Question:
I recently developed some skin rash around my waist area. A band that
started on the left and right side and soon spread to the back and belly
area. Saw a dermatologist and he prescribed some ointment, after
applying for several days it cleared up. Then it came back, reapply,
clear up, and came back. It then spread to the upper back and lower
belly after the waist area is cleared up. The dermatologist told me
that this is a "topical Ezema?" and that even though I never had it
before in 35 years it can come up suddenly, and the fact that I did have
hay fever when I lived in LA (watery eyes, running nose due to poor air
quality) and this is sort of like "hay fever of the skin". I have to be
very careful and see what may have caused this all of a sudden. I have two basic questions:
(1) I started to have this condition after I did a pretty major
remodeling job. I painted, I hung drywalls, patched, tapped, tiled,
sanded, did lots of drilling and sawing with saw dust flying all over
the place and I was sweating a lot around the waist. Could this be a
cause? Some chemical I touched? But for it to stay around after it has
been done for months? I did a patch test and it showed that I was
allergic to nickel, nothing else. I am not able to pin point to source.
(2) Lately the rash has spread to my groin area, and the doctor
prescribed this PSORCON e Emollient Ointment. When I asked whether this
will be too strong to apply to the groin area, he hesitated and said
that "two weeks should be OK". But it cleared up in two weeks, and came
back in three weeks. He asked me to apply it again. Does anyone know
much about this ointment? Should I be worried? I have used it
intermittently for 6 weeks now.
Answer:
First - I have never heard of the ointment so can't help in that way.
You didn't say if you have started using a different detergent on
clothes, a new soap in shower, etc. Has the doctor ruled out contact
dermatitis?On Thu, 23 Sep 1999 02:53:35 -0400, Someone
The doctor suspected contact dermatitus and he tested my belt. He thought
may be I am sensitve to my belt. But it was not it. We went over soap,
detergent, etc and nothing has changed. It could be triggered by sweating, or sawdust or drywall dust.
It's important to shower frequently with hypoallergenic soap
or no soap; and wash clothes frequently. Ointments like Vaseline
may help. Once such a rash develops it may take weeks to get
over it. A patch test would normally be used to test for contact dermatitis.
A full skin scratch allergy tests typically tests for 60 or more
allergens and would be administered by an allergist.
Your hay fever symptoms caused by air pollution don't prove
you are allergic unless correlated with pollens or other
allergens, since rhinitis can be allergic or nonallergic.
Your eczema (atopic dermatitis) might be contact dermatitis,
especially if you don't have proven allergies.
See:
http://www.aaaai.org/public/publicedmat/tips/allergicskinconditions.stm
Allergic Skin Conditions
Excerpt:
Contact dermatitis
When some substances come into contact with skin, they may
cause a rash called contact dermatitis. Some of these
reactions are the result of an allergic reaction that
involves the immune system, but many are the result of a
non-allergic, or irritant, reaction. Often, it is difficult
to tell the difference between these two types of reactions.
The hallmark of allergic contact dermatitis is that it occurs
almost exclusively where the offending agent—such as a plant or
chemical—comes in contact with the skin. My job involves working in a freezer. I get
extremely dry skin on three of my fingers with
cracking. On the other finger it is an
imflamation with small bumps. I am using
hydrocortisone but it is not working very well.
Should I try a new treatment? What can i use
in the freezer to keep my hand moist and clean? The absolute humidity in a freezer is very low, which
is a bad environment for eczema. Have you tried wearing gloves; cotton or leather.
and tried vaseline on hands to seal in moisture.
Links:
http://www.njc.org/MSU/15n1MSU_atopic_derm.html
Atopic Dermatitis: New Findings and Novel Therapies '97, NJC
http://www.aaaai.org/public/publicedmat/tips/allergicskinconditions.stm
http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/0480.html
DRY SKIN AND ECZEMA HELP
