two questions:  What did your allergist prescribe?  You should have come home with some kind of medication, like 1% hydrocortisone, plus recommendations for what to do about your skin.

And probably you'll get more answers by posting in the Dermatology forum at medhelp.

However, since I have this problem myself, I'll say something.  Your redness, wrinkles, and puffiness are almost certainly related to whatever you're allergic to, so stay away from all sexy new creams until you know what's irritating your skin.  Get back to basics--just a couple of non-irritating products.  The location of your irritated skin suggests shampoo or face/body cleanser as a likely problem.

In 2004, the American Contact Dermatitis Society named a surfactant called Cocamidopropyl betaine as their "contact allergen of the year."  High honors, indeed!  Now, if you grab a handful of shampoos or cleansers at the market--including baby shampoos--that particular compound will be in the top three or four ingredients of ALL of them.  Based on experience, I'd recommend that you buy a little bottle of a bland cleanser named Cetaphil for your face, and at the health food store, a bottle of shampoo called California Baby Super Sensitive Shampoo and Body Wash.  Neither of these  products has cocamidopropyl betaine in them.

Dont use anything else (!) on your face or hair for two weeks, not even sunblock (wear a hat), and your problem should be much, much better.  If it isn't, then you need to go back to the allergist.  After the irritation has calmed down, you can try adding your old favorites back--but just one at a time--to see if you get a flareup.