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Red, Dehydrated Neck, Dry Lines On Thighs And Buttocks, Soft And Dry Patches On Body. No Itching. Negative Allergy Test

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Posted on Wed, 26 Sep 2012
Question: nobody not even the 4 dermatologists can figure out what is wrong with me. i am 42 and in good shape. i have a red dehydrated neck 24 seven.. if i dont keep vaseline on it all the time i can barley move it backwards and i can see fine vertical dry lines..on my inner thighs and buttocks i have red dry splotchy patches that feel soft to the touch but look discusting... my back, stomach and chest are clear as a bell... yeast medications dry out my skin soo bad and moisture is the only thing that seems to help my neck.. if i get hot whether after a workout each day or a not so hot shower, my body is completely inflammed. no itch whatsoever and only stings if i let i dry out longer than a few hours.. please give it a shot ps i have heard it all eczema, etc.. i have tried every cortizone cream know to man nothing works it the rash does not change places it is fixed.. i have also had allergy testing which is all negative and blood panels so if there is no new info that will help me i will ask for my money back thank you
doctor
Answered by Dr. Praveen Rodrigues (49 minutes later)
Hi there. At the outset, given your predicament, please permit me to be candid...are you looking for 'new info' or 'a solution'. If new info is what you are looking for, then i suggest you request for your money back as if 4 dermatologists' on the ground have examined you, it is 'unrealisitc' for any dermatologist online thousands of miles apart to be expected to sort out the issue sans any visual evidence. Also, you seem to be frustrated with Docs & the various tests turning out negative. While i understand this given your 'situation' has not improved, & empathise with you, purely from an objective view-point, if one begins by holding a gun to the partner's head in a marriage, that marriage is doomed from the start.

Having said this & not making any false promises at the start, if you wish to wipe the slate clean & give mois a shot, would be happy to help.
Should you choose to continue (money is irrelevant as honestly if i were doing it for the approx. 2 dollars or less that i stand to gain from your particular consult, it would be sad as a professional), then please do upload some good clear photographs of the lesions, detailed medical history vis-a-vis what these doctors' have all told you, is there any skin biopsy done, history pf any other concomittant diseases & /0r medications, ?similar history or lesions in family members/ ? stressors (this does play more of a role than we envisage) vis-a-vis personal history please.
Regds & Await further details as requested. Cheers!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Praveen Rodrigues (11 minutes later)
I see your point. You are an effective persuader and absolutely right. I would like to have a fresh start and upload some photos.. how is that done in this forum? Yes a biopsy was done on my hip where it was very red and "eczema" was the diagnosis.. followed my cortisone cream. no family history of any skin conditions. I too have not had any issues until a few years ago.. I have been dealing with this for 4 years. so how do we do this.. thanks for the, well I guess the pep talk. XXXXXXX
doctor
Answered by Dr. Praveen Rodrigues (22 minutes later)
Hey There AAAAA
The web-site has an icon apparently that should read: 'upload my documents' or something similar. I recommend asking the site administrators' for further assistance. I am given to understand it is 'secure'. One may use my personal email id if you care to if this does not work.
I dont for a minute doubt that you are in 'Good Shape'. For the record tho' being a woman, is it likely that you are in the process of attaining 'menopause'? Are you on any hormonal preparations? any other medications recreational or otherwise? smoker? Partners et al/ sexual history? married? Stressors at work or home or perhaps financial..anything?
I note the biopsy findings..eczema is an 'all encompassing term' & anything from contact dermatitis to bacterial/fungal/viral infections like Hep B/Hep C (more common) et al can be contributory.
Apologies for the many questions but am doing my best to play the Devil's advocate hoping to glean out some sort of aetiology & thereby hopefully come up with some solution to help you out..do humor me. Cheers!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Praveen Rodrigues (33 minutes later)
good questions. i just had a saliva panel done. fsh is 13 on day 3 of menstrual cycle and to shorten the lengthy version for you, i have a bit of estrogen dominace. i have started natural progesterone 2 weeks ago. and lots of essential fatty acids... the diagnosis was in fact eczema with no other explanation but i used some neosporin on my neck the other day and it seemed to make the redness and vertical dry lines much better.. i thought maybe it was the vitamin e and other inactive ing. that might have done this.. anyway i am always trying too many things not very scientific of me.
sorry i forgot to add no smoking, no drinking. married 20 years and some stress of course 2 kids like anybody else. i uploaded pics i found the area to the right of the page hope you can get them
doctor
Answered by Dr. Praveen Rodrigues (1 hour later)
Sadly XXXXXXX ..I'm still not being treated to your snaps...perhaps a good thing now that i know you are married (would'nt want to get that husband all jealous). On a seerious note, the photographs seemed to be lost in translation..teething probs on the web portal perhaps...it should have been visible on the right side as you rightly pointed out but no attachments have popped up as i write...perhaps you could 'ping' the site administrators'. If no response, then feel free to use my personal email id.
From what i have gleaned thus far, early signs suggest some sort of 'minor' hormonal imbalances that may account for this skin 'reaction pattern'.
Stress will not 'cause' this but certainly 'aggravate' it. Being married 20 yrs is 'stressor' enough..this i say with authority being some 14 odd years down the line myself & the 'usual' two may be 'doubled' in my case..have 4..so there!
Seriously though, stressors need to be addressed too & perhaps a stranger like yours truly miles away to confide in may just be the key or a counsellor closer home could do the trick.
Again, i do tend to agree with you that VitE & /or some other ingredient in the cream might have done the trick...as 'neosporin' by itself is notorious for being a leading player in the contact dermatitis arena.
Perhaps, a cream like Sensibio D.S. from a French Company called Bioderma that is hypoallergenic & non-steroidal can be used long term for its beneficial emollient & redness decreasing effects? Also have you ever been prescribed 1% pimecrolimus cream (common name Elidel) for this 'eczema'? It is an immunomodulator & again non-steroidal & helps in decreasing redness in cases such as yours...pretty safe for long-term use in adults.
Pleae give it some time. My gut feeling is since you have started the hormonal preps (progesterone) to balance the estrogen effects, it will take a month or so & the situation should become more manageable or resolve...again, perhaps a Gynec or better still an Endocrinologist consultation in order here (assuming the former started you on this medication)
No smoking, No drinking she says proudly..go on..indulge in some vices..being goody-two-shoes will only get you thus far ...& then some more ;-)
On a serious note, hope some of this advice works & is relevant to your condition & hope to continue to be in touch albeit with a clear skin!
Cheers & will stand by for that photograph.
Dr Praveen Rodrigues MD

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Praveen Rodrigues (11 minutes later)
Hi there, ok, I do love an occational dirty martini, and i sneak a cigarette every now and then with the girls ssshhhhh... ok try to get the pics now i think they didnt go through before.. I appreciate your wisdom and insight. by the way will progesterone, might you know, help with thyroid? my tsh is 3.57 gone up from 1.87 in just 3 years...thoughts?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Praveen Rodrigues (25 minutes later)
Heya XXXXXXX Just got to view the snaps..agreed..well maintained!
About the lesions..of hand, going by my clinical hunch..am kinda still hinging on a problem related to some hormonal imbalance causing the eruption to be 'localised' to a place much akin what we term a 'fixed drug eruption'. Now this is a misnomer as anything from food additives to colouring agents to foods per se cause this problem & not just medications..commonly used OTC meds like aspirin, brufen or even sulfa drugs are commonly incriminated.
Another one outa closet them (alluding to the TSH levels here)..now am convinced you need to fix an appointment with the Endocrinologist. Please do an ultrasound (if not done so already) of the thyroid region (thyorid scans) & abdominal one to R/o any adrenal gland involvement & or what is called MEN syndrome..again touch far fetched but playing my Devil's advocate role to perfection here...all in a day's work @ the Endocrinologist's office.
Progesterone will not help with your thyroid status to answer that question specifically.
The Thyroid fluctuations will possibly have given you a reputation for being 'short-fused' & the Oestrogen-Progesterone imbalances could not have had much of a positive effect in the bedroom...geting these corrected may just lead to a more 'satisfying' experience all around! Some-day when i visit the US (lotsa good doc friends & my own familia there), perhaps you can sneak me into that girlie club with the martinis & the ciggis ;-)
You dint say whether Elidel & /or Sensibio d.s. had been tried or recommended earlier & can only assume they have not, so perhaps worth a trial but think the problem is more deep-rooted & largely 'hormonal' to put things in a nutshell.
Have a Good Day & trust this helped point you in some direction..right or wrong, time will tell & from what i see, it has served you well over the years! Cheers!
Note: Hope the answers resolves your concerns, however for further guidance of skin related queries consult our Dermatologist.Click here to book a consultation

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Dr. Praveen Rodrigues

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Practicing since :1993

Answered : 1193 Questions

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Red, Dehydrated Neck, Dry Lines On Thighs And Buttocks, Soft And Dry Patches On Body. No Itching. Negative Allergy Test

Hi there. At the outset, given your predicament, please permit me to be candid...are you looking for 'new info' or 'a solution'. If new info is what you are looking for, then i suggest you request for your money back as if 4 dermatologists' on the ground have examined you, it is 'unrealisitc' for any dermatologist online thousands of miles apart to be expected to sort out the issue sans any visual evidence. Also, you seem to be frustrated with Docs & the various tests turning out negative. While i understand this given your 'situation' has not improved, & empathise with you, purely from an objective view-point, if one begins by holding a gun to the partner's head in a marriage, that marriage is doomed from the start.

Having said this & not making any false promises at the start, if you wish to wipe the slate clean & give mois a shot, would be happy to help.
Should you choose to continue (money is irrelevant as honestly if i were doing it for the approx. 2 dollars or less that i stand to gain from your particular consult, it would be sad as a professional), then please do upload some good clear photographs of the lesions, detailed medical history vis-a-vis what these doctors' have all told you, is there any skin biopsy done, history pf any other concomittant diseases & /0r medications, ?similar history or lesions in family members/ ? stressors (this does play more of a role than we envisage) vis-a-vis personal history please.
Regds & Await further details as requested. Cheers!