I have PsA and am currently on Cimzia, meloxicam and 25 mg/week of MTX. I have never actually had a formal diagnosis of psoriasis, but have had plenty of skin and eye issues (extreme dry scalp, huge temporary hives, eczema, plain "dermatitis", etc.). This stuff has been pretty well in remission with MTX and Restasis, but I had to switch from Humira to Cimzia when my pain came back along with dactylitis. I've always had sensitive facial skin and from time to time would react to a new product or ingredient (so I thought) and get a slight pebbly texture to my skin with some tiny blisters here or there. I could put some topical steroid on it and poof, gone. Suddenly this started happening a lot in the last couple of months, then something similar to acne cropped up. I went to the psoriatic dermatologist that my rheumatologist refers me to and she said it was possibly rosacea but not psoriasis. I used the sulfa wash and antibiotics and had a TERRIBLE reaction to the wash. I essentially got a chemical burn from it AND tons of blisters. I did a short round of pred per the doctors instruction and my face healed up just fine. As soon as the pred wore off, the little blisters are back, acne is gone (from antibiotics) and I'm now prescribed Elidel for eczema. It sort of works, its a twice daily topical immune modulator and the blisters come back, I put it on and they go down. Then they come back and its time for the second application. The doc says I will do another round of pred if this doesn't work. She thinks I'm coming in contact with something on my face that is breaking me out but I'm really careful. I feel like its something related to the PsA. Anyone else ever get this? It doesn't photograph well, its skin toned, not red but like a million small blisters. My skin is dry and lotions seem to make the blisters worse. The derm said to use Vanicream so I have been putting that on after the Elidel soaks in. Every time I get rid of one weird thing, another one pops up.
If it’s Rosacea, it can act just like you described. Mine was really hard to treat, and I did okay on oracea, but it didn’t go away completely. I got these big sores that ruptured. Before they would burst, they looked like big zits, but weren’t. I ordered a product from Rodan and Fields (the derms that made Proactiv and those annoying commercials) and have been using it for a month. It’s called Soothe, and after a month, my skin is so much better. It is pricey and you have to find someone to order it through, but it worked. I was very skeptical, but my bestie sells the stuff, so I gave in to appease her. You might see if you can get some samples before you commit to buy anything, especially with your sensitive skin. I think there is a satisfaction guarantee, so if you break out or it doesn’t work you can get your money back.
I was taking steroids for the PsA, Nd my skin would get so much better, but when I stopped, I had a HUGE flare of this stuff. It isn’t pretty at all. I’m sorry that you are dealing with this.
I get this too and GP diagnosed rosacea. I’ve had different creams all of which have been useless and I’ve binned in frustration. When my P flares its horrendous…honestly I wish to wear a paper bag over my head lol
I find it very sore and a real pain. The only thing that helps to soothe it is Aloe vera gel (from Holland and Barratt) then aloe vera vaseline over the top 2-3 times a day. Interestingly my dovobet gel (which includes a topical steroid) helps but I won’t use it for more than 3 days in a row because of the danger of skin thinning. I basically use it only when I’m going to see friends and I know the cameras will come out, not that I’m vain or anything!(yeah right!!)
Just hoping now my infection is cleared my skin and face will calm down.
Good luck with it
An update, my dermatologist decided to do patch testing for skin allergies after the biopsy they took said it was eczema. It turns out that I'm sensitive to fragrance, disperse blue dye (used on polyester), rosin and some topical steroids (go figure.) The rosacea wash had tons of fragrance to mask the sulfur smell, so that explains it being worse after that. I have cut out fragrance from my shampoo and don't use any hair products (boooo!!). Still using the Vanicream and Elidel, its much better but not totally gone. In the mean time, I'm having other issues that I suspect may be from hypothyroid and I'm going to the doctor tomorrow about that. I have come across some articles that say hypothyroid can cause skin issues.
Ok, another update. My thyroid is fine, apparently the other issues I was experiencing were related to a uterine polyp. I was looking for some good lotions for eczema and was on the Eczema Foundation website looking at recommended products and came across a research tab and started browsing the links. I did see where egg allergy frequently causes skin problems in children and realized that my skin always looks clear first thing in the morning, before I eat my eggs. I quit eating eggs and my blisters are almost all gone. I got tested for food allergies and was negative, but the allergist said if skipping the eggs is helping to keep doing that. I found a lot of forums where folks report getting acne-like lesions from eating eggs and I’m convinced that’s what was causing my issues. I quit eating eggs and barely have to use the creams at all now. Strange…
glad you found something that works. I'm pleased you have some definitive results about skin sensitivities, and even if you don't show an allergy to eggs, there seems to be strong suggestion of a corollary between eating them and having a skin reaction. As for how to help your skin (besides avoiding the products you're sensitive to and maybe eggs, too) there's no one answer except trial and error! If you saw Seenie's recent thread "Itch Itch" you'll see four pages of comments on the different creams, lotions and potions that folks use to calm their dry and itchy skin. Good luck and I hope you don't miss your morning eggs too much.
Mel B said:
Ok, another update. My thyroid is fine, apparently the other issues I was experiencing were related to a uterine polyp. I was looking for some good lotions for eczema and was on the Eczema Foundation website looking at recommended products and came across a research tab and started browsing the links. I did see where egg allergy frequently causes skin problems in children and realized that my skin always looks clear first thing in the morning, before I eat my eggs. I quit eating eggs and my blisters are almost all gone. I got tested for food allergies and was negative, but the allergist said if skipping the eggs is helping to keep doing that. I found a lot of forums where folks report getting acne-like lesions from eating eggs and I'm convinced that's what was causing my issues. I quit eating eggs and barely have to use the creams at all now. Strange...
The weird thing is that my facial "eczema" doesn't really itch, its just blisters. If left to their own devices, they eventually look similar to acne. The eczema I've had on my elbows, however, used to itch to high heaven and not even the strongest steroid cream could touch it. Oddly, it would mostly itch in the middle of the night...maddening!!
Maybe Rosacea? Sounds similar to mine, and that got much better with low dose Doxycycline. Go see the derm…they might be able to give you a good fix for it. I know I was really upset when my face broke out.
Be sure and check with your Rheumie about Doxie. My Pharmacist had a fit when the script came through from my Eye Doc for it. DOXIE does not play well with DMARD meds. As My regular rosacea turned to Occular Rosacea, I had no choice but did have to adjust my other meds accordingly.
