My cat has been dealing with acne on his chin, brown, crunchy discharge around his eyes and brown, flaky discharge in his ears for three years. It started when he was 6 months old, and he is now 3.5 years. He's been to many vets all around the country (my job requires that we move around), and I've tried a few treatments that treat the symptoms, not the underlying cause. Eye and ear drops, medicated wipes for his chin, steroid shots, medicated shampoos, and finally, atopica. The Atopica works really well, but I worry about giving it to him for the rest of his life.

He had a RAST blood test, and he is only mildly reactive to a few things, "nothing that would warrant this reaction," my vet said. I put him on a hypoallergenic diet for 6 weeks and it changed nothing about his condition.

Has anyone seen anything like this? My next step is saving up for a skin allergy test, which, as I understand, is more reliable than a blood test.

Note: his condition stays the same no matter where we are in the country. Northeast, southwest, and Texas, where we primarily reside.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!