a woman was sobbing in pain after she got an unexpected skin condition on her body
she hadn't changed anything like her shampoo soap or detergent but had been extremely stressed over
the past year or so the rash was not itchy like it usually would be and to her horror despite using
several topical creams it grew and painfully spread all across her lower body little did
she know she would be going through a world of pain before finding out the true culprit [Music]
when Australian Reddit user rated gen began experiencing an intense rash in her nether
regions in November 2022 the 42 year old took to the 30-plus skin care forum to find a solution for
what she suspected was either contact dermatitis or some sort of chemical burn at first Jen thought
it was from the bathroom cleaner since she had sensitive skin that was prone to stress rashes
her husband had been battling some intense bowel movements and had been cleaning the toilet seat
with something called exit mold extra strength every time he used it just to make sure it was
extra clean she didn't have issues with him going overboard at first but when her rash
started after this most recent change suspected that the constant cleaning was causing the rash
or a chemical burn although to her horror it had begun to spread on her skin she asked her husband
to stop using harsh cleaners and also began wiping down the seat with baby wipes before sitting down
Jen described the rash as not itchy at all it's so painful I can barely walk I am sensitive to stress
hives and this has been a hell of a year for stress but I've never experienced anything like
this ever for the rash she tried novason ointment to stop the pain which was her go-to for stress
rashes but it only made it worse walking felt unbearable she also used an antiseptic cream as
well as some moisturizer in an attempt to soothe the area but absolutely nothing was working she
decided to self-medicate and try lidocaine a local anesthetic cream and take some antibiotics along
with a painkiller but her pain would ease for a few hours at a time and the rash had almost spread
to her lower thigh area by this point Jen's sister suggested yet another cream but she hadn't tried
it yet and didn't want to go to the chemist for another ointment due to the pain she was
experiencing when walking she was also reluctant in to go to her family doctor due to the placement
of the rash and desperate resorted to asking for help from internet strangers I honestly can't
think of anything that could cause it except the cleaner I have not changed soap detergent anything
what else can I try on my skin any advice very much welcome thanks heaps commenters on Reddit
urged the poster to go to her doctor or an urgent care clinic speculating it might very well be a
chemical burn that might spread further and get even worse Jen responded saying that she
had been stubbornly avoiding the doctor due to her embarrassment later that day after some comments
reassuring her that medical professionals would have seen worse but would know the best next steps
after examining her condition she finally opted to talk to a nurse over the phone who booked her
doctor's appointment for the same day little did she know her quick trip to the doctor would reveal
that her situation was much worse after the urging of some internet strangers Jen had finally made it
to the doctor's office on a Sunday afternoon after her examination she wrote an update on Reddit it
is a chemical burn with a possible staph infection which I didn't see coming it was still spreading
the doctor wanted to send me to the hospital for a stronger pain relief but the topical analgesic is
working wonders she thanked commenters saying that it was obvious after her doctor's appointment that
it wasn't going to just heal up on its own and could have gotten much worse without treatment
the appointment was an awkward visit for her but not as embarrassing as Jen had played out in her
head the pain was subsiding and the doctor had continued to follow up with her even though it
was a weekend night however it took a turn for the worse Jen was still in pain after her initial
doctor appointment she had been to see two more doctors in the following weeks but nothing they
prescribed worked none of the medication they had tried including antifungals antibiotics and
different types of steroid ointments stop the excuse initiating rash's spread she even had a
lidocaine ointment prescribed for the pain however while it worked to alleviate the pain applying
it was a different challenge she said it was so painful I was crying while applying it the area
itself wasn't healing and blisters along with signs of infection began developing in the area
her own general practitioner who felt lost after all the trial and error had to personally call a
dermatologist to book an emergency appointment for the next day telling them she hadn't seen anything
like her rash in 30 years the dermatologist's office was only a Brisk 15-minute walk from her
home but the pain was too unbearable so her sister had to drive from a whole 45 minutes
away to give her a ride for the five minutes it took to get to the dermatologist a single glance
from the dermatologist was all it took for a proper diagnosis and finally getting to the
bottom of the situation the dermatologist asked if she was using a hygienic rinse in her laundry
Jen confirmed saying that she had been using the same laundry rinse for the past 10 years adding a
capful of the stuff into her wash a laundry rinse is an additive to a wash load typically used for
its antiseptic properties to eliminate fungi and bacteria Some people prefer to use them in their
laundry especially when they are worried about an infection sharing a machine with others her
dermatologist instructed Jen to immediately throw the product out as well as anything else in her
home that contained ben'salkonium chloride in its formula and that Jen's painful rash was a
condition called granular perakeratosis caused by this active ingredient dermnet defines granular
periceratosis as an uncommon red and scaly skin condition that mainly affects body folds most
often the armpits mostly presenting in middle-aged women it is generally caused by friction blockages
and blood vessels and sweating but has been known to be caused by irritants found in residue from
products with Bak that aren't properly rinsed off in the laundry cycle according to nih's
National Library of Medicine it's an unusual reaction that could suddenly appear and since
responses to treatments have been inconsistent removing the source of the reaction is typically
the first attempted strategy with patients so how was the dermatologist able to tell what's
going on right away when multiple doctors couldn't reach a conclusion and why would anyone suddenly
develop a serious condition from something they've been using to wash their clothes for
years on end for dermatologists the answer is simple Jen's situation is actually quite common
associate professor Rosemary Nixon and Dr kajal Patel from the skin Health Institute say we're
seeing an uptick in patients coming in with skin irritation specifically caused by a sensitivity to
antiseptic laundry rinses and other disinfecting products containing bak and the pandemic hasn't
helped we are now more cautious of germs than ever before but have taken term precautions to
an extreme shouldn't The Machine's rinse cycle wash the product off though not necessarily
the amount of water used drastically depends on your type of washing machine and with the wrong
combination it's easy to overuse your laundry detergent when you use a high efficiency laundry
detergents to have a much more condensed formula the residue doesn't necessarily wash away during
a normal rinse cycle since there isn't enough water to dilute the detergent leading to build
up on your machine and your clothes the repeated exposure and rubbing on the skin of any residue
left on your clothes can cause irritation those with a history of eczema have an increased risk
of infection because as the upper layer of skin becomes irritated and flares up the epidermal
barrier leaves more room for irritants to enter causing a vicious cycle of irritation so what
happened to Jen her dermatologist told her to throw out the laundry rinse and re-wash all
her clothes towels linen everything with an extra rinse Jen wrote obviously it stays in
the Fab fabric I can see now it started with my underwear yoga pants and jeans all washed with a
cap full of caniston the Derm said she had seen more cases of this in the last few years sudden
sensitivity to Ben's elconium chloride it's also in the Dettol spray and wipe I use to clean with
and apparently some hand sanitizers even some Cosmetics the blisters were not blisters but
dermatitis plaques they have started to heal now but are still painful the redness is fading too
nine days after I threw out everything containing bak and rewatched everything that touches my skin
I wouldn't wish this experience on my worst enemy so how do we prevent skin irritation when washing
our laundry less is more in most cases using too many add-ons to your laundry will cause a starchy
buildup leading to uncomfortable clothes that rub against your skin New York Times reporters
who vigorously tested different washing machines suggest using two tablespoons of detergent at most
per load exceeding 12 pounds but one tablespoon is a general rule of thumb liquid detergent is
recommended over pod types as you have control over the amount of detergent used since laundry
pods typically have a lot more detergent than necessary some products will even suggest using
more than needed on the label Dr Lee Chung of the Sydney Skin Clinic also suggests avoiding terms
like Optical brightness or Sensational whitening when looking for a detergent items that claim to
be eco-friendly or gentle might not actually be cleaning the washing machine itself with
hot water and baking soda to remove remaining detergent residue and running clothing through
the washer twice to ensure they are clean are also things you can do if there already is some
build up and throwing in a bunch of additives like a scent booster with our washes generally
just adding more irritants to the cycle in the US and EU there are no laws that require a company
to disclose specific ingredients in cleaning products so manufacturers often opt to use
generic categories like surfactant perfume and dye for rashes caused by irritated Health lines
suggests using over-the-counter steroid creams calamine lotion antihistamines an oatmeal bath
and a wet towel compress to relieve symptoms however just like Jen it might make more sense
to consult a health professional if you suddenly develop a skin condition as with most things being
well informed of what is in the products you are using is vital people who are more prone
to allergic reactions or irritation should be more cautious about what they put on their bodies even
washing one's clothes with these helpful tips we can hopefully unsubscribe to any itchiness
based on our last video we put a poll on Twitter asking if you were stuck in the hospital for
13 years and could only watch one show which one would it be and you might be wondering why we have
Barney as an option well I'm wondering why nine of you actually chose it one viewer commented is this
about the guy who hated the [ __ ] out of Barney you guessed it he hated it so much in fact that it
helped him wake up from a 13-year long coma click the link on your screen to see the full story