Allergic skin reaction - ideas?

[hopskipjump]

We went car shopping tonight and test drove a new car. DH drove and I was in the passenger seat. I commented to him that the seat upholstery felt "odd" - like it left a film on my hands. He said the steering wheel felt weirdly dry and I later grabbed the wheel with both hands and it felt similar to the upholstery - dry and film-y.

 

I've washed my hands a million times since returning home. But the skin is now dry, peeling, and itching on my palms and fingers and lower forearms. Small red spots (not raised bumps) are also on my hands.

 

And if I rub my eyes, they burn. Even after all the hand washing.

 

What on earth can I put on this? I'm trying to avoid taking Benadryl because I have a ton to do tomorrow and Benadryl knocks me out completely.

 

But my hands are now lizard dry. :/ I've applied lotion (sensitive skin lotion I already had) - and it didn't help one bit. Sandpaper-like skin again almost immediately.

 

DH had no reaction. My seasonal allergies were already in full force today - so maybe I was just hyper sensitive today?

 

But -- obviously -- we won't be buying that particular car. 😂

Edited August 12, 2017 by hopskipjump

[Tap]

Have any Aquaphor around? I would start with that.  If not then try  coconut oil, olive oil or vaseline.  If you have cotton gloves put those on too. 

 

:crying:  that sounds miserable!

[hopskipjump]

Aquaphor didn't help. I do have coconut oil though! Off to try!! ðŸ‘

[City Mouse]

You might call the dealership and ask what they use to detail the new cars. It almost sounds more like a chemical burn rather than a true allergic reaction.

[Spryte]

Oh, ouch.

 

I know you don't want to try benadryl, but that's what our allergist says when stuff like this happens.  That, and Tagamet.  I've never tried the Tagamet alone, but it might be worth a shot.  

 

FWIW, when seasonal allergies are crazy here, and the allergy cup is full, we are much more likely to have reactions like this.  I think you're onto something there.  So your histamine levels were already high, and now they've overflowed.  Anything you can do to reduce your histamine levels at this point is good.  

[Catwoman]

Oh, ouch.

 

I know you don't want to try benadryl, but that's what our allergist says when stuff like this happens. That, and Tagamet. I've never tried the Tagamet alone, but it might be worth a shot.

 

FWIW, when seasonal allergies are crazy here, and the allergy cup is full, we are much more likely to have reactions like this. I think you're onto something there. So your histamine levels were already high, and now they've overflowed. Anything you can do to reduce your histamine levels at this point is good.

:iagree:

 

I was thinking the same thing about the histamine levels. At certain times of the year, it doesn't take much to bring on a weird reaction to something that might only be a minor thing when my allergies aren't at their worst.

 

One thing I have heard can help is drinking a lot of extra water to help flush out your system. I don't know for sure if it works, but it sounds logical -- I always mean to try it, but I never seem to remember (or if I do, it's when I'm on a long car trip where the last thing I want to do is drink too much water and have to stop at every other exit to use the rest room!)

[hopskipjump]

After desperately digging through all the cabinets, I found some Benadryl gel in our travel bag last night I'd forgotten about. It worked great! Almost instant relief. Today my hands are still rough and "chapped" looking and they feel tingly, but it's not getting *worse* and the red splotches are mostly gone, so I'll call it a win for now.

 

I'll use the gel more today and once the busy part of the day is finished, I'll take some Benadryl and crash out for the rest of the evening.

 

What a bizarre thing to happen! Now I'm nervous about further car shopping! :/ I will ask the dealership what cleaning supplies they use (but would they have used anything on a brand-new car upholstery??). I was hoping it was just a "new car" issue and maybe looking at used cars would reduce the chance of it happening again. ?

 

I could wear long sleeves and gloves when we test-drive something... but then we might accidentally buy something that does this to me. Ugh.

[Catwoman]

I'm glad the gel is helping!

 

I would definitely check with the dealer because they may have used some kind of cleaning fluids when they prepped the car, or perhaps they didn't prep the car yet and there was some kind of residue from the manufacturer that should have been wiped off before your test drove it. I have never heard of anything like that, but it's definitely worth asking because you certainly don't want to have the reaction again.

 

I hope you can figure out what happened.