acne or eczema? confused dermatologist? or genius?
I have had mild to moderate acne for over 15 years, with many many clear days, but many many messy angry red and bumpy days as well, mainly in my T-zone and especially chin area which seems to constantly have a crop of little bumps, which erupt into papules and a cyst or two at least once a month. Over the years i've tried almost everything (differin, benzamyacin, tazorac, retin a mico, minocycline, benyoyl peroxide, clindamyacin) with varied sucess (minocycline worked great for one year, then it stopped working, tazorac worked in a way, but my skin is so sensitive it caused too many other problems)
now, i've moved to a new city, and my new dermatologist seems to think i have a mild form of eczema, and while she agrees i may have some acne, it is mainly a result of the eczema (inflamed skin cells from eczema clogging pore openings and causing acne).
has anyone else ever had a doctor mistake acne for eczema? why is this the first time i've heard this in 15 years? I'm following her regimin (starting today) so i don't know if she's correct or not yet, we'll see if my chin responds, i just find it strange that i've never thought of these two conditions as overlapping.
anyone else ever had any acne / eczema confusion, or had both at the same time? and what did you do?
nope...i've never been told i have eczema on my face. but i did have it on my hands once and i used the cream for that on any bumps on my face b/c it helped reduce the swelling. it was good stuff too! (cortisone i think.) what kind of stuff did ur dr. prescribe for you?
she prescribed a topical solution of clindamycin and doaks tar for the eczema/acne combo, and then also elidel cream for the irritated areas. she also gave me samples of tazorac to use all over my face, leave on for an hour, then wash off... (before using the other stuff). This is the whole before bed routine.
the thing i'm skeptical about is that i have very sensitive skin, so of course when my acne is in action, i get red, tight skin-- and flaky (yet oily at the same time--it's weird) from products i've used to fight the acne. she had me on retin a micro at first and i honestly think it's just the way i react to products like retin a and tazorac. but even when i tell her this is what i think, she wants me to try the eczema stuff and see if this works.
i've just never heard of these two conditions being remotely related, nor have i ever even considered that i might have eczema, and nor did my previous dermatologists. so i'm wondering if there's any precedent for this. I'm going to give her a chance, but i'd also like to know what other people think of this "diagnosis"... if she's crazy, i'd rather switch derms sooner rather than later. i don't like to waste money + time!
i went to my doctor (regular doctor, before i went to the derm) for acne and he noticed eczema on my eyelids and gave me elidel for both. the elidel dried my skin too much so i didn't use it. i do wonder if he is on to something, though, because i have battled small patches of eczema on my eyelids and scalp, and keratotis pilaris on my arms/thighs (as well as acne). all of these things can be caused by improper exfoliation, right? still, i couldn't make myself smear elidel on my face so i went to the derm and she gave me plexion wash and differin.
If you are exfoliating ( chemical or mechanical) too much, sometimes the cells build up and cause an eczema-like reaction. for many years i was confused because i thought i had both acne and eczema, but really i was just too aggressive in my exfoliation. if you do exfoliate, stop for a while, see what happens.
i'm wondering if that's not my problem...
i exfoliate my face using a scrub in the shower, but when i'm on retin a micro or tazorac, i find that even after i do that i'm still peeling so sometime i'll wipe away the peeling skin with a washcloth before moisturizing. i peel like crazy on both tazorac and retin a, (which my derm gave me so she should know the side effects!), and i'm not convinced about her eczema AND acne verdict... besides, a cyst is a cyst, there is no confusing that with anything else. it hurts! and they come from deeper down in the skin-- eczema is more on the surface.
ive never had eczema anywhere else, and no one in my family has it, and it's supposed to be hereditary. nevertheless, i'll give her regimen a try. live and learn.
i'm still interested to know if anyone has ever heard this story my doctor told me of eczema potentially triggering acne because of the way it inflames the skin and eventually blocks the pores. is this true?
Try doing a serach on seborric dermatitis or seborhea (sp.????) that might be helpful. About your skin being both dry and oily at the same time...i am willing to beth that it is oily and DEHYDRATED not dry. I know it may feel or look "dry" but there is actually a big differance. Dry means lacking oil. if you were dry there would be very few to no blemishes, blackheads, etc. Dehydrated means lacking water, which would cause the surface of your skin to look flaky, rough textured, or even tight and shiny. many people confuse this and treat dehydration like dryness and cause much more harm than good. collagen is good for dehydration, i think Aubrey Organics makes a collagen cream. Also I know that make a nighttime hydrator for oily and sensitive skin, i use it and i love it! (look for "sugars" in your product ingredients: sucrose, dextrose, lactose ANY -ose! and hyaluronic acid which is capable of holding up to 100 times its own weight in water.)
acne or eczema? confused dermatologist? or genius? 
