<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
Hi and thank you very much to everyone that responded. Here is the summary for my original question regarding Dermatitis Herpetiformis. I have included my original message in part 2 of this post for anyone that may have missed it. I apologize for taking so long on this summary, but I have had continuing problems, some new, since I posted my original question. Everyone was very helpful and I appreciate it very much.
I hope this is understandable; this is my first summary for this group. I have added a few of my own comments in various areas, preceded and ended with a “<>”.
Of the responses I received, here is an overview of thoughts on what might be wrong with me, causing this rash on my face:
2 thought it might be shingles
3 said Rosecea
2 said eczema
3 said psoriasis
1 thought it might be a pre-menopausal symptom
1 said staph infection
1 considered another allergy
1 said discoidal lupus erythematosus
2 thought it might be the body’s own detoxifying reaction
13 said it did not sound like DH, and 1 thought it DID sound like DH
6 said you would not get DH since going GF
2 said they still have DH symptoms since going GF. Staying off iodine might help this.
1 said they get DH when they use external skin care products that contain gluten.
Two people sent this link for the DH online community: http://www.dermatitisherpetiformis.org.uk/
The test for DH is that the rash is in a mirror image pattern on the body.
<That is true for the rash on my face. It was almost an exact mirrored pattern on either side of my face.>
Below are some of the descriptions of DH that I thought would be best left in their original form:
“Hope you're feeling lots better by now...I doubt its DH as it seems
mainly to appear on elbows, knees and buttocks, never had any on my
face. It starts off just as an itchy area, turns into little watery
blisters which once broken (because of the scratching) weep and turn
into scabs (sorry, don't mean to get gross here...). Someone described
it as having a very bad case of poison ivy and oak, on top of a bad
sunburn and then wrapping yourself in a scratchy wool blanket!”
“It's really hard to say what it might be - without seeing it - but I would guess it's not DH. I get DH when exposed to gluten (very rarely! I'm very careful) or high doses of iodine (in seafood) and it looks like a cluster of herpes blisters (hence the name). The DH most often appears on the back/buttocks/thighs - not usually the face.”
“It doesn't sound much like DH. Sounds more like Eczema
(I'm not 100% sure how to spell it). DH manifests
itself in blisters that are very itchy and burning and
once they burst a clear fluid comes out of them. They
don't really bleed. If you are 100% GF, then probably
you wouldn't get the blisters for DH either, although
there are some reports that Iodine can cause a break
out.”
“I too never thought about DH until I noticed a correlation between skin
break-outs and my ingestion of:
Iodized salt
Milk / Casein products.”
“Usually takes my eruptions 2-3 weeks to clear up using topical
ointments. When I avoid all milk/casein products and iodized salt [difficult when
I eat out] my face is totally clear--no make-up necessary.”
“Dairy, iodine or seaweed could trigger DH”
“Is the rash in a butterfly shape across the nose and cheeks? (a classic pattern for lupus)”
<My rash was in a butterfly shape like pattern, but it was not on my cheeks. It was on the skin next to my nose and my chin.>
“Did you change bed linens? Change the soap you wash
Your pillow cases with? Could it be pollen? Did you
open the vent in your car? Clean a dusty nook or cranny?”
<I don’t remember anything specifically, but I have worked in a dusty environment for seven years now without a problem until now.>
“a dermatitis reaction to sunscreen/make-up/soap. Have you switched brands of late? Had a facial or used a new face mask? New detergent (pillow case)? (For instance, I'm highly allergic to lemongrass - in many "natural" products like face soaps and masks.”
<I really haven’t tried any new products recently that I could think of except the keifer. I have always used whatever brand I felt like using at the time for cleaning and skin care products and have never had problems in the past. I did notice some hair spray I was using had wheat in it, so I have stopped using it. The rash is healing after several weeks, but it is still there.>
One person emphasized that skin cancer is scary and anything lasting longer than 2 weeks should be checked by a dermatologist.
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