I can't tell if my eczema is getting worse or if its something else...

[Whimsyhe]

I'm in high school, and have had eczema my entire life. It was on my face, hands and arms when I was younger, but I grew out of it for a while. It only stayed on my arms, in the bend of my elbows, for my whole life. However, for the past year and a half or so, things have been getting worse.

At first, the eczema on my arms got really bad again. As a result, the elasticity there is pretty much obsolete. I have stretch marks all around the bend in my arms, and it is always red and flaky and itchy. I can't tan there, either. The skin around the bends of my arms is perpetually pale, no matter how tan the rest of me gets.

Then, it started migrating upwards. However, I don't know if this new stuff is eczema. Now, I have a red rash all over my right hand and around my wrist. The skin there feels kind of scaly (unlike the eczema around my arms), and it gets really itchy. It has extended up and around my middle finger as well, and the elasticity around my knuckle has worsened too. If I pinch the skin on my knuckle, it doesn't go back down all the way like it should.

The skin on my neck has gotten bad too. All around my throat and wrapping up to underneath my ears and even ON my ears, the skin is dry and itchy. I take allergy shots every week (I'm allergic to grass, trees, ragweed, dust mites, cockroaches, cats, and dogs), but for three weeks recently, I couldn't take it because the serum wasn't ready. That was when things got REALLY bad. The skin on my neck and jawline and ears always felt like it was burning, and if I touched it just a little bit, it got incredibly itchy. However, if I itched it at all, it would burn even more. It feels really taught, as well. I can feel the tension in my neck if I lift my head at all. Lines and wrinkles appear whenever I stretch my neck, too. It really sucked when I was taking the SAT earlier in the week. I was really distracted by not trying to touch my neck.

The skin under and around my eyes is also being affected. If I don't put on lotion and medication, the skin around my eyes gets tight and dry. If I lift my gaze at anything other than the floor, I can feel the tension at the corners of my eyes. Wrinkles are starting to appear around the corner of my eyes and on my eyelids, just like on my neck. It's very uncomfortable.

In the past couple weeks, the skin on my right glute has been getting dry too. It looks different from everywhere else - about three or four localized oval shapes of inflamed skin that are itchy and dry. Below those ovals, there is a red spotted rash. The spots are small and shiny, about the size of a pimple or inflamed hair follicle. This stings when I touch it... the spots above the rash are mainly just itchy, and hurt when I shower.

In general, every area of skin affected gets quite red and inflamed sometimes. I get really self conscious about it at school. Kids are cruel.

I use a combination of two lotions and one *expensive* medication called Elidel... this combination is the only thing I've found that even somewhat works. I might not even have access to Elidel soon, because insurance won't pay for it. I use this combination basically in every area affected, but the relief never lasts long. I can honestly say that my skin feels REMOTELY normal for about an hour after putting lotion and cream on. After that, it all feels terrible again and I feel the need to put more on. I feel like it may be bad to use it so often, but i don't know what else to do. It looks and feels really bad if I don't use it so much. People at school can see it, too. Most of the more noticeable stuff is on my face and neck, after all.

Do my descriptions of any of these afflictions sound familiar? I'm sure around my arms it is just eczema, like it has always been. But what about the super red, scaly  rash on my hand and wrist that makes my skin less elastic? And the dry, itchy ovals or shiny little red dots on my glute? Or the dry, inelastic, and burning skin on my neck, ears, and eyes? I'm getting desperate. I can't live like this forever - I'm super busy with school and extracurriculars, and I don't have time to always be conscious of how tight my face feels or how itchy everything else is. Please help me out - I need some more advice. I am going to see my doctor in a couple weeks to discuss medication, and I am going to ask her to refer me to a dermatologist.

Please help me out. Thanks you for reading!

[purple1234567]

It's good that you are going to your doctor- that's important when your condition is getting worse.  It sounds like you may be under a bit of stress right now, is that right?  Stress can often make these conditions worse, and if you aren't getting the allergy shots you normally need- that can cause the issue to get worse too (especially this time of year with the specific allergies you have).  
If you have been managing eczema for a while, I'm sure you know to stay away from things with fragrance in them- check your laundry detergent, soaps, and lotions to ensure that you are staying away from them. Following up with your doctor is the next best step- let us know how your appointment goes!