Chemical burn?! Help!

[peachespeachespeaches]

On Friday I used the end of a bottle of spf that was in the back of the cupboard as a last resort when my new one had run out. It was from from last year.

On Saturday morning I woke up with and itchy face but thought it was because I'd got hot overnight.

Apparently not. I appear to have what seems to be a chemical burn (?) ALL OVER MY FACE. Except of course the odd sliver of white where I'd not taken the spf up to my lip or my eyebrow.

It is SO FECKING ITCHY and sore and pink and bumpy and somehow also shiny.

Antihistamines don't help, ibuprofen doesn't help, aloe vera doesn't help, even the holy grail of LRP Cicaplast, which fixes everything isn't cutting it.

I am stumped, and there has been no improvement over two days, like at all.

Has this happened to anyone? How did you fix it?! I want my nice face back!

(I've obviously thrown the offending bottle of spf away, along with any other ones lingering from last year).

It sounds like a sensitivity reaction, not a burn. A burn is really unlikely from a product designed for use on the face, even an old one .

Sensitivity reactions can be an allergy or more like eczema/dermatitis. Anti-histamines work well for sensitivity reactions that are a form of allergy, but not so well for reactions that are more a form of dermatitis.

I am a doctor. You only have my word for that but please listen when I tell you to ignore the well-meaning but potentially dangerous advice you are about to get from other posters on here about what to put on the rash. Almost everything typically suggested on MN will tend to make it worse and it already sounds pretty bad. Stick to an unscented moisturiser overnight and go to a pharmacy in the morning (I know it’s a BH, but some will be open). If you develop additional symptoms overnight, especially any blistering, swelling of the mouth or wheezing, you need immediate medical help.

Sleep as propped up as possible. Keep showers as cool as you can bear.

Hope it’s better soon.

I’m not a doctor but have had similar reactions to above. Agree entirely. Would also recommend very gently applying ice in something that won’t stick to face for a few minutes at a time (Maybe sit with a bag of frozen peas on the area) to alleviate the itch and any potential swelling until you can get to your doctor. Maybe they can prescribe an oral steroid for you if it’s bad enough.

Yes, ice is a good idea as long as (as @Fraaahnces has already said) you don’t apply it directly to the skin.

If you were out in the sun on Friday, another possibility is polymorphic light eruption (info here), though that doesn’t usually cover the whole face evenly.

@MissLucyEyelesbarrow @Fraaahnces thank you. I've read posts from you both on S&B before so I'm grateful for your input!

I did read about it maybe being polymorphic light eruption and I wasn't out in the sun particularly on Friday but there was an hours where I was sat in a sunnyish window.

Luckily I don't have any swelling in or around my mouth etc, it seems to be restricted to my face, mostly my chin, cheeks and forehead. My face feels prickly, hot, bumpy and shiny, although it's not bad enough that it's unbearable to touch.

Should I continue with Cicaplast? I've got one of those facial ice rollers at home which I'm going to put on it when I get in from work. Should I ask for anything specific from the pharmacist?

Thanks again :)

Ah, glad it hasn't got any worse.

It's really hard to advise you because the best treatment is different, depending on whether this is an allergic reaction or dermatitis. A moisturiser will help with dermatitis, but won't help with allergy.

What you really want from the pharmacist is a view on whether this is allergy, dermatitis, PLE, or infection (I doubt it's infection, given what you've said, but it's a possibility). Some pharmacists are also able to prescribe medication, if a prescription is needed. As @Fraaahnces said, you might need a short course of oral steroids, if this is allergy (depending on the severity), but topical treatment is usually enough for dermatitis, other than in really extreme situations. If it wasn't a BH, I'd suggest calling your GP but you'll be waiting hours for a callback from 111, so a pharmacist is a better option.

A plain moisturiser is unlikely to be harmful, whatever the underlying cause, but don't use aloe vera or anything else with active ingredients, herbal or otherwise, and don't put moisturiser on skin that is broken or weeping unless the pharmacist says it's OK.

PS PLE can occur after sun exposure through a window, so that's still a possibility, though it doesn't usually make the skin look shiny.

Cicaplast isn’t going to hurt it, but I think there are potentially better products too. (I’d even patch test some sudocreme or similar if you have some.) The ice roller is a nice idea but I think Ice left sitting on the face for an extended period (up to about 15mins if you can stand it) will have more of an effect.

I wouldn't put anything on your face until you have spoken to a pharmacist and preferably shown them your face

It seems to have turned a corner finally! It was quite red and itchy last night but I'd pretty much left it alone yesterday. I took a heavy duty antihistamine before bed and I've woken up to less generalised redness and a slightly fuller itch.

I do have some patches of quite bumpy skin, it feels like different sized under the skin spots for context, although it looks less bumpy than it feels. There are a couple of patches of pinprick sized white headed spots which pop when I rub them gently with my (clean) fingers.

I haven't used any cleansers etc since it happened bar one very gentle oil based cleanse on the evening I realised I had an issue. I'm going to strip back all my skincare once the itch and soreness totally goes and rebuild my skin barrier, plus buy new spf!