yesterday I had hardened skin over muscles where the backbone ends (gluteus maximus muscles I guess) in my buttocks. No pain, not really itchy. For the previous 1-2 days I ate a lot of pastries with wallnuts and sugar in it. I also have some kind of arthristis in my joints (a rheumatologist from Istanbul is trying to diagnose at the moment - she says it may be spondillitis). Back to my hardened skin, I took a claritine (10 mg) last night and it looks like it is almost totally gone. Why did that happen? It was first time in my life.