Hello there,
Well it's been a few years since all of this and I was never able to get any further help or answers for that matter. I went to a dermatologist who did biopsies on the bumps at two different times and of course both times it came back as normal. Again I'd get proscribed more steroids which always helped get rid of the bumps until I got off of them at which point they'd be back with a vengeance.
After all this time they've gotten better... well I still get them, but not as inflamed as I used to. To say I look like I was beaten up with a bat was an understatement, now it looks more like small hives. I've had a few bad bouts but they don't happen every day anymore.
I did find out that cheap cologne or perfume seems to make it flair back up, but then even getting too little sleep will bring them around again. I'm pretty damn sure it's some type of allergy but as to what that exactly is I have no clue. I've moved into a new home, changed just about everything I use and eat, and made a conscious effort to monitor daily activity (diet, cologne, any random fragrances (from people I work with) etc.) and got my entire family to switch products trying to nail a more definitive item that causes it, but really it's a guessing game.
I know it's helped me a bit by staying away from cheap air fresheners and fragrances, but it hasn't eliminated it. It might not have anything to do with smells, but so far it's the only thing that seems to reproduce the bumps.
My suggestion would be to start there, it is hard to do and often not very cheap, but it give you a starting point. Wear only one type of fragrance, use a fragrance free soap, lotion, shampoo, etc. and see if that gives you any relief. If it does, introduce one item at a time, again waiting a week before going to the next item to see if you can find the magic one. I can't swear that this will fix it, but it helped me get to point that I could go in public without feeling like a leper.
Good luck and let me know if any of this helped or if you find something that worked for you.
Jim
