POZ Community Forums
Main Forums => Living With HIV => Topic started by: lonewolf on February 05, 2009, 10:46:32 am
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Actually it's almost funny. I presently have 4 types of skin rashes. Arms and head have red sores, no itch that just show up now and then, hurt, then heal. Eyebrows and nose, well, very dry scaly skin with some itch. Chest, have some kinda dry crusty stuff that really itches, and then have one more spot down in the groin area, just a red spot, some itch. Most are going away again, it all cycles. I use a combination of skin cream to moisten, benadryl, a fungus one in the different areas. This has happened for the first time when winter started, and heals, then comes back.
My Dr says that it's a combo of dry skin, HIV, etc.
I am going on meds next week, and hopefully that will even help with the skin stuff??
whining, Bruce
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Sorry to hear you're suffering like this. I know first-hand how depressing it can be although, by the sounds of it, I didn't have it as bad as you. My experience has been that my skin problems gradually resolved once I started meds and my skin is now back to normal. My doc explained that once the immune system strengthens it is again able to deal competently with the bacteria that naturally reside on our skin.
One thing to look out for is that once you start meds skin problems can temporarily get worse (as part of immune reconstitution). For this reason my doc put me on antibiotics (erythromycin) during the first few months after I started. Perhaps something to check with your doc?
Good luck!
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I had all sorts of minor skin issues before I started meds. In fact, I thought I had rosacea at one point and did have seborrheic dermatitis before I even knew I was HIV+. I've often heard that skin problems are the first 'issue' people experience when they're HIV+. All my skin problems cleared up shortly after starting meds (along with most of the fatigue and night sweats). Good luck!
David
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A 79 year old friend of mine developed a SHINGLES outbreak. She had chicken pox as a kid and now some 65 years later has SHINGLES. Luckily for her its on one leg. But it fits the description you give....
"Arms and head have red sores, no itch that just show up now and then, hurt, then heal. Eyebrows and nose, well, very dry scaly skin with some itch. Chest, have some kinda dry crusty stuff that really itches, and then have one more spot down in the groin area, just a red spot, some itch. Most are going away again, it all cycles. I use a combination of skin cream to moisten, benadryl, a fungus one in the different areas. This has happened for the first time when winter started, and heals, then comes back."
Hers, which I looked at, are fairly large pimples which become red and crusty. They tend to cluster. Be sure you are treating the right thing. She originally thought it was an insect bite but I told her to GO TO YOUR DOCTOR.........which she did and he sent her to a dermatologist. The dermatologist diagnosed Shingles.
modified to add: She was prescribed VALTREX for it.
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Thanks for all your warm advice. (live in No MN here, and it is another cold day). Wish we all could be having a cup of coffee at Starbucks. Hey I am making some French Baguettes today too, very good crusty bread, wish I could send you all some!!!!
Ya, it is kinda funny, and so thankful that I don't have shingles or any STD's to complicate things.
Will talk to my dr about the right kind of salves, meds for the different skin issues too!!
Hugs, Bruce
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Skin issues resolve on successful treatment but also its possible to have worse skin during the healing period (IRS). Good luck!
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Sounds like we suffer from many of the same things. This time of year is definitely the worst. If I rub my scalp I look like a human snow globe. Do you get the quasi-rosacea thing too? My face will go bright red at the oddest random times.
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Hiya all!!!
I ve been diagnosed with Seborrhoeic Dermatitis (2days ago) my GP gave me Nizoral cream and shampoo,
I see a massive improvement already ;D, only it burns a little when I put the cream on(annoying) but I'm happy that it is healing. my symptoms are oval patches of red (neck, chest, face - forehead, eyebrows, groin-I use steroid cream on it) all 'em itchy, groin area it comes and goes thats why I need to use steroid cream.
Also I had skin problem( dry skin, itchy-mild) for about 4 years, about 3 months ago I changed my medication due to drug interaction (seretide-norvir) and my skin is back to norm ,Norvir was the drug that was giving me dry skin.
Best of luck to all.
Lukas
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I've had HIV-related Seborrhoeic Dermatitis since I was diagnosed in 1985, only on my face (forehead, either side of nose, around the eyes and/or eyebrows). I use a 1% topical corticosteroid cream when I need it.
In past years, I'd have to use the cream every day, sometimes twice a day. In the last few years, I've gone long periods without needed the cream at all -- a nice sign that my immune system has slowly improved after years of taking HAART??
I found this good webpage describing how common this is in people living with HIV:
http://dermatology.about.com/cs/seborrhea/a/seb_aids.htm
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I've had HIV-related Seborrhoeic Dermatitis since I was diagnosed in 1985
Yeah, me too. Pretty much everyone does even if they don't realize it -- you can see it at every support group.
A wise old queen, who is unfortunately no longer with us, turned me on to this cleanser (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001ET6XLQ) a decade ago and I've found that if I use it daily it removes the dead skin that allows seborrhic dermatits to fester. Only during a bad flare up, or if I don't use the cleanser daily, have I had to resort to pharmacy-grade ointments, which I normally hate because they're oily and necessitate sleeping on a pillow at night covered with a bath towel.
Also, most of us will notice that this tends to worsen in the winter due to the dry heat many have at home. I always find it helps to purchase a large humidifier and run it 24/7.
Basically your skin is everyone's largest body organ and it's completely exposed, so it should surprise nobody that a compromised immune system would result in this issue. The higher one's cd4 goes the less one deals with it.
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Hey, again thanks for all the great discussion, no rosacea type stuff yet, thank goodness, but like I said, still have so many other variations on a theme going on. I am gonna ask my Dr about some of the meds you all have mentioned, specifically for what would work for the different things going on.
Ya, and ready for any side effects the HIV meds might bring on too. Ready or not, here we come!!
Hugs, Bruce
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Why don't you go to a dermatologist that sees patients with HIV? It would be one thing if you had 1 skin issue and just had your regular doctor look at it, but your first post indicates you believe you have 4 issues. I would have insisted on seeing a specialist right away if I firmly believed that.