Need help! DH ears' blister in the summer.

Hello,

My husband and I moved to the mountains 3 summers ago. Every summer he gets blisters on his ears. They look like water blisters, then a tiny scab forms, they ooze and they itch. At first we thought they were due to spider bites, then the floppy hat he wears in the summer. Now we don't know what they are. They look like allergic reactions. They heal over time, but they're very bothersome for him.

Does anyone have any ideas on what it might be? Or what we might try to soothe his ears or better yet, prevent them fro re-occurring?

Thanks so much,
Jen

picture:

http://www.keepingupwiththegreenhorn...s/left-ear.jpg

does his nose also blister? could be a reaction to the sun. Has be been to the dermatologist to rule out skin cancer?

K-

Thanks for the response, PW.

Nope, just on the backs of his ears.

We haven't been to a doc over it, because it's seasonal. No problems in winter, just when we start working outside in Spring and Summer. Can skin cancers disappear and reappear with seasons?

I hadn't thought about it, but could the altitude be part of the problem? We're at 4500 feet.

He's been outside most summers, but that was all at sea level.

Thanks,
Jen

Quote:

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Originally Posted by heiwa

Thanks for the response, PW.

Nope, just on the backs of his ears.

We haven't been to a doc over it, because it's seasonal. No problems in winter, just when we start working outside in Spring and Summer. Can skin cancers disappear and reappear with seasons?

I hadn't thought about it, but could the altitude be part of the problem? We're at 4500 feet.

He's been outside most summers, but that was all at sea level.

Thanks,
Jen

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are his ears oily? Could be the oils on his ears causing the issues. I have skin cancer on my face but I stay out of the direct sunlight.

Does he use sunscreen? If not, it might be worth trying. I've seen similar "bumps" on kids' hands which were a "sun allergy", and oddly enough, it was only on their fingers, not on other body parts which were equally exposed to the sun. Sunscreen did make a difference for them.

Otherwise, you might want to try some OTC hydrocortisone cream and see if it helps reduce the symptoms...

And PW... have you tried an eggplant vinegarite on those cancer spots? I can't explain it, but that stuff borders on the miraculous... it made a long term (1 year+) black/blue crusty lesion on the back of hubby's head, just above the hairline, completely disappear after a few applications... we literally can't find ANY sign of where it was, and it was ugly, and had been growing slowly for months. We'd tried antibiotic salve, etc and nothing touched it. The eggplant completely removed it and didn't even leave a scar or a change in skin color.

Summerthyme

Skin cancer doesn't "come and go". It's seasonal so it's probably an allergic type reaction of some type. The hard part is figuring out what the trigger is. Does oral benadryl help. If it does it's definitely allergy related.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Summerthyme

Does he use sunscreen? If not, it might be worth trying. I've seen similar "bumps" on kids' hands which were a "sun allergy", and oddly enough, it was only on their fingers, not on other body parts which were equally exposed to the sun. Sunscreen did make a difference for them.

Otherwise, you might want to try some OTC hydrocortisone cream and see if it helps reduce the symptoms...

And PW... have you tried an eggplant vinegarite on those cancer spots? I can't explain it, but that stuff borders on the miraculous... it made a long term (1 year+) black/blue crusty lesion on the back of hubby's head, just above the hairline, completely disappear after a few applications... we literally can't find ANY sign of where it was, and it was ugly, and had been growing slowly for months. We'd tried antibiotic salve, etc and nothing touched it. The eggplant completely removed it and didn't even leave a scar or a change in skin color.

Summerthyme

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No, the one spot I had I had surgically removed because it was in/on my tear duct and I really didn't want it spreading any further into my eyelid (as in the inside of my eyelid) How do you make the eggplant vinegarite? I've got some eggplant plants started so I'm open to trying as I have some other areas that are of concern.

I do go about every 18 months have have a spot check done, so far three of the spots I had removed have been cancer free but they were constantly blisterng, etc., so good ridance to those!

K-

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Summerthyme

Does he use sunscreen? If not, it might be worth trying. I've seen similar "bumps" on kids' hands which were a "sun allergy", and oddly enough, it was only on their fingers, not on other body parts which were equally exposed to the sun. Sunscreen did make a difference for them.

Otherwise, you might want to try some OTC hydrocortisone cream and see if it helps reduce the symptoms...

And PW... have you tried an eggplant vinegarite on those cancer spots? I can't explain it, but that stuff borders on the miraculous... it made a long term (1 year+) black/blue crusty lesion on the back of hubby's head, just above the hairline, completely disappear after a few applications... we literally can't find ANY sign of where it was, and it was ugly, and had been growing slowly for months. We'd tried antibiotic salve, etc and nothing touched it. The eggplant completely removed it and didn't even leave a scar or a change in skin color.

Summerthyme

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I found this eggplant vinegar online and tried it...it worked on DH's forehead "bump"...amazing.
We find again and again that the good Lord put a lot of natural remedies out there for us to use...just USE them... :-D

To make eggplant vinegarite, just chop a ripe (I'd say preferably organic, or homegrown, if you have a choice) eggplant in chunks... shredded might work better in terms of getting more of the "good stuff" into the vinegar. Put it in a glass jar and pour cider vinegar over it to cover.

Put a NON-metallic lid (the vinegar will eventually eat it's way through even an enameled canning jar lid) on it, and store in the fridge.

It should be ready to use in a week or so. You can strain the eggplant out (I'd leave it in for at least a month, though) or leave it in...

To apply, it's best to soak a cotton ball in it and tape it over a suspected lesion. Oddly enough, if you put it over a "normal" freckle or healthy skin... it doesn't do anything. On a cancer, it can get quite active, and you can end up with quite a deep hole in your skin, so be aware of that. From what I've observed, it somehow ONLY burns away or eats away the cancerous cells. And no, I wouldn't have believed it was possible if I hadn't seen it!

We change the cotton ball daily. If it's on a place where that would be too conspicuous, you can apply it several times a day, or use a bandaid with the pad soaked in the solution, applying more when you can.

(obviously- I hope- this isn't medical advice, and if you have something which could be a melanoma or other serious cancer, you should see a doctor.)

Summerthyme

Thanks!

I was just doing some more research, and it looks like it's something called Polymorphous Light Eruption. For some reason he's started being allergic to UVA rays. So, it's floppy hats until his ears heal, then gradual increased exposure over a few weeks until his tolerance is built up. For those who might be interested, the two sunscreens that are very effective on UVA are products called Anthelios L and Presun® 30.

I second the eggplant - I've read some wonderful anecdotes from folks who have used it.

Thanks again for the help!

Jen

Do the blisters/scabs ooze clear and or yellow? If so, it could be eczema. You can try Neosporin OTC to see if that helps or get a script for triamcinolone acetonide - after that you'd need a potent steroid cream. I've had much better luck with creams than ointments. Good luck.

BTW the itch is part of the eczema.

Thanks, Lancer.

The blisters ooze clear liquid. We put some calamine lotion on it yesterday, and that stopped the itching, except when his ears get hot.

I didn't know eczema could be seasonal - that's good information to have.

Jen