Hi Everyone,
I'm new to the boards so I hope I'm posting this in the right spot.
Basically, my skin has been pretty clear since taking Accutane nearly two years ago. I usually just have a couple whiteheads but they dont really bother me. However, starting about 2 1/2 weeks ago my skin got really bad. The first thing that happened was I developed a weird rash on my chin that I still have at the moment. After that I started getting A LOT of whitheads - first they were popping up around my nose and then when those went away they started popping up around my mouth. In both situations, I would wake up with at least two new whiteheads everyday and they would last 1-3 days. At the moment I have about 4 whiteheads around my mouth and one painful pimple with no head that is right in the corner of my mouth (and a TON of red marks and scabs from whiteheads that have gone down).
Although having this much acne is unusual for me I still just thought it was a bad breakout. However, when I woke up this morning, there were some whiteheads under my left eye and there was this really big, extremely red bump (no head) under my right eye (in the "bag" under my eye). Overall, the effect this had on my face which was already looking pretty terrible was huge. It made me look like I was sick or something...and that's when I started thinking that I might be having a reaction to something and that something might be oranges or mangoes. Lately, I've been eating 1 or 2 oranges and/or mangoes a day which isnt typical for me so I'm thinking that this is why my face is flipping out. (Before this, I would probably eat 1 or 2 oranges a year and I had never even tried a mango.)
So, sorry I made this into a really long story but I wanted to post this because I wanted to ask some questions for those of you who have experienced an allergy-related breakout:
1. Did you notice that your breakouts were confined to the mouth, nose and eye area?
2. How long did it take for your face to resume to normal after cutting out the food that was giving you problems?
3. Is there anything you can do to make the breakouts go away quickly (on top of cutting out the culprit food)? I was thinking of maybe taking an antihistamine like Benadryl. Has anyone tried this? I already drink a ton of water but maybe drinking even more would help clean my system? (I know I should be patient but I am going on a lot of job interviews and these breakouts are killing me!)
Eat natural antihistamines like vitamin c. Ice the big inflamed ones or dissolve a plain aspirin and apply. I don't know about speeding he healing of whiteheads. I've never gotten them.
Most people who've determine they breakout as a reaction to some old has noticed the breakouts recur in the same areas. But you haven't had this long enough to notice any pattern. But I'd stay away from the new foods for a bit to test. Oranges break me out, btw.
Are you sure the big red one isn't a hive? Are you stressed? Perhaps that's the problem.
Hi Alternitivista,
Thanks for replying! I'll definitely try taking vitamin C to see if that improves things. And as far as that big bump under my eye, I'm pretty sure it's not a hive. It looks a little bit better today than it did yesterday - not as red and feels scabby rather than hard.
Thanks again for your advice!
I got one of those huge zits under my eye once, it actually left a mark for months after. It was so painful and ya embarrassing.. had people asked wtf happened to your eye lol. Took a while to actually go away, I know this is bad info dont want to scare you lol. Mine came from using too much aloe vera gel around my face and not washing it off, clogged up the area and the big swollen pimple was born. I tried different things to make it go down but I think I just made it worse, if I went through it again I think I would put some hot water on it for a few seconds, pat dry then put some alcohol on it, then not touch it again for several days. It will then come to a head and you will want to pick at it and that but if ya do your playing with fire, and that under the eye area is super delicate and stubborn. Let it come to a head and naturally heal.