Hello Doctor,
I'm a 24-year-old woman. I'm about 150 cm tall and weigh 90 kg. I've been dealing with severe acne for over three years now. I tried using tretinoin for almost a year, and it did help with my acne. However, during that time, I also started getting some unusual rashes, something I hadn't experienced before. To deal with them, I took steroid and Levocetirizine Dihydrochloride for about a month. Initially, I took 10 mg of both medications per day, then reduced it to 5 mg daily. This treatment worked well, and my rashes cleared up. But now that I've stopped taking these medications, the rashes have returned. Currently, I'm taking olopatadine hydrochloride, 5 mg per day for a week, but it doesn't seem to be improving my rash situation.
Hello, Thank you for reaching out to Dr. Galen. Please find the below response to your query.
As a dermatologist, I'd like to address your experience with the rashes you've been experiencing. It's important to consider that the rashes could be linked to the tretinoin treatment you underwent or may represent a separate skin condition altogether. It's plausible that the improvement observed with the steroid and Levocetirizine was due to their ability to reduce inflammation and allergic reactions. However, upon discontinuation, the underlying cause of the rashes might have resurfaced. Olopatadine, being an antihistamine, is typically effective against allergic reactions. If you're not noticing an improvement in your symptoms with olopatadine, it suggests that the rashes may not solely stem from an allergic response, or perhaps a more potent medication might be necessary.
In addressing your situation, it's crucial to obtain an accurate diagnosis for your rashes. I recommend reaching out to your dermatologist once more, informing them of the recurrence of your symptoms despite the olopatadine treatment. This would prompt a reevaluation of your condition, potentially involving diagnostic tests, to tailor a more effective treatment plan. Please bear in mind that the guidance provided here is of a general nature, and individual circumstances may vary. For precise information, always seek counsel from your healthcare provider.
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