Post Punk Kitchen Forum

About two months ago, I started having dry skin in the area between my eyebrows. I've never had dry skin problems before. I was in the middle of moving at the time, so I figured it was just a combination of stress and maybe reacting to dust in my environment, so I didn't worry about it. It was just SUPER SUPER ITCHY and obnoxious.

Well, now I have the same thing down the sides of my nose, across my forehead, and sometimes my eyelids too. Logic would suggest I'm having an allergic reaction to something, but there's absolutely nothing I could be having an allergic reaction to. I don't use anything on my face that I could possibly be allergic to, switching products hasn't helped, I didn't introduce anything new into my body two months ago, and moving to a completely new environment didn't have any effect at all. It doesn't seem to be contagious since nobody around me has it and it hasn't spread to any other parts of my body. It comes and goes; sometimes it's much worse than others. I am probably making it worse by scratching when it itches, but I don't know what else to do to make it stop itching and I have really sensitive skin so I can't tolerate just sitting around being itchy.

I want to go to an allergist or a dermatologist or something, but there's no way I can afford that right now. I'll have health insurance again in January and if this is still going on then, I'll look into that, but right now, it's just me and whatever I can figure out on my own to do about this. So, help me, PPK! What do I do about my itching??

This sounds like hay fever to me. Mine developed really suddenly one day and it sounds like the same type of itchiness. I'm not sure what you can buy over the counter over there versus have to have prescribed, but maybe try an over the counter antihistamine for hay fever until you're able to see a doctor? If it does end up being hay fever I like the steroid nasal sprays better than the antihistamine tablets because they work better and don't make me drowsy.

Do you blush easily?

Sounds like eczema to me. Is it red?

Flaking skin on the affected area or just the itching?

I could have pretty much written this post, I have a really similar sound issue going on right now. It's mostly between my eyebrows, across my eyelids and around my eyes. Redness, flakiness, super dry and itchy. It's horrible and I've been blaming it on the make-up I wear, except that I still have it even when I don't wear make-up for days. And pretty much anything I put on it makes it worse and more red - even splashing water on my face. Sometimes it will get better for a little while and then bam! it's back, so in conclusion, I have no idea what it is.

This definitely sounds like eczema. Can you get E45 cream/lotion in the US? My sister who has eczema uses that (though I am not sure if it is vegan). There are several non-prescription eczema creams you can get, and if it isn't eczema, they shouldn't do you any harm.

Yeah, I'm doing the Google thing now and it does sound like eczema! Someone who has eczema asked me last week if it were eczema, even. It didn't look the same as her eczema, though. But it is red, and very itchy, and scaley in a couple spots. The thing that's confusing, though, is that I've NEVER had a problem with dry skin before...it just sort of appeared one day for no explicable reason, and I don't put anything on my skin because I already know I have sensitive skin and I react badly to fragrances and harsh chemicals. Can eczema just appear out of nowhere? The info I'm finding says it can be stress related, which would certainly explain a lot, but is it possible that stress ALONE can cause it? I mean, I feel like that could make it WORSE if you already have eczema, but...can it really cause eczema in someone who's never had it before?

So weird! And SO ITCHY :(

Absolutely it can appear out of nowhere - I can go literally two years without a sign, then suddenly wake up one morning with red scaly lumps on my neck. And don't be put off by the fact that it doesn't look like your friend's - five different people could have five completely different rashes and it could all be eczema. My sister's looks different on different parts of her body. I'm not an expert, but I would say it is possible (if unlikely) that stress alone could cause it. And again, I don't think it matters that you've never had it before. I know you can't afford to see the doctor, but could you ask a pharmacist for an opinion? I don't know if you do that in the US, but here in the UK they are used to offering opinions on minor ailments (not calling yours minor, but you know what I mean).

It could be other things than eczema. It could be rosacea or seborrhoeic dermatitis, for example.

Omg my face is itchy too! It's been itchy on the side of my cheek closer to my nose/mouth (but only one side of my face) and my jawline randomly. It's not visible and it doesn't look dry or anything. I don't even wear makeup on my skin, so I have no clue what it could be.

That's what I was thinking.

You could try a hydrocortisone cream for a bit? You can get it over the counter in a pharmacy, get around 1% or less in the cream. Use it VERY SPARINGLY and not for long (it can thin your skin and cause stretchmarks if used for a long time) but it should stop the itching. If it is eczema or seborroeic dermatitis it should help.

I get this when the weather changes drastically-I put some vitamin E oil on it, but gah now I don't know if that's vegan.

My friend let me borrow some of her hydrocortisone cream. It did help quite a bit, but I don't want to go buy some unless I can find a product that isn't from a company that uses animal testing. Does anyone know if there is one?

I have this exact same question! Dr. Google has not helped me. I've also been curious about some of the ingredients list: glycerin, for example and whether or not the hydrocortisone is synthetic.

Aren't there generic drug store brands of hydrocortizone? I don't think the generic brands would necessarily test, but hydrocortizone has been around for a long time so obviously its been tested at some point by someone.