Allergy

Dear Dr. Jen,

I am allergic to all sorts of makeup. Whatever I use on my face, I end up getting itchy the next day.  I’ve tried expensive brands and cheap brands, but nothing works. Please help me find the right makeup!  I have spent so much already and nothing works.

Julie

Dear Julie,

There are many chemicals in makeup that you can be allergic to.  Price has nothing to do with it.  It can be the preservative, the dye, the emollient or even the fragrance in it.  Generally speaking, the label “hypoallergenic” in some brands are safer for people who have a lot of allergies. However, this is no guarantee.

You can test the product on your inner arm and check for allergic reactions.  If there are none, then it will likely be alright to use on your face.  You may also bring all the products that you are using and have your PDS derma perform a patch test with them.  This will isolate which among your makeup (the primer, foundation, powder, blush, bronzer, highlighter, etc) is the culprit in giving you allergies. Best of luck!

* * *

Dear Dr. Jen,

The tops of my feet have really ugly round rashes.  They are dark, rough and very unsightly.  I usually have to wear shoes to cover them or long pants.  I’ve tried all kinds of creams given by the pharmacist but nothing works.  Is this a hopeless case? I miss wearing sandals with skirts or shorts.

Bel

Dear Bel,

Scratching, rubbing and scrubbing the itchy parts of your feet for a long period of time may cause your skin to thicken, become dark and rough.  This is your skin’s natural protection from the onslaught of scratching you may have inflicted on the area.  Pouring hot water or alcohol on the skin, as well as using scrubs only worsens the condition.  Creams that may be too strong or irritating will even cause it to get more itchy.

When this happens, the original rash, perhaps from an insect bite or a shoe allergy forms into what is now called a “lichen simplex chronicus.”  Usually, it is a losing battle to apply any sort of cream that can calm the allergy down since none of the cream ever makes it to affected part of the epidermis and dermis. The thickened skin prevents the cream from penetrating to the layer that needs to be treated. In this case, I usually advise the patient to get the medicine injected directly to the rash in order to achieve speedy improvement.  This is done under a cream anesthesia and patients tolerate the procedure very well.  Results are seen after one to two weeks, depending on how large or thick the area that is to be treated.