Hi all. I asked this on the "old board" but then it crashed
before I got much response. Periodically, I get a very fine
blistery rash on my face. It's like scads of little tiny
blisters. It happens on my forehead, my cheeks (particularly
lower, nearer the jawline) first, and then spreads out. It isn't
really itchy, though my face feels irritated. If I rub it,
scratch it, or hot water gets on it, then it hurts. When it goes
away, it leaves me with some peeling. I asked my PCP about it and
he thinks it is either a reaction to a medication or something related
to the RA (specifically, he said an autoimmune response). But,
the last time I asked the rheumatologist, she had no idea. I
initially thought maybe allergies (seasonal) but Zyrtec takes care of
my other allergy symptoms yet doesn't improve this. It's been
going on now and then for about a year. Anyone have an idea?
It could be from your Arava. Ask your pharmacist what he/she thinks.
My dr just took me off of Arava because he says methtrexate works
better with Enbrel (he was one of the doctors in the intial study.)
This is so odd!! I just noticed a similar rash on my face over the weekend. It’s very fine…in fact I really didn’t even notice it until I was standing a certain way in the mirror and the sunlight was shining on it. Mine doesn’t hurt at all though. I’d be interested to know what you find out.
Hi Lorin,
While I don't have the answer for your rash, maybe I can shed some light on your Rhue... not having any idea of what is causing it.
About 7 yrs ago I saw a Dermatologist after my Rheu... did not know why the skin directly underneath the eyebrow hairs would periodically turn red and then all of the hairs except for about 1/2" near the nose would all fall out. Then they would grow back again.
The dermatologist got excited and told me he knew exactly what it was, " an immune system reaction" caused by a defect in my immune system. It is another type of inflammatory reaction. He said he had seen 1 case while in medical school, 30 years earlier, and there is no treatment. So, periodically my eyebrows do a disappearing act. Its not unusual then that my Rhue... did not know about it. She was very interested in everything the Derme had to say.
So if the meds are not the problem, maybe its another manifestation of your messed up immune system.
Barb