Eczema (skin) issues

[Guest Herk06]

Does anyone know the policy as far as eczema goes for a pilot? I've heard it is an automatic DQ if you currently have it but what about if you might have had it as a kid?

[Guest F16PilotMD]

Only DQ if it is chronic and resistant to treatment.

[Guest Herk06]

Ok I have one more question about it . . .the reason this whole question really started to bother me was the stuff I heard about complications that may come up if I had the smallpox vaccine . . which is usually given before deployment. Would I just refuse the vaccine?

[Guest doctidy]

If you meet the eczema criteria they are looking for, they won't give it to you.

"Refusing" an immunization is never a good tack. If you don't understand the decision, ask for an explanation. Refusal = Article 15

[Guest smokescreen]

Hi, I'm in AFROTC and I was told yesterday I was DQed because of Eczema. They told me this is pretty much career ending. Which I find hard to understand that something as little as a bit of reddness and dry skin on my face could DQ me from the Air Force. Are they right in telling me unless I can have it diagnosed as something else that I am done with ROTC??? Thanks for the help!

[Guest ShortThrow]

Yes, eczema is disqualifying. My guess is first because it is contagious, right? Second, it would be my guess that it would be very hard to stop from worsening if you were in a battle situation where you didn't have the luxury of taking care of it.

Your best bet would probably to see a dermatologist and see if it could be something else.

Good luck!

[Guest smokescreen]

No its not contagious from everything I've been told. And I saw that post and it was talking about being able to get a wavier, but my Detachment said I couldn't, so I was just wanting to try and confirm it here before I make any decisions.

[Guest stoneyfost]

I have been working through the application process for OTS recently and noticed all the forum topics reffering to Eczema. I went to a civilian Dr. about a year ago for dry skin. I did not get to see the Dr. but the nurse said I have eczema. I didn't do anything about it and it went away after about 2 days. Since the diagnosis was not from a Dr. and the spot went away rather quickly should I put that I have eczema? SHould I go get rediagnosed or is that possible? I don't believe that I have it and would hate for that to keep me out of flying for the AF.

[Ill Destructor]

I have been working through the application process for OTS recently and noticed all the forum topics referring to Eczema. I went to a civilian Dr. about a year ago for dry skin. I did not get to see the Dr. but the nurse said I have eczema. I didn't do anything about it and it went away after about 2 days. Since the diagnosis was not from a Dr. and the spot went away rather quickly should I put that I have eczema? Should I go get rediagnosed or is that possible? I don't believe that I have it and would hate for that to keep me out of flying for the AF.

Best option: go see a doctor and see what they say. Be absolutely honest with your application as inaccuracies tend to bite you in the ass sooner or later. In your case, you may get picked up, later find out you have excema and be unable to fly. But now you're stuck as a maintenance officer for four years. It is probably in your best interest to know what the real story is before committing to at least a four year deal.

[Login Name]

eczema shouldn't be a problem...my bro has it. but i wouldn't put it down...a civilian doc said you had dry skin once. the military won't ever hear about it unless you put it on there.

[Guest stoneyfost]

Thanks for the respone guys. I got it all straight after speaking with the Doctor who supervises this nurse. I told her my concerns that I felt as though I was mis-diagnosed and she said the term excema means many different things. The termporary excema should not even be called excema because it is just dry skin which does not react to the smallpox vacine. The type that the Air Force is asking about is called atopic dermatitus which does react with the smallpox vaccine and never goes away completely. She also said that a person usually gets this form as an infant not an adult.

Hope this helps anyone who might be going through the same thing.

[Guest Rainman A-10]

...should I put that I have eczema? SHould I go get rediagnosed or is that possible?

A nurse said she thinks you might have had have eczema, right? Do you have eczema or not? Sounds like you don't. Seems pretty simple to me.

If you have a habit of going to the doctor a lot for things like "a patch of dry skin" you will likely find someone who will put something in your records that will destroy your chances to fly jets for the USAF. Everytime you run back to the clinic to ask them a question about wother or not you have a problem they will write stuff down in your medical records. It is kind of like holding in the heart of the threat envelop...you can probably do it and get away with it most of the time by maneuvering and kicking out junk but it doesn't make much sense if you could've avoided the threat altogether.

I am not a Doctor, nurse or nurse practitioner but I do know that anything you put down that is now or ever was wrong with you medically has the potential to send your application directly into to toilet. Some medical professionals wil disagree (mostly good shit Flt Docs) but you NEVER know when you are going to come up against a level 9 threat operator/Col Toon.

JMHBAO.

[Guest flyer5347]

Hey everybody, I'm a junior in AFROTC seeking a pilot slot and i'm a little worried about some dry skin patches on my back. i've never been diagnosed with eczema but throughout my life i have gotten the occasional dry patch of skin. not sure if my case is eczema or not. my dilemma is whether or not to have it seen, because if they diagnose it, i'm pretty much screwed. however, if i just don't say anything about it, what's going to happen on my flight physical, or even later when i need a smallpox vaccination?

Basically I'm asking, should I get it seen?

...and yes i've looked at other posts, but they're not that conclusive for the answer i need.

[Guest F16crewdwgg]

Hey everybody, I'm a junior in AFROTC seeking a pilot slot and i'm a little worried about some dry skin patches on my back. i've never been diagnosed with eczema but throughout my life i have gotten the occasional dry patch of skin. not sure if my case is eczema or not. my dilemma is whether or not to have it seen, because if they diagnose it, i'm pretty much screwed. however, if i just don't say anything about it, what's going to happen on my flight physical, or even later when i need a smallpox vaccination?

Basically I'm asking, should I get it seen?

...and yes i've looked at other posts, but they're not that conclusive for the answer i need.

Well, thats up to you. If you feel like you need to be seen, I mean its only your health. If it's not very frequent you get these breakouts and it doesn't impact yourlife much then don't worry about it.. Change up your soap.. use moisturizer.. ext.. Just rememeber there is a waiver for everything. I mean, I was in question about hyperthyroidism to find out that it is even waivered. Just search the website https://nomi.med.navy.mil/NAMI/WaiverGuideTopics/ and see. If you know ur physical date.. moisture it up a good amount of time prior :) Either way they do blood tests so if something is wrong with you internally they will find out.. So don't stress over what you can't help.

[Guest hawg030]

I have a cadet who needs some medical advice.

She was recently disqualified from field training at DODMERB for eczema. She has a very mild case with extremely rare reactions. When a reaction does occur, they are very small bumps that cause itching. However, they only last approximately one week with treatment from a perscription topical cream. With the remedial, her dermatologist wrote a formal letter stating how mild her case was and she was still disqualified. What are the chances that a waiver could overturn this disqualification?

Any flight docs out there with any knowledge on this?

hawg

[Guest P27:17]

For Commissioning it is as follows:

A3.28.2. Current or history of atopic dermatitis (691) or eczema (692) after the 9th birthday is disqualifying

For Pilot/Nav:

A4.28.2. Flying Classes I and IA. In addition to A4.28.1., verified history after age 8 of atopic dermatitis, eczema, and/or psoriasis.

It'll be an uphill battle to fight if she was Dx at field training...

Wavier depends on how chronic, location, and severity

[Guest davalt10]

I was just wondering, can I be DQ'd for psoriasis even if it is just a few small spots less than 2 mm in diameter? I mean it doesn't bother me at all, it's just there.

[Butters]

I was just wondering, can I be DQ'd for psoriasis even if it is just a few small spots less than 2 mm in diameter? I mean it doesn't bother me at all, it's just there.

No, not if it is mild. I have the same thing. It will exempt you from the small pox vacine though!! YES!!!

[Guest davalt10]

What if it is Guttate Psoriasis?

[Guest P27:17]

What if it is Guttate Psoriasis?

Too many pies in the face and slaps on the ass cause Guttate Psoriasis

What if it is Guttate Psoriasis?

Guttate Psoriasis Overview

Guttate psoriasis is a type of psoriasis that looks like small, salmon-pink drops on the skin. The word guttate is derived from the Latin word gutta, meaning drop. Usually there is a fine scale on the droplike lesion that is much finer than the scales in plaque psoriasis, which is the most common type of psoriasis.

Guttate psoriasis. Red droplike lesions are found on the skin.

Image courtesy of Hon Pak, MD.

Guttate psoriasis is not contagious and may be inherited. Guttate psoriasis usually occurs on the trunk, arms, or legs. However, it may cover a large portion of the body.

The trigger to the disease is usually a streptococcal (bacterial) infection. The eruption of the lesions on the skin usually happens about 2-3 weeks after the person has strep throat. The outbreak can go away and not reoccur. Outbreaks may also go away and come back, particularly if the person is a strep carrier (always carries streptococcal bacteria in his respiratory system).

The sudden appearance of an outbreak may be the first psoriasis outbreak for some people. Alternatively, a person who has had plaque psoriasis for a long time may suddenly have an episode of guttate psoriasis. This type of psoriasis can also be chronic and can be triggered by infections other than those from streptococcal bacteria. For example, the chicken pox or colds can trigger the psoriasis.

Who gets guttate psoriasis?

The guttate form of psoriasis is relatively uncommon. Fewer than 2% of those with psoriasis have the guttate type. Guttate psoriasis is more common in children and adults younger than 30 years. Boys and girls are equally affected.

[Guest davalt10]

Ya but is it DQ-able?

[Guest P27:17]

Ya but is it DQ-able?

Eczema...psoriasis...and other skin conditions are disqualifying...this particular type of psoriasis may or may not need a waiver...it depends on the frequency of outbreaks, the areas of the outbreaks, and the severity...often psoriasis/eczema is diagnosed when it really some other type of skin reaction/short term condition...so the short answer is:

- May not need a waiver

- May need a waiver

- May not get a waiver

[Sketch]

Thread bump.

I have a certain sub-condition of eczema and from the research I've been doing it looks like this could kill my chances of serving my country for good. Does anyone have experience with obtaining a waiver for any form of eczema and if yes how difficult was it to get one?

Edited January 10, 2013 by Justanothercadet

[Guest]

...I have a certain sub-condition of eczema...

You'll need to be more specific if you want accurate information.

What is the name of the specific condition? Severity? Location? What medication are you taking and for how long?

If you don't want to post some or all of this, PM me. Motrin will also have the answer, if he's around.

[Sketch]

You'll need to be more specific if you want accurate information.

What is the name of the specific condition? Severity? Location? What medication are you taking and for how long?

If you don't want to post some or all of this, PM me. Motrin will also have the answer, if he's around.

PM sent.