A day without sunshine, or, The sufferings of contact dermatitis

Alas, it’s been three months now and my damned contact dermatitis has yet to be alleviated. I asked my best friend, Gary the Contortionist, to look at it, as he is a fellow dermatology enthusiast and has received numerous allergic reactions from climbing into ill-washed jars. But he does not know what may be causing it.

And so, since we are in the midst of a rainy bit here in the cornfields of Iowa before our next show, I parked the van outside the nearest Starbucks and mooched Internet signal, looking for a solution to the utter devastation of the blistery patch above my right eyebrow. According to WebMD, it is of the irritant variety, which means I probably am in contact with a chemical that I am mildly allergic to–perhaps the miraculous hair-thickening elixir I’ve been using of late. I now have a head of hair enviable to DogMan, but if it means I have to deal with this itchy rash, I must stop.

Sad news, indeed, but I did find some absolutely fascinating photos of contact dermatitis on the Internet before a 17-year-old barista made me leave the Starbucks parking lot.