Case Summary  |  Eczema, a reaction to chemicals in body wash

I was in college and noticed a small patch of scaly skin under my arm, near my armpit. I didn't worry too much about it, but when it began to get larger, I was concerned. I visited my campus health center to have it checked out.

The doctor there told me that I had eczema, which was, essentially, a skin reaction in which my skin was allergic to itself. Which didn't make a lot of sense. BUT, he told me to stop taking hot showers, to use this special soap that had no perfumes in it and was very easy on my skin, and he wrote me a prescription for a cream to put on the patch of eczema.

I took his advice. I took cool showers, used the special soap, and applied the cream. The patch healed.

I thought all was well, and went back to using my favorite body wash instead of the soap. The eczema instantly came back. I realized that it was the body wash I was allergic to. I gave the body wash away to a friend and went back to using the mild soap.

After a while, I tried another brand of body wash and did not experience a problem. I surmised it was that brand of body wash that was giving me a problem.

Since then, I haven't had a problem, but I still make sure my showers aren't too hot, and I'm much more aware of how my skin reacts to different brands of body wash.