Dermatitis on face/possible allergy

About a year and a half ago I got really bad contact dermatitis on my face where it was bright red. It happened when I was cleaning and stupidly mixed products. I'm guessing whatever chemicals were in the products didn't react well. I also had stomach problems and diarrhoea for a few weeks afterwards. Possibly an allergic reaction to whatever was in the products? The redness would not go away and eventually I was given various steroid creams from my doctor to get rid of it.

I had no problems until a month ago when I was clearing out my wardrobe and the exact same thing happened, only on a lesser scale (dermatitis/stomach issues). I've since cleaned my wardrobe thoroughly (which made the redness worse) and thrown out loads of clothes but the redness keeps occurring. I'm convinced there's something lurking in my wardrobe, which I have an allergy to. Bacteria/dust/clothing/whatever. It's completely foxing me. 

As for the redness, I'm trying to avoid using steroid creams because of the side effects. I'm applying savlon and aloe vera to my face but it's so persistant and stubborn. It took about 4 months to get rid of last time, and that was only after using steroid creams. 

Hi James, it would be good if you could find out what substances are causing your allergic reaction. A start could be the list of ingredients of the cleaning products. Did your dermatologist perform an allergy test?

Hi Dan. It was baking soda and a bleach-like chemical based product. The doctor won't refer me to a dermatologist (I've asked). They just keep giving me steroid creams.

You could make a list e.g. on your mobile to record every flare-up and the substances you came into contact with. You could also take a photo of the ingredients of cosmetic products like shampoo, soap, etc.

Keep in mind that you may be allergic to some food groups too. Hopefully, a pattern will emerge over time and you will learn what to avoid.

Alternatively, you could make an appointment with a dermatologist at a private clinic.