Skin Issues

[124chicksinger]

Petechia on hands/wrists and then also appeared on feet/ankles. Itched like mad and stayed for months. I used aloe, anti itch creams and lotions to soothe/heal.

 

Many many cherry angiomas popping up, some raised, most flat, lots on my face and neck.

 

Hives at least 2x per week - often on the neck, cheek or above the upper lip and usually only 1 or 2 hives per episode.

 

Dry patch that never goes away on the right side/corner of my lower lip, sides of nostrils, and inside left ear - (exema?)

 

Severe, stubborn, resistant dandruff with occasional patches of sore/flakey scalp.  (Hair loss/thining hair)

 

Occasional rosacea flare ups.

 

Extremely dry skin, especially facial and arms.

 

The little fatty bumps on the arms that I just learned today have a name that look like waxy clogged pores.

 

An awful looking tongue with a large split/fissure down the middle that has been like this for 25 years.

 

What are your skin symptoms?  I am absolutely looking forward to discovering that my tongue will return to normal after gluten removal.

 

 

[BelleVie]

I developed "adult acne" at age 19 after having flawless skin all of my life. It was horrible. My face got more and more RED as the years went on, and I had cystic acne that itched AND hurt. And my skin got extremely oily too. Other skin symptoms: the little bumpy things on the backs of my arms and legs, excessive sweating, and swelling/cracking around my lips. Thank goodness going gluten free fixed ALL of my skin issues. My skin is clear now, and the goose bump things are completely gone! I hope you find some relief from your symptoms as well, and that your tongue heals up! For what it's worth, my boyfriend also has this (i believe it's called a "geographic tongue") and I've noticed that when he is eating mostly gluten free because he's eating only my food that I cook, it begins to look a little less sliced up and seems to heal. 

[124chicksinger]

Thank you for your reply.  I have assumed that since the skin is the largest organ digestive, malabsorption, allergies, intolerances, could be the background for the eruptions.  I truly look forward to eliminating the gluten and seeing how it affects me.  I am hoping the superficial visual things, the hair loss, the tongue, the skin issues, will abate.  It will be nice for the pregnant looking bloated belly to deflate some as well.  

[meemers23]

I developed "adult acne" at age 19 after having flawless skin all of my life. It was horrible. My face got more and more RED as the years went on, and I had cystic acne that itched AND hurt. And my skin got extremely oily too. Other skin symptoms: the little bumpy things on the backs of my arms and legs, excessive sweating, and swelling/cracking around my lips. Thank goodness going gluten free fixed ALL of my skin issues. My skin is clear now, and the goose bump things are completely gone! I hope you find some relief from your symptoms as well, and that your tongue heals up! For what it's worth, my boyfriend also has this (i believe it's called a "geographic tongue") and I've noticed that when he is eating mostly gluten free because he's eating only my food that I cook, it begins to look a little less sliced up and seems to heal. 

I have that Ketosis Polaris  all over my arms, legs, back and face (sides of cheeks) I haven't been tested for gluten yet but i have fibromyalgia. I heard gluten causes inflammation and I'm HOPING this helps me. What makes me think its gluten is my skin and my stomach issues. (sometimes i feel so bloated i cry and lay on the hardwood floor belly down and roll) I'm a clean eater, so i know its not caused by my eating habits.. I'm really thinking its gluten.. I'm at a complete loss and I'm so new to all this. How long did it take to see a change in your skin?

[cyclinglady]

I have that Ketosis Polaris  all over my arms, legs, back and face (sides of cheeks) I haven't been tested for gluten yet but i have fibromyalgia. I heard gluten causes inflammation and I'm HOPING this helps me. What makes me think its gluten is my skin and my stomach issues. (sometimes i feel so bloated i cry and lay on the hardwood floor belly down and roll) I'm a clean eater, so i know its not caused by my eating habits.. I'm really thinking its gluten.. I'm at a complete loss and I'm so new to all this. How long did it take to see a change in your skin?

Check for hormonal imbalances like too much testosterone, lower estrogen......I developed KP when my doc added testosterone to my HRT cream. It completely went away when I stopped the testosterone. Had KP for about three months.

[raisinflames]

I have a patch or whatever on my bottom lip too! And it really hurts!

 

I also have scars that do not go away, and periodic outbreaks of "fake pimples"on my chest, my back and my face (they look like pimples but squeezing them causes nothing but pain; they are really mini-blisters).   Recently I had some excess dandruff too and DANDRUFF ON MY EYEBROWS (they are extremely itchy sometimes!).  Anybody got that one?

Also, eyebrows seem to be a favorite spot for new flare-ups.

[124chicksinger]

My petechia rash is back on my feet.  The right one looks terrible.  It is itchy too, and sometimes it feels hot (not that the skin is hot to the touch, but that the rashy part makes my foot where it is feel hot).  Actually, it starts on the top of the foot near the ankle, and makes its way up the leg.  If it continues, I will definitely go to a dermatologist; the problem with that is getting an appointment and having the rash be intact.  When I had it before my GP said....go see a dermatologist, but I treated it myself.

 

Interestingly, I have eliminated gluten since March 5.  I guess this is not related to gluten.

[cyclinglady]

 

Interestingly, I have eliminated gluten since March 5.  I guess this is not related to gluten.

Takes months to years to see an improvement in most symptoms generated by gluten per most of our forum members.

[GF Lover]

I do hope you gals have appointments with a Dermatologist.  Take pictures of active skin issues if your worried it won't be there for the appointment.  You can still see if removing gluten helps with the condition but keep in mind that removing gluten is not a miracle fix for all problems.

 

Good luck to you.

 

Colleen

[MsHolland]

I totally have a tongue problem too! Among other things. We sound like we're in the same boat

 

I remember my dentist telling me that I have a geographic tongue when I was a young girl. I've had problems with it since long before I began having GI issues. It gets unsightly, splotchy, red patches all over. And it hurts! It's gotten almost 100 percent better since I cut out gluten/dairy though.

 

Over time I began to recognize that certain foods would trigger or aggravate it: swiss cheese, strawberries, walnuts, pecans, pineapple, hot beverages (I still can't have my tea/coffee hotter than a wimpy 130 degrees or all of my taste buds will basically be seared off). It's very frustrating. When it's really bad and swollen I can hardly taste anything. I've had testing for all food allergies though, and I have none. But when I'm off gluten my tongue seems to be much more "resilient" to foods that were previously a problem. I always just figured I was an odd duck.

 

I've also had keratosis pilaris on the back of my arms for years. It took me forever to figure out what it was. It's gotten significantly better since I stopped eating gluten/dairy as well though. The derm told me to try this CeraVe SA Open Original Shared Link and it's worked better than anything else I've tried. I've even tried prescription creams, but nothing has cleared it more than staying away from gluten and that lotion. It's available over the counter too, so that's great.

 

I also get petechiae breakouts too--at least that's what I've determined it to be through a bunch of my own research and unhelpful doctors.  The first time it happened was after reintroducing gluten for the first time in nine months. It's kind of scary. I'm literally bleeding under my own skin. It doesn't itch though, and it doesn't blanch when I press it. I'm still in the middle of testing though, so getting a definitive diagnosis on that is next on my priority list. It's happened to me three times, all after reintroducing gluten, but it fades gradually afterwards.

 

From what I've read, it could be related to vitamin deficiencies due to malabsorption. Maybe that's your problem....

 

I definitely have problems with dry skin too. It's very aggravating. After I get more info from the Gastroenterologist I'm going to start trying some vitamin supplements to see if that helps.

 

And last but not least, right around when I started noticing GI problems, I started to develop cystic acne on my chin area. That was back when I was about 26. I made it all through adolescence, college, and having a baby with nary a zit or a pimple. I was just blessed with flawless skin without having to do anything for it. But then I started getting breakouts. I tried a bunch of remedies with the dermatologist and nothing worked. I even had my hormones checked and they were fine. Nothing helped until I cut out gluten and dairy. Now whenever I have dairy or am glutened I will have a cyst pop up on my chin (sometimes my forehead) the very next morning. It baffles me! They're wickedly painful and sore, sometimes itch, and take forever to go away. 

 

Needless to say, my illness definitely likes to manifest itself through my skin too 

 

And I second Colleen's suggestion that you start taking pictures when your rashes are presenting! I know how hard it is to get in to the dermatologist sometimes. 

[124chicksinger]

I got an appt. with the dermatologist (was 5:45 tonight) with the foot rash in full bloom.  So the rash looks like petechia, and he said yes, there is bleeding under the skin and it made sense that the 2 aspirin I took on Tuesday (for frozen shoulder pain) made it worse.  He said it was a type of eczema, but I can't remember the name of the type of eczema.  He prescribed a cream and called it into the pharmacy that I will pick up tomorrow.  Now I always thought eczema was the dry scaley patches I get on both sides of my nose and the right side of my lower lip, but I had no idea it was the pindots rash on my feet and hands.  I have a lot of skin issues.  Hopefully, the cream will clear this up.  My right foot has the look that I'm wearing s pindot sock!  I didn't think to show him my fissured beafy tongue, but I did ask about the many red pindots I'm getting everywhere - he said for some people that is normal, don't worry about it.  What?  Anyhow, I return in 2 weeks to review the feet/hands, and perhaps I'll show him my tongue.   Can eczema be responsible for the stubborn dandruff too?