OK, nobody has actually said that.
But I feel like that’s what people are thinking whenever I’m in a well-lit room.
It started with a little redness in early March, and kept getting more noticeable, at least to me (my husband said he never noticed anything until I pointed it out). Fortunately I already had a dermatologist appointment scheduled for a skin check. At that point, the rash was itchy and felt warm.
The doctor thought it looked like an allergic reaction, or possibly rosacea. She treated it as an allergy and prescribed an ointment for me to use for a week. I stopped using all but the gentlest hypoallergenic products on my face, limited to cleanser and moisturizer. No make-up, too!
During the week with the ointment, it still was red … but at least the itching stopped. By the time I got to my follow-up two weeks after the initial appointment, the redness had gone down, too. The doctor gave me clearance to slowly add products back into my skincare regime.
I started with my night cream for a few days, and then added back my Olay SPF moisturizer, both of which I had been using for a while. Everything was fine … for a few days. But yesterday I started getting red again. And today it’s probably the brightest it’s been, warm and itchy again.
I’m not normally a rosy-cheeked person. I’m really pale! Unless I’m running, then I turn bright pink. But I haven’t worked out today …
Still leaning towards a reaction, I’m obviously laying off my old face creams. I’ve picked up another sensitive-skin cream meant for babies, and found hypoallergenic shampoo/conditioner (which has fragrance added? That’s a possible irritant, too, but I couldn’t find anything better in stores.)
I have a history of skin sensitivity — I can only use natural sunscreen or Vanicream when using it for days at a time (like a week-long vacation) otherwise I break out in hives/rashes.
But until now, my face has never had a reaction.
Then again, I read somewhere that sometimes rosacea can present like an allergic reaction. And can affect the eyes — yes, I’m still having eye trouble — so that’s a possibility to.
I’ll give it a few days to clear up, otherwise I’m headed back to the doctor.
Has anybody dealt with something like this before?
Could it be a reaction to food? I’m noticing the older I get that food affects my skin. I too have SUPER sensitive skin. Sorry you are dealing with this!
On another note two PR’s in one weekend? YOU ROCK!
At this point, I’m not ruling anything out. Since it took ~2 weeks to go away last time, it’s going to be hard to figure out! I’ll probably look into further allergy testing — I’ve only been tested for environmental.
I had been doing a lot of speedwork last summer and PRed most distances. Didn’t expect to go back-to-back but made it happen!
Was it hard racing twice in one weekend? The closest I’ve come to racing twice was running Ragnar Relay – which was three legs for me….Maybe I’ll try back to back racing this summer 🙂 You have inspired me!
Go for it, as long as you go in with low expectations. You never know how you’re going to react! I definitely didn’t expect to PR either day and surprised myself.
Those races were five months after I did Goofy Challenge … while I did that REALLY SLOW, we did a ton of back-to-back runs to train. Maybe my body remembered!
My brother has had major issues w/ his skin lately. He’s on topical steroids & anti-inflammatories. He has to be very careful w/ soap, lotion, detergent, etc.
It’s been a real hassle for him. I hope this gets better for you!
Oh no! I did get some steroid ointment prescribed, but I don’t want to use it for too long. Dr said 1 week, and it’s hard to say if it helped or just went away on its own the first time.
It very well could be rosacea for me, which is tough to deal with. A friend of mine had good results with holistic treatment — sounds a lot better than steroids and harsh medications!