Can anyone tell what this is?

[freeme3]

Yes, allergies can cause patchy redness and it seems you have a number of potential causes. Stress can also make everything worse so yes, getting your anxiety under control can only help.

First of all I suggest you stop drinking alcohol for a while to see if that helps since that could have caused or exacerbated your problem. Second of all next time you get your hair relaxed/etc tell the hair dresser to be extremely careful and not get any of the solution on your face. That stuff isn't good for anyone. In fact, you might be better off asking her/him to find something less toxic to use.

About your face not burning when it turns red that's good and I don't want to add any extra worries as that may never change but that's how I started. When I was younger I would blush/flush but without the burning. It progressed to the burning sensation I now experience with any flush. So not to unnecessarily worry you but it wouldn't hurt for you try and find what is aggravating your face and stop exposing yourself to it if you can. The best way you can do this is trial and error and the easiest thing you can do is stop alcohol for now and see if that helps and try some relaxation techniques to help calm your mind and anxiety. You will be OK- don't worry. One day at a time.

Hey Melissa thanks for your reply! I have stopped drinking alcohol and will see if things improve for me. I am also working on the stress part of it and am going to start doing some yoga and meditation. Yes- next time I get my hair done, I will make sure that she does not get any solution on my face. You're right that stuff isn't good for anyone. I may not actually do that ever again because it really was irritating!

My face very, very dry and flaky. It does have some patchy redness and I wonder if that is a sign that I have seb derm? It's red next to my nose and very dry and flaky and then under my eyes near my nose there are patches of dryness and flakiness. Sometimes my scalp itches too. I actually just made a dermatologist appt. for Friday so I guess I will know then what's going on. It's hard to tell in pictures- the camera really doesn't pick it up well so I can't really include a pic. But does that sound like seb derm?

In regards to the burning, I did have some burning a few months ago after using a steroid but then that went away and my skin was pretty much normal. Then I started getting red after showers and hives on my forehead- weird!! Now the dry, flaky redness.

Anyway, thanks for saying that I will be ok. I hope so- I just want to know what I am dealing with so I can get it under control. Thanks again!

[freeme3]

freeme, there are delayed allergic reactions. So, the straightener could have been absorbed by the skin on your scalp (it's a very porous surface) and slowly caused the allergic symptoms to emerge.

I agree with Melissa -- try to find something not toxic for your hair.

There are some really good products out there that help you not fight your hair. Kerastase has a whole line for "rebellious" hair. Next, Moroccan oil (the original one with the blue label) is very soothing to the hair shaft. A lot of times hair looks frizzy because the shaft is all stressed and crumpled up. You can find a little sample bottle on line.

The products I mention are expensive -- but they are gentle and work. You could get a bunch of them for the price of a professional straightening.

G

,
Hi Ghost,

Thanks for your message. That's true that it could be a delayed reaction- it's just weird that it occurred on my face and not my scalp where most of the product went. I suppose that our faces are way more sensitive than our scalps so maybe my skin just didn't like it and the reaction was delayed.

I used to use Morrocan Oil-- I totally forgot about that! Thanks for reminding me- I think I will get some. I have never heard of Keratase but will look into it-- where can I find that, just online?

Thanks again for your help, Ghost!

[freeme3]

How can you tell the difference between the two? My face feels very tight and dry-- especially on my t-zone and forehead. Under my eyes it's flaky and somewhat red.

I guess that's the million dollar question, right? Ha! I assume my dermatologist will be able to tell the difference?