An update! I visited my GP today and his reaction to my question was “Yes, duh, you have rosacea.” Well, not in those exact words. So, everybody, a general redness about the face can also be rosacea, you don’t need bumps or anything. I got a prescription for Metrogel and will be trying it over the next 6 weeks. Wish me luck!
I’m sorry to hear that you suffer from the heartbreak of psoriasis. I’m glad to know you don’t have it severely, it can be really, really involved and distressing. If you ever do get it worse, there are so many treatments these days it’s crazy. Take heart, though, it is very, very unlikely to occur on the face.
I will share what I know about dry skin. My doctors all strongly deny that drinking more water will help dry skin. They all say that you have to moisturize within 3 minutes of getting out of the shower or bath, while skin is still wet. Lotion doesn’t add water to skin, it seals water in. If you have severely dry skin, don’t be afraid to use cream, not lotion, and we like Cetaphil. As long as it says ‘noncomedogenic’ it’s supposed to not clog pores. For severely dry skin on the body, AmLactin Lotion (over the counter) or similar lactic-acid-containing lotions are good.
I have so much empathy for people with severe acne. Not to rub it in, but I have literally never had a single pimple, and being a teenager was hard enough with perfect skin. It must really suck to have acne.
While it’s still good skin, it’s definitely not perfect anymore. I’ve had way too much sun and if there was one thing I could go back and undo it damn sure wouldn’t be using sunscreen but it would be in the top 5. If you’re young right now, I must emphatically plead with you, WEAR SUNSCREEN. Parents, make your kids wear it. Reapply every 2 hours, at least. Use a tablespoonful for your face and a shotglassfull for your body. Broad spectrum! Can I get a witness?
To young women- please consider carefully your decision to tan. Tanning beds are not safer than the sun, no real tan is safe. Consider your skin type, your family history, and what you’d like to look like when you’re 40. Google that shit, you will see. Tanning has been found to be addictive, creating a euphoria when used and the resulting rebound when not used. Melanoma is the Number One cancer in women 18-25. I have seen 16- and 17-year-olds diagnosed with melanoma. I’ve seen it multiple times in only 3.5 years. I now look at people that tan the same way some people look at people that smoke- I find it disgusting and disturbing that someone would deliberately damage their skin like that for life. Just don’t do it. People of Irish ancestry do not produce an enzyme that helps skin to heal from sun damage, so those people are most susceptible to skin cancers of all kinds. Don’t do it!
I’m so glad I’ve had the opportunity to do this thread. I was very nervous about it, but I think it’s gone well, and I’m open to any other questions.
Can you get a mole on the outside of your lip? If so, how much does it cost to remove it?
I don’t know if you can get moles on your lips- I’ve never seen one. If it’s flat, it could be a lentigo, which is a freckle from the sun. Or something worse. You might wanna get that checked out.
Wow. I empathize with you. And I know that back in those days nobody knew about the risks of sun.
My “rosacea” sounds exactly like yours and the Metrogel works GREAT. After about two weeks of twice a day application my not-so-pimply pimples were COMPLETELY GONE. 
Now I usually just use it once a day. Sometimes only every other day. I doubt you’ll have any trouble getting a derm to perscribe it and it is not expensive.
Might not be the best place for my next question but here goes anyway. Can anybody recommend a truly waterproof suncreen for the face. I recently had an awful experience with some that I use on my kids. Can’t remember which brand but it the packaging says it is waterproof and says it is for kid’s so you’d think it’d be gentle or whatever. I put it on my face - NOT in my eyes - and then went swimming. Within a few minutes it had dripped off my forehead I guess and was in my eyes. Towel no help. Rinse with saline no help. I think that is actually what probably washed the stuff into my sinuses. I know I wasn’t snorting any. I felt like I’d been maced*. I had drastic runny nose and eyes and suncreen in my sinuses sensation/smell until the following day. I need a product that will stay PUT! Who can help?
Try Neutrogena Dry Touch sunblock, or Blue Lizard Kids. Sunscreens labeled “sport” is supposed to not run.
Topical cream? Over the counter acne cream? Not sure I get exactly what you are refering to. Speaking of acne cream, are there any over the counter products that you would recommend? I’m thinking maybe try that on the shoulder/neck area before going to a dermatologist.
MeanJoe
Since I’ve been pregnant, my skin is going crazy. Sometimes I get raised flesh colored bumps on my skin, specifically on the inside of my arm. They itch, and when I scratch them they get red and stay that way for a while. They seem to disappear and reappear at a whim, sometimes moving around a little. I never had this before I was pregnant, so I am assuming some kind of link. Do you often get pregnant women in with weird skin stuff going on?
Also my expanding stomach itches, although that is more understandable. Should I just be using a lotion or cream for dry skin, or is there something specific that might be better?
Unrelated to these, a few years ago I had what seemed like an ingrown hair on my thigh. After a shower one day I got it out and it seemed like all was well, then a red bump appeared there and stayed forever. Over time it has gotten harder and now appears as a shiny red hard bump. It is not painful or itchy, nor does it change in appearance. Anything I can do to try to get rid of it?
Last year I had a sebaceous cyst (or epidermoid cyst) on my back that ruptured and was expressed by my dermatologist. Unfortunately, I was face-down on the table through the entire procedure and missed the expressy goodness – smell, stuff pouring out of the hole, etc. – and even now regret not bringing my camera and asking him to document it for me.
Anyway, have you been present at any expressings? Are they things you – and the dermatologist – kind of look forward to in a way? My derm was rather cool and remote until we got to the expressing; then he was all, “I’ve ruined lab coats doing this! One time, it shot across the room!”
I took your advice and showed it to my GP when I was there a couple of days ago. He said “I think it’s contact dermititis” (which Mrs. Evil Captor assures me is doctorese for “Looks like you got some kinda rash or other, buddy”) and recommended Triamcinilone cream, which we coincidentally already had a supply of. Iv’e been using it, and things are looking better, though the rash hasn’t really gone away or even shrunk noticeably yet.
Is there such a thing, as an Emergency Pimple?
I don’t know… I hesitate to recommend a treatment on this. Even your primary care doctor can pop a pustule and bacterial culture it, are you sure you don’t want to look into that? It seems very atypical, in my experience, to have an outbreak of acne at your age and in that area. But staph or strep infections, on the other hand, VERY common. If you must treat over the counter, maybe an antibiotic ointment would help.
It’s quite usual for moles to increase in size during pregnancy. Those bumps… I don’t know, they could be any number of things. A good heavy cream such as Cetaphil or Cerave could help with your itching tummy. The thing on your thigh could be a dermatofibroma, which is a scar-like benign growth in reaction to a bite or wound. A dermatologist could remove it, but you might not like the scar you get any more than you like the bump.
Oh yeah… this is the one thing I almost cannot assist with. When they incise a cyst and squeeze it, and green gunk comes out, and it stinks, I almost pass out. Every single time. I have started gagging and had to leave the room. I’m very sensitive, you know… and that’s nasty. We used to have an MA that had no sense of smell, and I’d make her go in with those. But now she’s gone, alas.
I’m glad you had it looked at and it’s getting better. If it’s persistent, a dermatologist could do a patch test on your back to see if you are allergic to any materials or substances.
While we wouldn’t make an acne cyst our highest priority, we may work you in to get a steroid injection into it to help it resolve quickly. (Was this a reference to something funny, cuz if so, I want in on it.)
Just to let you know, I asked one of my doctors yesterday if you can get a mole on your lip, and he said yes. I’d think it would be very easy to make a case that it irritates and gets in the way, and insurance would pay to have it removed, if you have it. If you do have insurance, the cost is your copay or deductible. If you don’t, we’d collect $175 from you and you might get a small bill from the pathologist for any extra charge.
Dangermom, your facial condition sounds very much like my own. I did a search of threads to try and find an answer before I posted about a possible remedy for my face redness, and stumbled upon this one. I think I need to see a Dermatologist myself, and find out if I have rosacea or not. Thanks for all your replies on here, Alice the Goon.
Had Diolite laser treatment a month ago. I was happy after 3 weeks of treatment that the brown spot has lightened after the black crusty part peeled off. Thought I have finally found the solution to get rid of the unwanted brown spot. To my dismay, the pinkish colour of the treated skin has turned into it,s original color. I am really devastated. I was told I can continue using moisturizer and sun block to protect the treated skin from the sun. Which I did. I am just wondering if anyone,s been the same situation and whar could have caused the spot to return in just a matter weeks after laser treatment.
NEVERMIND!!! Why was a 5 year old zombie ressurected!
Alice, you’re an angel to offer your knowledge and experience! 
Here’s my situation–a few weeks ago I developed a small itchy spot under my hair right at the back of my neck at the hairline. No big deal, but it’s gradually gotten to where the itchiness has spread halfway up the back of my head (not near my ears). I thought it might be the neophrene strap from the BiPAP I wear at night for sleep apnea, and started going a few nights without it (and also washing the strap).
The area is now itchy with a few whitish scabs (I know, yuck!) and often oozy. It’s driving me nuts as it’s so itchy. I’ve never had dandruff, but started using my husband’s dandruff shampoo to see it that would help–and no.
I’d see a doc, but after being laid off last December, can’t afford to go to one. If I had a clue as to what this is, I’d just go to my pharmacist. BTW, my hairdresser, who has seen all kinds of scalp issues, says that this looks almost like poison ivy.
Any ideas or remedies (natural ones are ok, too)?
Thank you so much for your help.
Since this thread last saw the light of day, five years ago, we’ve changed the policy for where threads on medical advice and anecdotes go – they now get put in IMHO, to emphasize that any info you get from them is the opinion of an anonymous person on an internet forum, and no substitute for a consultation with a trained professional.
I’m therefore moving this from MPSIMS to IMHO.