Does rashes on the face and chest indicate urticaria?

Question

Hi doctor,

I had mowed the lawn on the seventeenth or eighteenth and ran over some poison sumac but was careful not to step in it. I am aware it could take up to two days to show up, but no issues were present until the twenty-fourth or twenty-fifth. Then my face started getting itchy, and I was rubbing my eyes a lot. I thought it was just allergies but then woke up like that (not beyonce). The itching has decreased, but there is still all this redness, and my eyes feel tired a lot. My food lifestyle is healthy, and though I am under some stress, I do not know if it would attribute it to this. Currently, I am only taking three to four Benadryl a day. It has been four days and decreasing slightly by day. It is mostly on my face, a little on my chest, and not sure if it was anywhere else. For getting rid of some scarring on my face previously, I was referred to use Cerave face wash and different topical creams daily. I have been using it for almost 60 days with no issue, and my acne flare-ups have died down. I am attaching the pictures. You can see that there is still a lot of acne irritation from this allergy, and it is dry and super red around my eyes and under my brows. I am under a nonhormonal IUD. Kindly guide me.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

According to your statement, you have been suffering from rashes around your eyes, on your face, and on your chest. Again, acnes irritation has been flared up from this allergy. According to the pictures provided here (attachments removed to protect the patient's identity), you may suffer from urticaria due to many causes, along with acne irritation that has been aggravated by this urticaria.

Urticaria, also known as hives, are red, raised, itchy skin rashes that are usually aggravated by allergens, and allergens cause an allergic reaction when our body comes in contact with an allergen and release histamine as well as various chemicals from under the surface of the skin and develop inflammation as well as accumulation of fluid under the skin, producing wheals.

The triggering factors that can cause such types allergic reactions such as medications like antibiotics, ACEI (Angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors), Aspirin or various topical cream for acne or face cream, pollen, dust, animal danders, latex particles, food allergies from nuts, apple, strawberries, eggs, shellfish or any other foods, viral, bacterial or parasitic Infections, some plants like poison ivy, poison oak or poison sumac, etc., insect bites and stings, autoimmune disorders like thyroid function or SLE (systemic lupus erythematosus), sunlight exposure, etc.

Interestingly, in over half of all cases, exact causes for urticaria cannot be found. But, people with urticaria should avoid known triggering factors, if possible, which are mentioned above. Treatment for acute urticaria are antihistamines like Cetirizine, Fexofenadine, Loratadine, or Desloratadine, etc., for few weeks. Antihistamines will help to block the effects of histamines, decrease the rashes and stop the itching. Benadryl contains Diphenhydramine that is a first-generation and sedative antihistamine. Second or third-generation nonsedative antihistamines like Fexofenadine or Loratadine are more effective than first-generation antihistamines. Topical mild steroid-like Hydrocortisone cream also can be used to prevent severe itching along with antihistamines.

I hope this was helpful.