red, dry patches of skin

[Guest Posts]

I have had Blepharitis ever since I had my cataracts out 5 years ago and manage it with wipes and liquid tears. Lately, however, my left eyelid has become red and itchy plus I have flaky patches on my scalp and in my outer ears (for which the doctor gave me cortisone cream that doesn't always work). I'm 69 and this year my skin has developed dry patches on my arms and legs, plus I can no longer wear my wedding, engagement and eternity rings because the finger becomes red, itchy and dry. What is happening to my skin? (I take an Omega 3 supplement daily and have today started to use a few drops of Tea Tree oil diluted in water to wipe my eyelids).

- From our BSF forum

[JustJayne01]

To me, it sounds like psoriasis or contact dermatitis, having had the latter and my partner has the former. Hope you get answers.

[Dr Chris Rutkowski]

scalp and face - seborrhoeic dermatitis? - you might want to try nizoral (antifungal) shampoo (hair and face) daily for a few weeks

other parts of your body - contact dermatitis could be the cause; however 'simple' eczema could be the case too

[Dr Faheem Latheef]

Sorry to hear about the skin problems you have been experiencing and I would agree that some of your symptoms are certainly in keeping with seborrheic eczema which is a condition related to a yeast which is why the nizoral shampoo suggested by Dr Rutkowski is certainly worth using in conjunction with a steroid and anti-fungal combination cream such as daktacort cream for the itchy red patches rather than just using plain hydrocortisone. It is important to remember that in this condition we are aiming for controlling the problem (which we should always be able to manage to do) rather than curing it completely. You can read more about this condition to see whether your symptoms match these at http://www.bad.org.uk/shared/get-file.a ... e=document

However it does sound like your problem may be complicated by a contact dermatitis and I think it would be sensible to undergo some patch testing to exclude a contact allergy complicating your problems. It certainly sounds like that at the very least you may have a contact dermatitis to nickel in your wedding ring although we can often also see the same reaction happen if you do household chores wearing the ring and irritants (soaps ect) get stuck under the ring causing the redness and itching.

I would recommend you see a Dermatologist for an initial assessment and onward referral for testing as indicated. All the best and hope you manage to get your skin under control.