tranquil1_

Hi

I hope someone in this group will be able to help me with this
problem. I am writing about my partner who has persistent dermatitis
and folliculitis. She has been suffering with this for over a year
now, and thus far no one can offer any suggesting of a cause or cure!

We have been to see both our GP and a dermatologist who have been
unable to diagnose the cause of this problem, and can only suggest the
use of hydrocortisone to control the symptoms. We do not view this as
a cure, but rather as symptom control.

She recently had skin-allergy tests performed as was found to be
allergic to dust-mites and mildly to grass (she does suffer bad
hayfever), but I am not sure that this is directly relevant to the
folliculitis. I have also read that the Herpes simplex virus can be a
cause of folliculitis, and this may be of relevance in this case. The
folliculitis does seem occur during periods of high-stress, but again
this is difficult to diagnose (as there is no clear measure for
stress). She does not however, exhibit any of the typical Herpes
symptoms while under stress (eg. the development of cold sores).

In terms of symptom relief - she finds that hot water can relieve the
symptoms (she refers to it as "boiling her legs"), and also
hydrocortisone when used in large quantities (we both worry about the
effects this could be having). She also finds that shaving helps
(which does seem counterintuitive to me, and I suspect this may
psychosomatic as the itching does return a short time later).

Now, while I realize that it is difficult to provide a diagnosis over
the internet, we would both settle if someone could simply recommend
some tests that could be performed to determine the cause of this
problem. We are sure they must exist, but as was mentioned earlier
the dermatologist and GP were not particularly helpful in this regard.

I hope someone here can help!

Thanks in advance

Rob

lurkers corner \(tm\) administrator

Hi Rob,

I am surprised that the derm was not able to provide any more help to you.
I would seek out another derm for a second opinion.

Boiling her legs is not a good idea as hot water tends to dry the skin out
and that often is a problem for folks with dermatitis. Dry skin becomes
itchy real fast.

Her allergies to grass and dust mites are a serious issue. Grass pollen,
etc can get everywhere. Dust mites are worse. Try some dust-mite proof
bedding (sheets, pillowcases) and also wash all bedding in hot water. Also
keep in mind that direct sunlight kills dust mites upon exposure so get
plenty of sun in the house (just don't open windows because the grass could
cause problems ) I would try an air purifier or an air conditioner
depending on the weather to try and keep the pollen out and the room cool so
dust mites won't like it. Vacuum using a HEPA filter vac or else you are
just spraying the dust mites and their stuff everywhere instead of getting
rid of it.

Head over to www.skincell.org and see what those folks can do for you (and
your wife) as well.

- lurker

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rob p

Hi Lurker,

Thanks for your reply! It has definitely been an eventful year for my
partner and myself, but I think we have finally gotten to the bottom of
it! =)

It turns out my partner has coeliac disease, and the cause of her leg
itch is dermatitis herpetiformis. We are both dismayed that not one of
the specialists we visited even looked into this possibility... But she
seems to be on the road to recovery now, which I guess is the important
thing!

Thanks again for all your help - we really do appreciate it!
Warm regards

Rob