Help! What on earth has happened to my skin? (With picture.)

[BrailleFace]

My forehead, temples and upper cheeks have gone all bumpy and I have no idea what to do about it. Normally, my face skin is smooth with no major problem areas - not particularly greasy, dry, or anything else really. A couple of weeks ago it suddenly went bumpy and has stayed like this - the bumps don't come to a head or anything.

No new skin products, hair products, or dietary changes. My skin routine is the same as always - I wash my face with a flannel and hot water in the morning, and sometimes splash it again with water throughout the day. I occasionally use a little basic moisturiser on my cheeks.

What do I doooooo?

www.victoriahealth.com/category/Essential-Fatty-Acids/411/

Are you coming off the pill?

I've been off hormonal contraception for something like eight months. I take a fish oil supplement but recently ran out of my B vitamins, maybe that's it? I'm also coming off an antidepressant...

I'm not sure about b vitamins but they are helpful to help you feel ok

Drink lots of water and take zinc

Thanks, I'll look into zinc - I just wish there was something I could do to fix it, like a scrub or a magic goo or something.

cysticacnehq.com/what-vitiamins-are-good-to-take-for-acne-skin

Ok you do need b vitamins

prickly heat?

I guess prickly heat is possible but I thought it was usually redder? My bumps are the same colour as the surrounding skin.

Could be the heat. Mine reacts the same for a short period every year but doesn't go red

Fair enough! I'll see if it settles by itself now the heatwave is over ()

Are you pregnant?

Bloody hell I hope not It'd be a miracle.

It's itchy, too. It's taking all my kid-with-chicken-pox-who's-been-promised-a-treat-for-not-scratching willpower to leave it alone.

To me it looks a bit hormonal. Are you due on?

Have you use Sun cream? Ds get something similar with certain sun creams.

No suncream I know I should. Though maybe I could've developed an allergic reaction to something else - shampoo or hairstyling product or something.

I'm due soon but the spots have been there for a few weeks.

Maybe it's my age

A quick Google says acne.

It's a kind of mild acne, some antibiotics should get rid of it.

Had you been sitting in the sun? Looks a bit like polymorphic light eruption which is an allergic reaction to the sun (not sunburn) though this does usually come up a bit redder and feels a bit tender and itchy. I get it but find the redness varies, sometimes it is just bumpy rather than red and angry looking, sometimes it is practically fluorescent pink!

If that's what it is it will go away on its own after a few days.

Just noticed that you said you'd had it a couple of weeks, that's not unfeasible if it is PLE, especially if you've been in the sun a bit over that time.

I may have been slightly availing myself of the beautiful weather...

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone.

Well. My skin came out in bumps last week when it got hot and I was moaning to a friend about and she said "sounds like cold sores" which have me a shock. But I have been using the cheap unbranded Poundland equivalent of Zovirax since Sunday and it's more or less gone.

Could be coincidence......but worth £1 to find out!

Funny thing is, I'm not aware that I have ever had what one would normally consider a cold sore. Though I have had both chicken pox and shingles so do have the virus.

Glad your skin is better Melon.

I guess it's worth a punt - could mix it up with some Canesten and an antibiotic cream and kill everything that could possibly be living on my face

I can see the photo now, couldn't on the app, looks too much like a rash to be cold sores. Heatrash maybe. Or an allergy.

It could also be the reducing amount of anti-d you are now on? I'd let it go for a week or so and see what happens.