Skin Problems & Treatments Community

One day about a year ago I borrowed a pair of my boyfriend's pajama pants and within a few minutes I started itching like crazy all over. I assumed it had something to do with whatever laundry detergent he used, but since that day I have had problems with my skin.

Areas on my body will become red and feel like they are burning, which is usually my ears and sometimes my upper lip, but this recently has spread to my forehead as well. I will find large raised welts on my skin all over my body, which usually look like a long, fat grub is under my skin. I will also get terribly itchy on my legs, bottom, back, chest, and neck. When I scratch the areas will become very red and raised from my scratch marks, which never used to happen throughout my life when I scratched any section of my skin. All of these symptoms seem to come and go. I will be horribly itchy one moment, then it will pass, then another symptom might start up.

I went to see a dermatologist, who suggested I try some Cortisone cream and said that this is something that just happens to people sometimes and that there is no reason for it, but that it usually goes away within a bit of time. I didn't want to use the Cortisone cream since it contained steroids, plus all of my symptoms come and go anyway so I didn't see the cream as being much of a help in stopping this.

A holistic doctor said I might have extreme sensitivity to fragrances and dyes and also be allergic to chicken, beef, corn, and tomatoes, which are hard for me to remove from my diet, especially since corn is in so much. For a few months I tried taking holistic medicine for sensitivity for fragrances, dyes, as well as corn. Nothing helped. I even began using fragrance free soap, conditioner, and shampoo, since often I find that when I exit the shower my ears will be red and feel like they are burning and that maybe the cause of that was the soap, but this didn't help either.

I don't feel any better or worse if I use products with fragrances or eat certain foods. The symptoms don't always happen after I eat, often I will have symptoms just sitting in bed while reading a book or working on the computer. I've never heard of anyone else ever having any of these problems and they all started so suddenly and I don't know what this could be or what I could do.

I feel like I can't be comfortable in my own skin anymore. I'll suddenly start itching everywhere and have raised welts all over my body. It is embarrassing when this happens in public and especially when I get welts on my face and my face becomes red. And my body looks horrible when I scratch at it and I have raised claw marks from my nails, which doesn't leave any scarring, but at times looks like something out of a horror movie.