Help! What's going on with my face?

[Milkshake7489]

Sorry, this doesn't belong in AIBU. I'm posting for traffic in the hope that someone knows what the hell is going on with my skin .

So yesterday I had slightly puffy eyes. No big deal, probably hayfever or something... except now my eye lids are puffy, my under eye bag area has folds in it, and I have a second bag area that dips below my cheekbones which is red, swollen, itchy, and actually starting to flake. Honestly, it looks and feels awful!

Coupled with this, random areas of my body are beginning to itch and when I scratch them it turns into a raised bumpy rash. And I keep getting patches of red skin that's really hot to the touch.

I haven't used any new products or anything, could this be hayfever? Antihistamines don't seem to be making a difference... If anyone has any knows what this could be, or has any tips to soothe the itch (before i claw my face off), I would be extremely grateful!

Sounds like an allergic reaction to me. Antihistamines first port of call and then something really non-reactive on the skin. Aveeno cream is good. Aloe gel. Try cold compresses and chamomile tea bags soaked in cold water on the eyes.

Could well be hayfever (itching is unbearable for me and makes me wanna rip my eyes out) but I would try to see an out of hours doctor if I were you.

That doesn't sound good. I'd try a different antihistamine and call 111 for advice.

Has it just suddenly come on, I would seek medical advice really.

Thanks all. I'm going to send DH out for cream, camomile teabags, and a different antihistamine. Hopefully that'll do the trick without needing to ring 111.

Sounds like Angioedema. Have you touched something, then touched your eye, skin etc.?

Been near a cat or eaten fish or peanuts?

Oh goodness! I would definitely advise getting checked out. Could the rash be hives? I developed a sudden severe allergy to red berries in my 20s after years of eating them. I get red rashes with raised bumps like bubble wrap.

I sometimes get puffy eyes if I use a new moisturiser or self-tan lotion. Aveeno is great on rashes.

Good luck, OP.

I would ring out of hours. Most antihistamines contain lactose so if it’s caused by cows milk they won’t help.

It does sound like quite an extensive allergic reaction. Be aware of any swelling in your lips or mouth, or any wheezing - that makes it a medical emergency - phone 999. If the antihistamines aren’t helping then I’d definitely ring 111 for advice.

Take 2 lorotadine antihistamines - over the counter. But get checked out for urticaria and angioedema. (I'm on four antihistamines a day for that)

If you can get seen, which might be a good idea they may prescribe a stronger antihistamine fexafenodate . Hope it clears soon X

Have you been anywhere near hyacinths? That's what they do to me - I'm really allergic to them.

For the itching Eurax cream £5 from boots Superdrug or Amazon is amazing I had a rash a few weeks ago no idea where it came from but it was the only thing that stopped the itching pretty much straight away

My dc has this! It was getting bigger and bigger by the day - the doctor has diagnosed her with cellulitis. It’s a skin infection that needs antibiotics and lots of moisturiser (it can start to blister)

May not be this but worth getting checked out in case. Good luck

It sounds just like blepharitis (Google it and see if it sounds like what you have). I've had it a few times and the treatment has been to wash my eyelids gently a couple of times a day with baby shampoo or a bicarbonate of soda solution (the cause is an overgrowth of natural bacteria and I'm more prone to it if I've left my make upon a long timeor had eyelash extensions).

A hot compress also helps if you have blocked ducts as a result (one of those kids heat up cuddlies with the microwavable beans is good). I say that last bit because you mention swelling.

Of course get checked out for allergies first!

Can you post a pic, op?

I had a allergic reaction somewhat like this and when I went to the walk in centre she said my throat had closed some but luckily a heavy dose anti histamine injection in my buttocks sorted me out. Took a while for the swelling though.

Probably because I was already on anti histamines that it wasn’t really any worse! I’d be seeking medical advice tbh just in case

Gosh sorry just re-read about the reaction appearing elsewhere on your body. Might not be blepharitis if that's the case. But the swelling, itching, flaking around the eyes/ face does sound a lot like it.

I would seek medical advice (ie call 111) urgently. That sort of reaction sounds worrying

You need to seek urgent medical advice before your throat swells. This could happen in your sleep OP. I don't want to scare you but you need to seek urgent advice.

Have you use anything that has glycolic acid in it
When I first used the cleansing pads I had puffiness under one eye and also on my cheekbone
Skin went very dry and patchy and the started to get a rash that was lumpy in places on my neck like tiger stripes - hard to explain
Also got a rash around my chest and arms bumpy and incredibly itchy
I couldn’t sleep because Of the itchiness especially on my arms

Eurax cream cured the itchiness straight away

You say you haven’t used any new products but have you used a old product that might be out of date
It sounds so similar to me with the cleansing pads and mine were new and unopened but probably got them 18 months -2years ago
Google glycolic acid or AHA -BHA allergic reactions pictures

I went through a few months of just my face randomly swelling up, had allergy tests but never got to the bottom of it and then it stopped.

It could be something you have eaten, i had a hot cross bun the other week and for the first time ever I reacted to it, itchy, scratchy etc all I could think was there was something different in the ingredients.

Antihistamines, cool shower and try to rub rather then scratch.

Have you had any type of infection recently? I had a rash similar to the one you describe, apart from the eye bit, after I had a UTI, although it came up about a week afterwards. The doctor seemed to think it was a reaction to the infection, or possibly the antibiotics. It was really dramatic but fortunately cleared up after a couple of days. Hope you're better soon

My penicillin allergy presented just like this, which is why I’ve warned the OP about the anaphylaxis warning signs in my earlier posts.