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Flaking and crusting behind left ear only
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An_240020 posted:
I know the post and one reply to this submitted 10 mos ago, does not even come close to a solution. I have this exact symtom, I am a female, I do not use a cell phone and if glasses with metal frames would cause it, then why would the symptoms only occur on the LEFT side. I too have tried various lotions and A&D ointment , skin cream (Noxema), etc. without any healing. Please give a treatment, not a guess as to what is causing it. Can anyone suggest something for a treatment.

Thank you in advance.

SMB
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Mrs_Medina responded:
My husband had something very similar, behind his right ear though. We couldn't figure out what was causing it, it was crusting and flaking just like yours and it was also dark brown in color. What made it go away was my son's hydrocortizone cream that we use for his eczema. He applied it 3 times a day and within a week it was completely gone. However, it's still brown-ish in color. But there's no more dry skin and flaking. You can try an OTC cream similar to my son's eczema cream, it's called Cortate. It's a low dose steroid cream, should be available at your local drugstore. Hope that helps.
 
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Suzannebil responded:
I broke down and went to see my dermitologist. I had to get treatment for a Rosacea outbreak and when the doctor examined the left ear, she promptly advised that it was a patch of excema (spelling?) So I have a prescription for that which was actually free with the coupon and willl last forever I guess, since it is such a small area. You may get otc lotion. I'd ask the pharmacist for the best one. I think you have to see the doctor for the "free" presciption. It's called Vanos. Hope this will help you.
 
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3kittymama responded:
Hello! I have the exact same problem, although I do have some crusting and itching once in a while in the same place behind my right ear. What I do is when I shower in the morning, I take a pair of rough bath gloves, soap them up, and gently scrape away the dead skin. Don't do it too hard, or you'll have sore skin to cope with on top of the eczema! After my shower, I take some Aveeno Eczema Therapy Cream and apply it to the spot where the rough patch was. In a day or two, you should see a big difference. I just saw the other day where Neosporin is coming out with an eczema treatment cream. I can't wait to try that! But I really do recommend the Aveeno cream. I also had breakouts on my eyelids, and after doing the bath glove sloughing on those (gently!), I used the Aveeno cream as a moisturizer under my makeup, and without realizing it at first, it completely cleared up the breakout on my eyelids. It's really great stuff. Best of luck to you!
 
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Mohiba K Tareen, MD replied to 3kittymama's response:
Dear Readers,

Thank you for your excellent posts and wonderful suggestions. Indeed, many of my patients develop asymetrical patches of eczema or psoriasis. Typically an over the counter steroid cream can mitigate the symptoms after a several days to a week of twice daily use. A prescription strength steroid (such as the Vanos which is mentioned above, a favorite of mine) melts away the inflammation after just a few uses.

My only caution is to avoid Neosporin on the eczema or psoriasis areas. A significant percentage of patients develop an allergy to the neomycin which is the main component in Neosporin. Then, it is even MORE difficult to treat the underlying problem!

Good luck and thanks again for all of your excellent suggestions
 
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3kittymama replied to Mohiba K Tareen, MD's response:
Hi, Dr. Tareen! I understand your caution about the Neosporin eexzema treatment, but I swear by Neosporin ointment for minor injuries, and I have no adverse reaction to any part of it, so I'm going to give the exzema treatment a whirl. If they've put anything in it that I react badly to, I'll have to deal with that. I do have sensitive skin, so it's possible, but we'll see. Thanks for your advice!


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