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catherineldfYesterday morning dawned with me wandering happily out of the shower (or as happy as I get on a work day morning before coffee) and innocently daubing some moisturizer on my face. It was a sample pack from a company I've purchased other products from in the past with any issues so I was less cautious than I usually am and put it on my hands as well. Less than 2 minutes later, my face turned blood red and started swelling, as did my fingers. I immediately washed everything off using mild soap and water, but it was alas, too late. (It didn't help that I staggered into the kitchen a moment later and immediately got a glass sliver in my foot, courtesy of a glass the kitties took out last week.) So with bleeding foot and a startling resemblance to a killer tomato, I sat down to take stock.
My spouse whipped out the Benedryl and plied me with it, which as it turned out was precisely the thing to do. About 20 minutes or so later, my lips and cheeks went back to almost normal and I declared myself functional enough to go into work (despite the glass in my foot, which proved nonremovable until evening). In short, a swell time had by all.
The culprit this time appears to be butylene glycol, a common ingredient in cosmetics, moisturizers, deodorant and...antifreeze. Cause, you know, it keeps things moist. Potentially toxic to various degrees, but at least you won't go out with that icky alligator skin that makes you look old. Totally worth it. I suspect this may also be why I'm allergic to all antiperspirants and most deodorants. Of course, I also have reactions to household cleaning chemicals, cigarette smoke, alcohol, petrochemically based perfumes and colognes, chlorine, codeine and dairy products from cows (but not sheep or goats). Bleah. Good to know what the trigger is this time around at least but damn do I feel like a canary in a coal mine right now. :-(((
My spouse whipped out the Benedryl and plied me with it, which as it turned out was precisely the thing to do. About 20 minutes or so later, my lips and cheeks went back to almost normal and I declared myself functional enough to go into work (despite the glass in my foot, which proved nonremovable until evening). In short, a swell time had by all.
The culprit this time appears to be butylene glycol, a common ingredient in cosmetics, moisturizers, deodorant and...antifreeze. Cause, you know, it keeps things moist. Potentially toxic to various degrees, but at least you won't go out with that icky alligator skin that makes you look old. Totally worth it. I suspect this may also be why I'm allergic to all antiperspirants and most deodorants. Of course, I also have reactions to household cleaning chemicals, cigarette smoke, alcohol, petrochemically based perfumes and colognes, chlorine, codeine and dairy products from cows (but not sheep or goats). Bleah. Good to know what the trigger is this time around at least but damn do I feel like a canary in a coal mine right now. :-(((
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Date: 2010-05-22 03:09 pm (UTC)I hope you feel better. ::hug::
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Date: 2010-05-23 08:26 pm (UTC)I'm doing mostly okay - headachey sort of day but manageable.
How's writing going?
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Date: 2010-05-24 12:37 am (UTC)