This is just a rant, and I really want this to give some comfort to people with similar experiences, or to people who just want to feel better. I used to have severe acne, and now, in addition to mild acne (thanks to the regimen), I have severe eczema.
I've been using the regimen for almost 7 weeks now, and my skin was on its way of getting totally clear. I noticed a small red patch under my right eye this Monday, and I thought It was just like other dry patches I had been getting while I was on the regimen, so I did not bother. It got bigger (of course) over the course of a few days, and on Thursday, I had to quit the regimen because the whole area under my right eye was red, itchy, and dry - looked almost like an allergy. Two days has passed since I suspended the regimen. Now my entire face is covered with red, itchy rash, and I had trouble opening my eyes due to the swelling around my eye area. I could not even recognize myself in the mirror anymore.
I went to the hospital this morning and described my history of using BP. The doctor did not know what the cause was, and the only thing that could help, according to the doc, was to put me on oral steroids. I hesitated, and told the doc that I was concerned about the side effects. In the end, the doc prescribed me a week of oral steroid, and assured me that the rash should go away within the next few days, as it usually happens to other people with the same symptom.
So great. I have eczema in addition to acne now. I am still in college, and this is almost the end of this semester. I will have to give presentations, go to seminars, write long papers, and I even planned a trip to California immediately after my finals end. Now it seems I'll have to miss an entire week of class (don't tell me I can go to class with this face. It looks much much worse than a face covered only with acne. I do not even look like a human being right now), miss a lot of sleep due to the itchiness, and cancel my trip to Cali, which I have been looking forwards to for the past few months. I don't know what do to anymore, and I never thought I would get some skin problem worse than acne. Now here it comes. Eczema feels so much worse than acne does, and I still have acne. My mother has a history of having severe eczema a few years back, and this is why I am so scared right now. She had to leave work for two years in order to receive treatment. I cannot! How could i quit going to graduate school because of this stupid skin problem? But it affects me so much. I don't know what to do anymore. I really just hope that the steroid I'm taking now can take away my rash, and that the rash will never some back. I don't know. My life is a shambles right now. Everything was great a week ago and now I am sitting here envisioning my whole life with scary red rash all over my face and neck. '
Send me a personal message if you have similar experiences, or if you just want to talk about your pain. I can totally relate, because I had never felt so helpless and scared in my entire life.
Don't take the oral steroid. It'll possibly do more harm than good.
BP dried out your skin too much hence the rash. As I said dont take the steroid, just apply moisturizer and sunscreen x2 a day and don't over wash your face and the rash should heal. You could also try and invest in some 100%aloe vera gel and apply it to the rash multiple times a day. You can also use some ice packs, frozen peas or something to reduce the swelling from the rash esp. around the eye area.
As for treatment for your acne I recommend 20%azelaic acid as Skinoren gel. For me it worked just as good as BP. It's not over the counter though, but it's easy to get to through your family GP - just ask for it. I actually find Skinoren much less drying and irritating than BP. Get some Cerave cleanser and moisturizer too.
Good luck
Same thing happened to me almost two years ago. I developed horrible eczema and seborrheic dermatitis that fluctuates from good and bad. At its worse my entire face is beet red with tons of flaking, crusting skin with the sensitivity being so extreme that even the smallest waft of air causes incredible pain. At my skin's best there is no to very minimal/unnoticeable flaking and there is no acne. Those are the only times I feel confident in myself.
I thought acne was the worst thing to happen to me. This shit is so much worse. Try having your face falling off every day.
You should really research the oil cleansing method, it does wonders for curing acne and also soothing eczema. My personal favorite mixture is castor oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil, with a few drops of frankincense essential oil. Also, have you ever heard of candida overgrowth? Skin irritations are usually caused by something going on within, and candida overgrowth is more common than one may think.There's tons of info on it and I highly recommend looking into it. Good luck!!