Severe Eczema and Impetigo to boot!

Hi everyone,

I've been scouring the 'net looking for help with my skin problem and I'm finally resorting to just asking. I'm 23 years old, and about 7 months ago my skin exploded. It started with my eyes... they itched horribly and I rubbed them until they were swollen. Then my face broke out with Eczema. I was diagnosed with Eczema in 1998 after I suffered for 3 years with a rash inside my elbows that wouldn't go away. I was given a topical cortizone (Bethamethasone Valerate) which has always cleared up any patches I broke out with after applying for two nights in a row.

But now my condition is awful. I thought I'd narrowed it down to an allergic reaction to my boyfriend's laundry detergent because I know I'm allergic to a brand of liquid detergent which makes me break out in hives. (I don't remember which, I just use powdered and never had a problem) So, I went to a clinic (I had no insurance at the time) and he gave me a cortisone injection to give me fast relief from the constant itch and gave me about two weeks worth of prednisone which cleared it up completely.

Unfortunately, after the prednisone was gone, the problem came back. We'd already rewashed my boyfriend's laundry and I can't identify any change in soap, hair products, skin products, makeup, or diet. The only apparent change in my life was that my boyfriend moved into my house from another state. It started like 2 days after he got here.

So, I went back on prednisone. I ended up with moonface, an insatiable appetite, I gained very little weight (maybe a pound or two) but got dark red stretch marks on my stomach and sides, my menstrual cycle stopped (which actually made me think I might be pregnant, but once I stopped the prednisone my cycle resumed)... after I got off the prednisone, I went to an allergy specialist who found nothing except a mild grass allergy and slightly raised allergens (igbe or whatever) in my blood count.

It looks like the immune system supression plus the eczema itself caused me to become infected with impetigo. I went to a dermatologist who caught this and put me on 10 days of Keflex. Once I finished this, I gently removed the crusts from my face and applied my betamethasone for 2 nights which almost completely cleared my face up. But over the next few weeks, the eczema returned. My dermatologist had me try Protopic and Elidel because they are safer than steroid ointments. I didn't like the Protopic because it made my skin feel like it was sunburnt, but the Elidel worked.

So, I used Elidel nightly all over my face and on my arms. After a few weeks, most of the Eczema is gone. But, in all this, the impetigo returned. Now I have it all over my face, behind my ears, under my chin and on my neck, and down the outsides of both my arms. I also have eczema on my inner forearms and in the stretch marks caused by the prednisone... and some of them have impetigo in them. Basically I'm an oozing mess, and now my skin is so tight and gross that I can barely kiss my boyfriend, and he can only touch me where I'm clothed. (This is the worst part of the whole thing)

I'm on about Day 6 of another Keflex prescription, but it barely helped last time, and now the infection is even worse. I'm considering visiting an emergency room, but the infection doesn't seem to go any deeper than the top layer of my skin, so it doesn't seem life-threatening.

Has anyone seen or experienced this, or have any advice? Also, if anyone knows of a dermatologist in the Phoenix, Arizona area who might have more experience with more severe cases of eczema than my dermatologist... he's pretty much given up.

Thanks...

Alert Webmaster & Moderators