Hello there,

I, 25M, wanted to provide a brief history of my skin condition in case it helps.

Duration of complaint: Past year till now... :(

Existing relevant medical issues:

I enjoy traveling, especially to sunny destinations with beaches. During my second-to-last trip, the backs of both of my hands and the tops of my feet developed a severe, intensely itchy rash. At first, I thought it might be scabies from the hotel bedding.

While I was in Barcelona, I visited a general practitioner who

prescribed medications:

* Polaramine 2 mg
* Prednisona Cinfa 30 mg
* Synalar 0.25 mg/g foam

Dosage: The prescribed dosage was one Polaramine tablet and one Prednisona tablet daily, with the Synalar foam applied whenever the itching became severe. (Which was at worst int he night). 

The doctor suggested that the reaction was more likely caused by environmental factors, such as chlorine in the water, dust from hotel bedding, or beach sand and he didn't run any blood work. He explained that in some places, heavily chlorinated water can dry out and irritate the skin, and that my skin may simply be very sensitive to these exposures.

After taking the medication and returning to Germany, the rash gradually cleared within about a week. When my Polaramine ran out, my pharmacy substituted it with Cetirizine ADGC. I kept the remaining Prednisona and Synalar in case I experienced the same problem during future trips.

On my next holiday in Greece, I packed the Prednisona and Cetirizine with me. As expected, my hands started to flare up again. This time, however, I began taking the medication as soon as I noticed the first signs of irritation. Because the medication makes me feel tired, I took one Cetirizine tablet and only a quarter of a Prednisona tablet each day. Although my hands still flared up, the symptoms were much milder than before, and the medication helped prevent a full-blown outbreak. Overall, I was able to enjoy my holiday much more comfortably.

However, after returning home, I started experiencing a different type of skin problem. I now get small, itchy blisters that appear randomly. These are not like my usual flare-ups. The photos I have attached show them on my elbow and behind my knee, which are areas that have never been affected before.

A few additional details that may or may not be relevant:

* I shower regularly using soap lorber and olive oil soap and shampoo.
* I take thyroxine for my thyroid. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring it with me on both trips, so I missed taking it while I was away. 
* I occasionally experience itching on my face as well, but without any blisters. Instead, the skin becomes extremely dry and develops a rough, patchy, almost checkered appearance despite applying lotion regularly (mostly during winter though) in summer it just itches without checkered appearance.
* I have two indoor cats, one long-haired and one short-haired. In the past, when I used a cement-based cat litter, I would sometimes experience similar flare-ups at home. My cats sleep on my bed and become very distressed if I keep them out of the bedroom. They cry the whole night. Since switching to a plant-based litter, these flare-ups have become much less frequent at home.

Current medications:

Creams i use on my body casually before bed:

* la roche-posay cicaplast mains on the top of my hands.
* linola urea dr. Wolff when the break out happens (prescription by my old dermatologist)
* balea med ultra sensitive for face helps a lot for dryness.
* mixa urea cica repair+ body milk urea and panthenol for body before sleep.

I booked an appointment with a dermatologist where i live but the next appointment is in 2 month (don't get me started about the German healthcare).

I would really appreciate any advice or suggestions about what might be causing these new blisters or whether they could be related to my previous skin issues.

Thank you very much in advance.

Could this be eczema, contact dermatitis, or something else? Recurring travel-related flare-ups