What can start as tiny, tiny white pieces on the face that look as though a fingernail could easily scrape them away, but that doesn't happen, and digging into them requires depth and various angles? They seem to have a root system below where I was digging with a pin. Later, I had 3 episodes of a "rash". The first consisted of a rectangular red, itchy piece on my neck, along with one swollen eyelid; by the next day it was gone. A few weeks later, the second episode had the same rectangular red, itchy mark in the middle of my neck, both eyelids were swollen, and on one side of my face was a bright red 1/8-1/4 moon shape; this lasted in a declining state for a few days. Two weeks later (June 14, 2013), the red, rectangular itchy piece, a bit larger & with a thin part of it going off to one side of my neck appeared again, along with my entire face being red and swollen (Picture the worst sunburn you've ever seen). It hurt, burned, stung, and felt hot to the touch. For 3 days I stayed in bed with a cold washcloth on my face and neck. The tiny white pieces seemed to disappear. I took a lot of Benadryl and some Bufferin. (I know I'm allergic to nickel, neomycin, quaternium, formaldehyde, and latex and therefore read ingredients and use fragrance free products.) When the redness subsided, after washing my face with Eucerin for Sensitive Skin I started using a different product on each side of my face; on the left I used Dermarest gel, & on the right I used Cetaphil Daily Moisturizer with SPF 15. The left side became scaly with some red spots, but it seemed as though the formerly apparent white dots not only came back, but came to the surface and gradually became easier to remove. The right side became smoother and there were no signs of the white pieces. It's now been over a month and the condition is not resolved. As the "white pieces" seem to surface on the left, I've become compulsive at extricating them. I feel as though they are "poison" that I'm removing and want to try it out on one side of my face before doing the other side. (I know I shouldn't dig into my skin, but I can't help it.) It definitely is better, there seem to be less "white pieces" and less scaly skin to pluck, but I'm not sure if I should go ahead & try to "bring out those white pieces" on the right side of my face by using the Dermarest. Am I making the situation worse? I hadn't gotten the red face and neck until after a few months of trying to dig out the white pieces which seemed to start under my nose. (I thought it might be due to Qnasal that I'd started to use in February, because 2 years ago it seemed as though I'd had a reaction under my nose from Omnaris.) I call them "poison", but can they be contagious as far as infecting surrounding skin? Could it be a bacteria or virus? Could venom from a sting from something in the ocean (I am a scuba diver) have remained dormant and now have come out (due to??; I have had a lot of stress in the past year, and I do take Celebrex)?
In addition to the red face and neck, this 3rd episode also included a variety of ?welts/hives?- I'm not sure how to classify them. They did become bilateral- if there was one on my outside right knee, there'd be one on my outside left knee. They did seem to start by surrounding moles or other "weak" areas of my skin such as scars, and if there are three moles an inch apart from each other, the "welt" surrounded each one and connected to the others. If the other side of my body didn't have moles there, the "welts" still appeared there. These "welts" are of various sizes and shapes; some circular, some triangular or other angle forms, and some elongated. The long ones often show a kind of lined pattern across the closer sides. (If you're a diver, picture a fireworm pattern.) Often I feel a sting or pinprick feeling before the "welt" appears. They itch and subside but don't seem to go away. With a magnifying mirror or by stretching the skin, the odd shapes are visible below the skin, even if the "welt" is not raised. If anyone has suggestions as to what this might be or where or to whom I should seek guidance, I'd be most appreciative.
Thank you so much,
Kathi