posted
This is the third day now that I've had what I assume to be hives all over my face and neck.
I have very dry skin to start with, to the point where if I touch it or scratch it, I get raised welts. I thought at the beginning that my face must just be really dry. I tried putting a super-moisture mask on (olive oil, honey and eggs, actually; it helps quite a bit most of the time) and when I was washing it off realized that this wasn't just dry skin. While it's worst on my upper neck right under my jawline, it's everywhere. It's not red unless I scratch it - but all over my forehead and my face and even my earlobes, I can feel little bumps. They itch, not too severely, and make my face look a little puffy.
I read up on hives and saw that they could be caused by allergies, stress, and a lot of different things. I haven't eaten anything out of the ordinary, and I've been changing up my diet to see if that works. I've also been on antihistamines for about 24 hours now - no change in anything.
Anyone have experience with this? It's not really that unbearable, but I would like to get rid of it.
Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999
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posted
Have you started using a new soap, shampoo, or laundry detergent recently?
I've found that there is a type of long underwear that causes hives when I wear it. No idea why, but I'm never buying that stuff again. Sometimes it's surprising what you'll have a reaction to. Have you tried putting a cortizone cream on it?
If this persists you might want to go to a doctor and get a prednazone pill or something. Those aren't much fun in and of themselves, but they're better than itching welts covering your body.
posted
Nope. I don't use many products on my skin, just occitane olive oil soap that I've been using for almost a year, and my detergent and shapmoo are the same.
Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999
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Benadryl cream might give you some immediate relief (although if your skin is as sensitive as it seems, you might want to test it first). But if they don't go away in the next day or two, yes, definitely see a doctor.
Also: how much sleep have you been getting?
Posts: 3423 | Registered: Aug 2001
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posted
I got something like that on my legs and abdomen last year when I had major stress issues. It sucks. Posts: 4089 | Registered: Apr 2003
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When I was six, I had hives as an allergic reaction to the penicillin I was taking for my pneumonia. Man was that a fun summer.
I think I had some cream stuff to rub on me, but it pretty much just went away when I stopped taking the medicine.
Posts: 3801 | Registered: Jan 2000
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If it's caused by allergies, then antihistamines should have made them better. Maybe not all the way, but there should have been some kind of improvement. I wouldn't wait - I'd go to a doctor now. It could be something much more serious.
Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Annie, I think you should see a doctor as soon as you can. Hives can get worse fast. When I say worse, I mean it can start to affect your breathing (anaphylaxis).
I've had that happen to me and it is very frightening.
Posts: 2064 | Registered: Dec 2003
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I've heard that Claritin or Allegra will help with virtually any allergic reaction, so it might not be a bad idea to try one of those while you're waiting to get in to see the doctor.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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I'd guess with a fair bit of confidence that you've developed a reaction to the honey. Quite a few folks I know who got conned into the "honey is natural and therefore good" facials also eventually ended up with skin problems which they didn't have before.
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I put the honey facial on in an attempt to make it better, thinking I had dry skin. It was unchanged after that.
And I'm kind of ruling out any sort of allergic reaction, since it's day five and they're still there. (they were a bit worse after I showered this morning). I'd like to go to the doctor, but I'm leaving on Monday for a week in Seattle on a mandatory field trip, and the joyous institution that is the student health service (the only place my insurance works) is only open by appointment on weekends. Did I mention yet that I hate the American medical system?
Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999
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posted
I'd give claritin a shot just to see what happens.
There's a skin condition called dermatographia which I have. I get itchy as hell after showers. I'm generally itchy. As long as I take an antihistamine (claritin works well, but I take prescription allegra), I don't get as itchy.
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That sounds exactly like what I normally have, Mack - what I referred to as having dry skin. If I scratch it, it leaves raised marks like that. Usually, they go away really quickly, though. This doesn't seem like the same thing.
I think I'll go get some Claritin and see what it does.
Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999
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quote: Did I mention yet that I hate the American medical system?
In my nonprofessional opinion...
Something else to consider is that insulin stimulating foods combat stress hormones. (That's what makes them comfort food). Stress hormones are what anti-inflammatories mimic. So some natural anti-inflammatory benefit can be derived from avoiding carbs by themselves, and also large meals as both tend to release insulin.
p.s. this is also related to the sleep question- if you don't sleep through the night it could indicate a lack of stress hormone (cortisol) as it's natural use is to keep you from starving while you sleep. It is why sleep deprivation has been linked to Type II diabetes and overweight.
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I'm sorry Annie! I had a case of the hives just once a few years ago. To this day I don't know what caused it. The only thing I can think of is that I was eating a fair amount of strawberries right before (I heard that could lead to hives.)
I thought it would never end! During the day it would improve a little, but as night reared its ugly head it would flair right back up again! Antihistamines did help--they were my only real relief.
I think I had it for a couple of weeks. I don't know why it went away. If there was a reason, I don't remember it. I just hope to never have to deal with that again and I wouldn't wish it on anybody! I can handle pain, but itching all over is unbearable!!
Posts: 7050 | Registered: Feb 2004
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Annie is coming to the end of a five day long trip to the West Coast (she says hi to everyone by the way ), she'll be back Friday, but I doubt she'll be on the internet in any significant way until Saturday.
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She was still very far away from you Rivka, sorry. It's a school sponsered thing, she didn't have enough time in her schedual for meeting up with people unfortunatly.
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), she'll be back Friday, but I doubt she'll be on the internet in any significant way until Saturday. 
