Anti-inflammatory topical drugs are immune suppressive. In the short term, this may be thought necessary to stop a reaction that is out of control. But the trade-off is rapid skin weakening and vulnerability to other problems. Be aware.

The Skin Dork’s Law of Proportions:

You will never solve a flare-up caused by a topical (chemical) with another topical (chemical), whether natural or synthetic.

Corticosteroids, or cortisone or Prednisone, etc. and other names are to be used topically – almost never.

ANY topical inflammation caused by a chemical, whether it is natural or synthetic or organic, a spider bite or poison ivy or just a bad product idea that you tried CANNOT be knocked down by a topical prescription steroid drug (i.e. another chemical).

Also, things will go from bad to worse and more bad things happen to your skin metabolism and immune system the longer you apply these anti-inflammatory steroids.

Taken orally these steroidal drugs can knock down a raging histamine response. That is a decision between you and your doctor. But, if you have a good doc she will want you away from the oral drug quickly. These are, flat out, dangerous drugs.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory orally dosed drugs like Ibuprofen (can create problems for the liver, kidney with extended use btw) or acetaminophen, or aspirin, and others are good in a pinch to cool out a nasty histamine response from a topical chemical attack. Benadryl seems to work well for many (drowsiness side effect and some link dementia and stroke to over frequent use).

It is surprising how often a hay fever or just sniffing an essential oil you have always liked can set off a skin rash, and always on the face.

The issue is that your skin has been at a threshold of inflammation (not visible to you) for some time and the hay fever or fragrance chemistry pushed you right over the histamine wall. The histamine response is the immune system coming in like FEMA after a hurricane. The damage is already done, you are dealing with the aftermath, not something new that just happened. Always.

That can be confusing to sort out. Did my new moisturizer to this, or some food I ate or wine I drank last night, or just what and when? The storm came about from a cumulative insult is the message. Unless you are crazy sensitive, it takes time to build up a case of skin inflammation.

Most skin flare-ups on the face took a while to get there, they didn’t happen overnight, even if they showed up overnight.

What’s next is subtraction. Take an oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (an NSAID) of choice and stop using everything on your skin. Apply nothing. Rinse if you must but better to let things alone for at least 24 hours.

No moisturizers, no masks, no sunscreen – and stay out of the sun or even reflected sunlight until this ordeal chills out.

Try to stay out away from unclean environments, like kitchens, sandboxes, your husband’s man cave, car, closet, or his horrifying couch and public areas. Washing will pink you up for a while afterward. If it makes you itch, you started washing too soon. Stay dirty, but mud is not an answer, either.

You may also be going through topical product withdrawal while this all occurs. This can make your skin very unstable and rashes come and go. Wash only with REVIVE or very diluted Dawn® Dishwashing liquid; or, diluted and fragrance-free hand sanitizer – know there is something about the combination of alcohol and fragrances in hand sanitizers that just explodes on unstable skin.

Antibiotics are rarely employed for a rash, nor should they be as your best doctor will tell you. Yes there are little creatures, terrifying to see under a microscope, that like to roam around like mountain goats and dig into broken, rashy skin, but antibiotics won’t help. They won’t be there long if you use REVIVE

or even a fragrance-free hand sanitizer. But only use a fragrance-free sanitizer, I repeat.