Could my itchy face an allergy?

Hi @faithshouse and welcome to Connect. Not knowing the cause of your itching must be unnerving.

I wanted to tag fellow Connect members, @papergarden @gardeningjunkie and @jeanne5009 as they have experienced undiagnosed itching and may be able to offer support and guidance as you search for answers.

Back to you @faithshouse, has your itch spread elsewhere? And are there any physical signs to it? Like a rash or hives?

Thanks so much. I was pleased and surprised to receive a reply. No, I don't have any other evident symptoms, other than redness and roughness. At times, it feels like pins & needles sticking me, also it feels like when you wash your face and you don't dry it - how it feels like you have to dry it right away. Am I able to acess the fellow members above? This is my first time to use Connect - which I am very impressed with. Thanks again.

Do you have a visible rash? What testing did the dermatologist's do? Do you have this feeling anywhere else on you body?

Thanks for your response. No, I don't have any rash. Just the itch. It will wake me up at night and I just have to scratch and rub. OF the ten dermatologists, none of them had a solution! They would look and say they didn't see anything - to try anti-itch creme. Two gave me prescriptions which were about $130 each, but did nothing to alleviate the itch. So, I'm living with it, but getting so frustrated. I am thinking of going to an allergist. Do you think that will give me any help? Neither my dermatologists, nor my internist, seemed to think it would, but I don't know what else to try. Thanks for your suggestions.

@faithshouse I,ve been reading your concerns about this rash ,have you seen a rheumatologist? I say this as it might be more systemic ,since the Drs you,ve gone to can,t find anything just a suggestion to try a rheumatologist.

@faithshouse A long shot here. Have you ever had Lyme disease??

Google The 5 Day Extended Patch Test, which is given by a specially licensed dermatologist or allergist. I had the True Test Kit and one other panel kit. This test checks for contact allergies like the chemicals and elements in rubber, metals, fragrance, preservatives and as many as 100 other contacts. Although I did have hand eczema for 10 years beginning in middle age I didn't know about testing to find the cause. After 10 years my entire body, not just nose area, began itching, tingling with stinging with the pins and needles symptom you describe. There was no physical rash and I had a hard time getting my derm or family practice doctor to understand as I looked just fine. I learned about Allergic Contact Dermatitis, ACD and a test for it, the 5 Day Extended Patch Test. My derm wasn't licensed to perform it so was referred to another doctor, an allergist. Of the 78 test site I reacted to 5 and now avoid because I control my contacts. I had to change 98% of my wardrobe, bedding, grooming products, 3 of the 5 classes of steroids and all my shoes plus more. Yet now I lead a productive and am free from ACD symptoms. Even if you learn you don't have ACD, you will have eliminated another reason for your itching.
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So, check out this test for ACD and also research Perioral Eczema and Roseaca, both cause itching around the nose, yet I believe both are associated with a rash. Yet, my internal skin symptoms for ACD didn't have external symptoms so that's why doctors were confused.

Right now try to only use simple facial products which are free of many common allergens, buy Grandma's bar soap for face and body on Amazon, this year became a Mayo SkinSafe products. Safe for ACD sufferers. Only 2 ingredients, Google this soap and how it is made so not to be concerned 1 of the 2 ingredients is lye (it becomes glycerin in the soap making process). Stop using facial tissue with softeners. Only use 100% cotton linens washed with a safe detergent like Charlie's Washing Powder and the new All Free and Clear, fragrance free is safe for many.Do not use any form of memory foam in mattress or pillow; polyurethane foam is ok. Memory foam is made from elements is rubber as common allergy which I have. Vaseline original is about the safest moisturizer on the face, except with Perioral eczema. With Perioral steroids feed this form and occlusive moisturizers, like Vaseline trap bacteria. When I had this form I needed to wash face daily, apply a topical px antibacterial and an immune suppressant (non-steroidal called elidel) and it cleared up the rash and itch in a few weeks and hasn't returned. I am curious if they tried the elidel px on you? Yes expensive, $300 a tube, but with my insurance $100 and will last for years. I should have not used my insurance and used the free px plan GoodRx to buy the elidel. On the internet you get a coupon at GoodRx good at all your local pharmacies (put in zip and it will list all, even if they are in grocery stores). I learned with GoodRx I could have gotten the elidel for $89 at Wal-Mart. Elidel is not a steroid, it is an immune suppressant and worked wonders for me clearing up rash and tingling itch around the nose and mouth. It's much safer.

My internal skin symptoms had doctors baffled and before I learned about patch testing had a complete neurological work up thinking it might be systemic, like lioness mentioned a rheumatologist. My neurologist did not think it would be nerve issues because normally if one has nerve damage (I had head injuries in the past causing mild concussion and neck issues) the tingling, pins and needles and such are usually felt on just one side of the body; my issues were random and all over, head to toe, both side. Of course sleep was impossible and without learning the cause I would have finally committed suicide as I had not slept in months. Living with pain 24/7 becomes unbearable. Lack of sleep is a form of torture. I would lay there and think of easy and pain free and non messy ways to end it all. After all the tests for nerve damage only learned I had carpel tunnel and believe me my ache in my wrists was not even a concern of mine compared to the internal skin pain.

Keep a list of all the diseases you have been checked out negative for, all the tests you have had, all the meds you have tried and then look in new directions just like you are doing now. Best of luck.

@faithshouse
I feel your itch! I have had the for over 3 months and it IS driving me crazy. No answers yet. I'm about to see an allergist next. Especially bad at night. I've bed trying to sleep with ice packs...minimal help. Rash is a fine red with a few pimples like very itchy spots. It s in my scalp and on the trunk of my body. Not on my face. I've been on steroid creams and am wondering if they are making it worse...ugh

faithshouse- I used to wonder if my itching felt worse at night because I had no distractions, yet there is a medical reason for you to feel itchier. Our histamine levels peak at night. These histamine warriors are trying to defend our bodies from what they believe to be invading forces (our allergies). This raises our inflammation levels making the itch worse. I have 3 forms of eczema auto immune diseases. You may actually have several types yourself. Have you looked up Grover's Disease? It is specific to the torso, front, back or both, with some migration down arms or up neck, but that's less common. It's one of my forms doctors kept treating as ACD. Go to the New Zealand Dermatology site and look up the symptoms of Grover's and they have lots of pictures. True many are graphic and much worse than my physical ones were a mine were more like yours, fine red pumps and some broke through and would scab but they were not pustules (pussy). Steroids both in topical form or injection (Kenalog-40), did nothing to help that I noticed. There are a few non steroidal treatments that helped, but basically it needs to run it's course. Common for first outbreak to be 1 year with subsequent ones a shorter duration- mine about 6 months each, then 5 months off, and each out break has had symptoms slightly less than the previous. The actual name is Transient Acantholytic Dermatitis,aka, Grover's Disease. I have been free for 5 months now, yet if I press on my back torso skin can feel very small, almost indiscernible bumps under the skin just waiting. It's because with this disease our cells have lost their tight bonds so our skin is less of a barrier, allowing the contact or off of gassing chemicals, elements and natural ingredients to penetrate and get into our bloodstream to raise our histamines.

Good Morning Gardeningjunkie and Thank You so much for all of your insight. I am so sorry to hear of you symptoms, and trials. I have done some studying as a result of your info, on histamines, and I believe that you might have something there. I have tried otc anti-histamines periodically and they seemed to help a little. I have also been reading more about roseacea- which causes the same symptoms, although as I've mentioned, I do not have an rashe, and the itch is only located on the left side of my nose. I am noticing that red wine, cheese, and spicy foods may make the itch a bit worse. So I will keep studying. I am also using a little witch hazel on my affected area, as well as petroleum jelly which have both been recommended, and seem to be helping a bit. So, Thank You again for your concern, and advice. Most appreciated.