Hi,
I am 27 years old, with fair skin, and currently 35 weeks pregnant. Over the last 2-3 weeks I have developed a strange rash/spot of sorts on my face. It began as a small, reddish patch (looked kind of like a small abrasion) on my left cheek, about 3/4 inch below the outside corner of my left eye. It slowly grew over about 5-7 days. It was red, became slightly raised, and was almost perfectly round. It may have had a very faint reddish border, or it may have just been the raised edges that made it appear so. Anyway, it finally reached about the size of a dime. The inside was *very* slightly dry/flaky, and it would only occasionally itch a *very* little bit (almost so as not to be noticed). I tried applying Neosporin from the time I first noticed it -- it didn't seem to have much of an effect. However, after growing to dime-sized, it slowly cleared up. After 3 or 4 days, it was gone.
Then, about 3 or 4 days after it had disappeared, the whole process began again. Exact same spot; it slowly grew (perhaps it was a little bit larger the second time and a little less perfectly round); but overall the same development. I went to my primary care physician, who took a small scraping from it and looked at it under a microscope. He said he couldn't clearly see a fungus, but also couldn't identify it as anything else. He recommended trying Miconazole 2% (Monistat) on it for two weeks. Well, I began applying it, and once again -- about 7-8 days after it reappeared -- it cleared up over 3-4 days. I have, however, continued to use the Miconazole. Nonetheless, the spot is now reappearing, in the same spot..
I am hoping to get referred to a dermatologist, but in the meantime, wonder if you have any suggestions as to what this might be? What kind of rash can come and go, in the exact same spot, like this? Could it be a strange side-effect of the pregnancy? Is it likely to spread or keep getting bigger?
Please help! -- this rash (or whatever it is) in addition to all the normal problems of pregnancy is really stressing me out. I assume it's not eczema/psoriasis because it doesn't really itch; it doesn't seem to be a fungus or bacterial because it hasn't responded to either an anti-fungal cream or Neosporin. I'm worried if it's something that could have an effect on the baby. I've also read that some immuno-deficiency disorders (like lupus, etc.) can cause rashes on the face. Could this be one of those??
Thank you,
L.

Hello.
I am a 34 year old caucasian male, originally from Scotland but now living in Japan. I have a past history of Hodgkin's lymphoma (stage 3Bs) from which I am in sustained remission after receiving 6 months of ABVD chemotherapy. I have been all clear for 6 years now and believe that I'm in good health. I have no history of skin problems except prior to diagnosis of Hodkin's I was covered in itchy eczematous patches, that cleared up the moment chemotherapy started.
Over the past two months or so a small red patch keeps appearing on my left cheek, just below the eye. It's always in the same spot and is not in any way uncomfortable or different to normal skin in terms of sensation. It stays for about a week then starts to fade gradually, then once it has faded to almost nothing, it starts to reappear. It almost seems cyclical. I have tried to treat it with terbinafine 1% cream daily for a week with no effect, and I've also tried ketoconazole 2% cream with the same lack of results.
My first thought was that it was shingles, but since there is no pain and the patch is recurrent I have ruled this out. Next I considered it to be fungal, but since it was entirely unresponsive to two different types of antifungal, this seems unlikely too.
Given my medical history I think I will have to go to see a Japanese doctor, but this is very difficult as I live in a very rural part of the country and few speak English (and my Japanese is basic.)
Any help that anyone can offer would be greatly appreciated.