Allergic Reaction

 Over the last couple of weeks I've suffered an alarming allergic reaction.

Until a couple of weeks ago I'd been using the watery hand sanitiser that's 70% alcohol and 30% water; it dries almost immediately. I also used it to clean my spectacles, with no ill effect.

However, we ran out of that and started to use the alcohol gel, which doesn't evaporate so easily. When using it to clean my specs, it got into the hinges and nose bridge, from where it was easily transported to the skin around my eyes. Suddenly my eyelids, upper and lower, as well as my lips, went very dry and started cracking before swelling up in an allergic reaction and itching like mad - almost as if I had a very bad case of hay fever, which I do suffer from.

I took photos daily of the progress. As you can see, it gets worse before starting to get better.

I still have huge bags under my eyes and I'm not sure whether they'll eventually disappear. I may never get back to looking like a Greek god.

I started a course of antihistamines after about the 4th day, which immediately relived the itching, but not the dryness.