Lets play a game, Identify this skin reaction

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

So often we get questions, with a rough outline of what the client is seeing, no pictures, and we are expected to give our best advice. We often are expected to diagnose what is going on, and take steps to correct it.

I can only speak for myself when I say I often have problems identifying skin reactions. Thus has been the case this year, in fact what I’m about to show you I misidentified too. I spent 100’s of dollars ( I’m poor so this is money needed elsewhere) in an attempt to correct this issue. Since what I had theorized was not the cause, my steps to correct didnt help. In fact I’m worse off than I was several months ago.

in about april/may of this year I started to notice marks on my upper arms. IT was spring, and I was wearing short sleeves at the time. They were a little bit itchy ( not alot) and I had a bad habit of scratching at them absentmindedly. I’ve got bits of hyperpigmentation in my outer arms where I scratched at these marks.They seemed to come and go some weeks my arms would be near covered, other weeks it seemed the marks were ALMOST gone. Because of my scratching at them, I likely extended the healing by weeks and definitely caused hyperpigmentation in the skin.

Every year at the end of July, I stop doing electrology for the month of august because I have children in the home 24/7.I normally start again when thye are in school, but this year I didnt. I was afraid I had something communicable.

I will say that I now know the answer to my question ( or at least think I do) but I’m really interested to see what others think the issue might be. I certainly got it wroong, I’m betting others will too.

Some clues that may help , or hinder:
I have not done electrology on any of the areas pictured in 2+ years. So it is NOT a reaction from treatment.
I’m notoriously cheap, because I dont live on much.
The skin reaction is on my chest, stomach, back, arms and groin. Strangely, I dont seem to have such a skin abnomality on my legs except on the upper thighs
I live in a community housing that is comprised of town-homes attached together. The residents are all also low income, which brings health concerns along with it.

The reaction has slowly gotten worse over time, at first a few visible marks ont he arms, but at this point my entire torso a, and arms are covered in these marks.

The marks are a little bit itchy, but not overly so.They get more itchy if I scratch them.

So here’s the pictures, I’m really curious what people think might be going on, I’m hoping all the “experts” can weigh in as to what they think is going on.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/66437553/20150923_084159.jpg
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/66437553/20150923_084214.jpg
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/66437553/20150923_084225.jpg

I will say I do know the answer , but I’m just really curious what some of the professionals think. If a client presented after a electrolysis treatment with skin that looks like this, what would you think is going on?

Edit:

I had the chicken pox when I was 8 years old. I dont believe this is the mumps.

Also there are 4 people living in my house including myself, me, my partner who shares the same bed as I do, and 2 children. No one else is showing this skin reaction.

I dont show any such skin reaction on my neck, face hands or legs but I have seen marks on my feet.
Seana

#2

First off, the obvious giveaway here is that the fact that these marks are not on your neck, face, hands and lower legs( this suggests that you were wearing shorts for most of the summer) This concludes something consistently has been in contact with your skin or a product you use consistently. I once had a client that had bumps all around his forehead and the back of his ears and all the way down his neck. Turned out it was his hair gel. So my guess is either a soap/body spray or laundry detergent/fabric softener/or dryer sheets. Fragranced products can cause all kinds of rashes.

From the pictures, you seem to have significant hyper pigmentation at this point. The spots are irregular in size, and quite scattered. If we were to hypothetically say this was after an electrolysis appointment, I would be quite concerned as this would show significant overtreatment.

#3

I’m not going to comment on Veronica’s response just yet, because I want to see what others come up with. Lets see what other guesses come up by day’s end…

Seana

#4

Maybe I misunderstood since I am not an English speaker but if I do right, you say this is not a post electrolysis treatment because it is been 2 years since you did not touch this area, is that correct ?

So this marks don’t have any link with electrolysis ? Thus I am not sure to get the point.

#5

The point was that electrologists are often called upon to identify skin reactions. Sometimes these reactions are caused by electrology, sometimes not. This is a case where it was not caused by electrolysis, but that doesnt mean we shouldnt be able to identify what is going on. What are the mechanics that are causing the reaction? why are marks forming?

No, in this case the reaction is not caused by electrology only one of the areas pictured has ever had any electrology performed on it, and that was some galvanic over 2 years ago.

So, suppose a client shows yup in your office, and says You did electrolysis on me a week ago. Now look at what my skin is doing! Would you be able to tell that this is the result of something else, , and not the electrolysis you performed?

By engaging this exercise, we also can show that some of the things we do in electrology ( for example causing hyperpigmentation) can be caused from other sources. Veronica is correct that I have visible hyperpigmentation from this.

We sometimes get some “freaked out” consumers here.They are CERTAIN that whatever manifestation has been caused by their recent electrolysis. Often, symptoms can be completely unrelated . So the exercise, is to formulate a theory that fits the facts, as to what is causing the marks or other skin manifestation.

So, for example, say the client comes to you and says " the lye created when you did electrolysis is travelling through the blood stream and causing this reaction everywhere" . Would you say this clients concerns are plausible? If not, what do you think is more realistically causing such marks?

Veronica is correct, that I gave a few too many clues…

#6

Skin reactions are what we deal with half the time in our practices. We do the very best to avoid unnecessary things making sure we discuss proper aftercare and making sure dehydrated clients know to drink plenty of water and moisturize for example. In certain cases, where hyperpigmentation happens with electrolysis treatments, its almost always temporary as part of the healing that occurs.

I’ve never had a client concerned that lye would run through the bloodstream but I’ve had a few people ask if doing electrolysis by the spine would cause spinal damage…or if I treat a few hairs on their chin, would more grow…

#7

Adrien, did you want to play my game? Seeing what the skin looks like would you treat a client that presented with such a condition? Is TimeForYou accurate as to possible cause do you think? I do want to reveal the answer but I’m hoping for opinions first. This is a “real live” case. I took those pictures yesterday afternoon. Supposing I came to you, right now, in france , and asked if you would perform electrolysis on my left arm would you? What do you think is the culprit for this skin condition? We have some REALLY smart electrologists on this board. Dee, who regularly moderates here, was a registered nurse before she ever did electrology .

I want to see what some of those really smart electrologists think of the pictured skin. I’m really interested in their opinions. I know my first guess, was completely wrong! And I’m supposed to know what to look for.

What if I’m wrong as to cause adrien? I’m turning a current afliction into a learning opportunity. I know Josepha will have taught you one thing, and that is never turn down a learning opportunity.

Seana

#8

Funny thing about dermatology is that almost everything “presents” like this: bumps, red marks, itchy … It’s difficult for even a dermatologist to just look at something and diagnose it. That’s why they have microscopes and various tests.

From the photos you’ve shown, I would guess fleas! You know, dogs, summertime … common stuff.

#9

One of the many side effects of spironolactone?

#10

Maybe contact-dermatitis caused by some laundry detergent or from sharing washing machines in your complex.

#11

Not Fleas they are obvious if you have them. Nor bedbugs. Not caused by Spiro.

Fenix and Timeforyou got it right, the cause is likely some cheap great value (walmart cheapie brand) laundry detergent . Everywhere my clothes or bedding touched my skinI reacted with hives.

I actually treated my house as if it had bedbugs. They are common in the housing units like mine, and known to be in my neibourhood. Had the place fumigated, sealed up all my belongings in storage bags put all linen through the dryer at high heat and clothes too. I stopped bringing clients into the house back in july. A huge amount of work, and expense for things like mattress covers and a new bed. For a problem, I didnt have.

But it appears what you are seeing is a common histimine reaction to the ingredients in cheap laundry detergent that I apparently react to.

I was a bit disappointed in myself , because I do everything I can to understand how skin does what it does. And I got it wrong. Apparently such things are hard to detect

#12

I will appreciate that you visit me in France. I will work on you with pleasure BUT before that, I will suggest you to visit a dermatologist in order to identify your skin problem. Indeed I am neither a nurse like Dee, nor a dermatologist.

Exactly, she said me to take every learning opportunity, including from you. But I have been doing this before knowing Josefa.

#13

I poked a good natuured jab at you Adrien, some of which may not have come through the language barrier.I’m sorry!

I’ve seen a doctor. There isnt much they can do until I’m no longer being exposed to the irritant causing the issue ( in this case laundry detergent). So I’m washing and rewashing clothes, sheets, linens with fragrence and dye free detergent hoping to dilute/wash away that which is causing me problems and taking lots of benadryl.

As people who perform electrolysis, we are constantly called upon to identify conditions with the skin. We are NOT dermatologists, but we do tend to have more knowledge on skin reactions than the average person. As Michael and Josepha proved with their answers, the answer is not always obvious. A good understanding of how skin heals, what it reacts to, and the endocrine system, is pretty essential to being able to determine what skin we should work on and what skin we shouldnt.

If a client comes to us, with a reaction that might or might not be the result of our treatment, we should be able to tell them the difference. In this case, I already knew this wasn’t from treatment. Keep learning, you are doing great.

Seana