Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...

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skin discolouration?

achymom
achymom
hi again - another q for the group. I've noticed a few spots on my torso that have turned a darker colour (brownish, like birthmarks). More noticeable if I've been in a hot shower or steam, then they fade back to a lighter tone, but still noticeable. I've heard that plaquenil can cause skin discolouration - anyone familiar with that? I'm on that (plus MTX and enbrel), though the dose has been decreased to 200mg/day from 400mg, so if it's plaquenil I'm surprised it's happening now that I'm on half the dose. I see my dermatologist every year, but not til Nov, so trying to get a bit of info before I jump through hoops to try to move that up.

thanks, achymom
deleted_user
deleted_user
Funny you should bring that up. I was just taken off Enbrel about 3 weeks ago, and started on Orincea a week and a half ago, I noticed a couple days ago my faceial skin has gotten lighter, more even again, I wondered if it was due to being taken off the Enbrel but then dismissed that idea, maybe I was correct in that assumption.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I am interested in why you see the dermatologist every year? My daughter was an extremely, extremely fussy baby. She had discolored patches on her sides and abdomen than where slightly noticable. Doctors looked and shrugged. Finally she started scratching, and would scratch herself bloody. Trim her fingernails, Dr's advised. Ok, so it took her longer to get bloody. Finally they sent her to a dermatologist, who looked at her and said atypical exzema. She doesn't have the classic redness, just everything else. he told us the standard treatment, and the fact that kids don't devolop the ability to scratch their itches until about 16-18 months, which is when she started scratching. He surmissed she had always itched, and that was why she was so fussy and unconsolable. She stayed heavily covered in vasoline at night for two years, and hydrocortisone when she still itched.
So I am wondering if your discolored patch could be related to whatever you see the dermatologist for?
I would like to hear the answer, if you find one!
achymom
achymom
inkjoy - I have been seeing a derm annually for about 10 years, a routine mole check. I'm very fair, and have freckles and small moles (thanks to my dad's british skin). Over the years I've had a few removed to be cautious, as they were in areas where they would be rubbed (necklaces), or in areas that were hard for me to keep an eye on (mid-back).

Ever since I've been on plaquenil she's made sure to have me come in once a year to get a check in addition to the one my family doc does each year.

But these round spots are concerning me, as they popped up a few weeks ago. Not dry skin, not itchy, not raised, so I don't think it's ecxema or psoriasis, but it is a mystery. Doctor google hasn't answered it, so I'll be calling my various docs in the morning!
ThisToo
ThisToo
Hmm. I go to the dermatologist every 6 months for my skin cancer checks........(have had it several times) and he never said anything about the Plaquenil and I just saw him in the past couple of weeks and he said nothing about skin color etc. (no cancer this time either, yippee)
achymom
achymom
good news - nothing scary with the drugs. it's some sort of fungal infection that I'm treating with cream, hopeful it's gone in a couple of weeks. ick. not sure where it's from (maybe gym clothes), thank you immune suppressing drugs.