Acquired Allergy

The other day I had a minor cut on my face. No big deal but I wanted to make sure it healed fast and didn't scar. So I put a little Neosporin on it. The next morning I woke up and noticed my face had some red splotches on my checks and near my lips. My face was also a little itchy and swollen. It was like stinkin' de ja vu. 

This is not the first time I have had an allergic reaction to Neosporin but I had totally forgotten. My first reaction was after I started using it to keep a second degree burn on my arm from getting infected. I had been instructed by the doctor to use it as a base coat so my bandage wouldn't stick to the burn. But after a few days, the burn was incredibly itchy and it was red with dark red dots all over the new skin. The doctor said it was just the new skin reacting differently to Neosporin. I stopped using it and the burn finally started to heal. 

The story behind the burn: For one week during Occupational Therapy school, we have to learn how to make hand splints with materials that require hot water to mold. It was an all day class and by the afternoon, we were all tired and stressed out. Splints are not easy for even most experienced OTs. In order to get the water hot enough, we use electric pans to heat the water. On this particular afternoon I wasn't thinking and I noticed someone had turned up our pan to make the water boil so I turned it down and then lifted the lid. As I did the steam hit the underside of my arm and I dropped the lid splashing water onto my arm as well. This lead to a very painful 2nd degree burn from both steam and water. But it has healed really well and I like my grad school battle wound :)

Burn with Allergic Reaction

Several months later, I had extremely dry lips. I was unable to breathe out of nose at all. I was becoming an all day mouth breather. My lips hurt so bad and nothing was working. I went to the pharmacy and asked what they recommended. After the rundown of her suggestions that I had already tried, she said Neosporin. First of all, don't ever use Neosporin on your lips. Later my doctor told me it doesn't help them heal any faster because there is no moisture benefit from this type of medication. Anyways, I broke out in a rash and small hives all over my lips. They swelled up about three times their normal size.

Creepy picture but it looked worse in person.

So I am self diagnosing, because I don't need a doctor to know, I am a part of the approximately 25% allergic to one of the components of Neosporin. Who knew so many people were allergic to such a common medication! One week later and my face is finally free of the remnants of the allergic reaction. No more Neosporin for this girl - a Bacitracin family we will be.