Allergy Advice

[Friend of a Mouse]

I developed an unusual (for me) allergic reaction in the last two days. The left side of my face is very read. It has a moderate itch and is slightly swollen. I could not get in to see my doctor, but she called in a steroid dose pack to the pharmacy. I have never had a reaction like this before. My allergies have always been pretty mild up to this point. My questions are:

1.) What should I expect to happen? How long does the redness and itching typically last? It's kind of embarassing and I know that all of my coworkers noticed.

2.) How can I identify the trigger and how concerned should I be about identifying the trigger?

3.) What do you normally use to wash your face when you are having a reaction like this? I discovered last night and this morning that my normal soap and moisturizer are extremely irritating.

Thanks for any help/advice. Like I said, I couldn't get into the doctor before they closed so I'm curious what to expect over the weekend. I will be seeing an ENT for an unrelated issue on Tuesday and will bring this up then as well.

ETA: Anything you do at home to relieve the itching? I am allergic to topical Benadryl so that is not an option. I tried hydrocortisone at the advice of our school nurse but that did not help. I am taking Zyrtec, so I have the antihistamine part covered.

 

[amykathleen2005]

You could try aloe vera.

 

[poohguys]

What about the aveno oatmeal bath. I am sure you could use it on your face. Were you outside? There is still poision ivy around this time of year. Friends son got it while cutting down the Christmas tree!

 

[dontthrowsand]

I will use fresh aloe (I have plants at home and school) to cool down first and see where the reaction is at after. Then I have a few OTC treatments the pharmacist recommended if I still need them.

I can only use a Burt's Bees soap bark cleanser on my face. All about trial and error until I realized which ingredients caused which reactions. Animal products tend to be th common causes for me.