Had GA since I was 21 years old now 39! Frustrating!

You're very sensible in my eyes Shannon.  I am 60. When I was in my 20s I remember getting weird spotty rashes but it was never diagnosed - always put it down to allergies back then.   However, through my life, my GA was finally diagnosed when I went in to have a hip replacement and a skin specialist happened to be doing his rounds.  ~Thanks for the tip of 0.5% Clobetasol Propionate - i will give this tip to my son who is 34 and is unfortunate that his GA only breaks out on his face - left cheek only and also flares up when he is stressed.   My other son also has GA and it was evident on his hands when he was a teenager but we never got a diagnosis (in Ireland! some doctors still do not know about GA) - anyway, we consider ourselves lucky to have this form of auto immune as my daughter was not so lucky and her AI disease is related to her thyroid (Hashimotos) - so her efforts to keep her system cleansed and manage the disease has had a great effect on all of us in the family - the main focus for us is to keep inflammation at bay anywhere in the body by keeping a clean and healthy gut and balancing emotions/stress/lifestyle - most of all we support each other and understand that the rash is only the tip of the iceberg - anyway, thanks again for posting that info x

I agree that there are triggers and am thinking of trying to eliminate certain foods.

 I was a child that always had allergic reactions to poison ivy, bee stings anything involving the skin.  When I became pregnant I ceased to have allergic reactions and even to get poison ivy.  With my second child I got poison ivy so bad my face blew up and eyes closed.  With my third child born I have not gotten it for 42 years, so what is the link.  

Keep posting as I will especially after I see my dermatologist in June.  I will also tell you that I was on antibiotics for 3 years once a month which worked the first year and 6 mo after I stopped came back with a vengeance.  It no longer works so I intend on discontinuing when I see the dr.

Shannon, your post on GA is one of the most accurate that I have read on this forum.   I am glad that someone else has finally mentioned Clobetasol cream as a way to manage GA.  I have been mentioning it on this forum for over a year.  I  never noticed a "pimple" as the start of the GA rings, but I will be on the lookout for this from now on.  I too had a type of burn followed by sunlight exposure which I believe started my GA about 20 years ago.  However, my experience with GA differs from yours in that I find Clobetasol helps me eveb after the rings form. You just have to have more patience while waiting for results and use it persistently. It takes time but does work.  For example,  I had a large patch of GA on both of my upper thighs, front and back.  I really wanted to wear a bathsuit but was embarrassed by the GA so I used Clobetasol morning and night for 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off as directed by my dermatologist and repeated this treatement for two cycles.  Evenually, the GA rings faded to the point where they are barely noticeable and they have not come back yet.  I used this treatment over 3 months ago.  I also had a very, very large red patches of GA behind my knees.  I had my dermaologist inject steriod into those patches.  Again, the GA faded within 2 weeks, however, I discovered that GA can leave the skin discolored after treatment.  So now, although the GA is gone behind the knees, the skin in that area is a darker color than before.  I hope this will eventually fade as well.