Home Remedy Treatments for Allergic Contact Dermatitis
Some people sneeze when confronted with ragweed pollen or dander from cats. And some people break out in a rash, known as allergic contact dermatitis, when their skin comes in direct contact with substances that are normally harmless to most people, such as certain ingredients in costume jewelry or makeup.In allergic contact dermatitis, the body's immune system reacts to direct contact with an allergen (a substance the body incorrectly identifies as harmful) by producing an itchy rash on the skin where that contact occurred. So, for example, a person with an allergy to the nickel in a bracelet will develop a bracelet-shaped rash on the skin where that piece of jewelry was worn.
The most common allergen in allergic contact dermatitis is poison ivy, which can cause reactions in at least half of the people exposed to it. The next most common contact allergen is nickel, a metal commonly used in costume jewelry. Up to 10 percent of the population may suffer an allergic reaction to this metal.
Other possible causes of allergic contact dermatitis include:
- Neomycin or benzocaine in topical anesthetics
- Leather
- Formaldehyde, which is used in shampoo, detergent, nail hardeners, waterless hand cleaners, and mouthwashes
- Cinnamon flavoring in toothpaste and candies
- PABA, the active ingredient in some sunscreens
- Chemicals found in hair dyes
- Preservatives in cosmetics
Complicating the diagnosis further is the fact that you have to become sensitized to a substance before it can cause a rash. That means you have to come in contact with it at least once before the next contact will provoke an allergic response. And indeed, sometimes it requires repeated contacts with a substance before the body becomes sensitized to it. So, for example, you may wear that nickel-containing bracelet once or even dozens of times without any problems, but then one day, out of the blue, it causes an allergic rash.
Isolating the cause of a rash and selecting a home remedy can be challenging, since it may be triggered by tiny amounts of the offending chemicals. What's more, it may take only a tiny amount of the offending substance to cause an allergic rash, and thanks to our concerns with hygiene and appearance, we expose ourselves to a variety of potentially offending substances every day. For instance, the average woman uses more than a dozen different products on her scalp and head each morning.
How can you handle allergic contact dermatitis?
Ferret out the cause. If the rash won't go away or keeps reappearing in the same place, you're going to have to play detective to find out what's causing it. Otherwise, you're stuck with treating only the symptoms. It may help to make a list of everything that came into contact with the affected area of skin within the last three days, including hygiene products, cosmetics, perfumes, jewelry, and even clothing (the clothing itself may not be to blame, but a detergent, fabric softener, or dry-cleaning agent used in cleaning the clothes may). If you're having trouble pinning down the cause, a dermatologist (skin doctor) or allergist (doctor specializing in allergies) can help. Either can do a test using common allergens (called a patch test) and ask you the right questions to zero in on the culprit.
Stay away. Once you've determined the cause, avoid the offender as much as possible. Your rash will continue as long as your skin continues to contact the allergen, and it will return if you again expose yourself to the offending substance.
Don't sweat it. If you are sensitive to nickel, wearing nickel-containing jewelry in a hot, humid environment may worsen the allergy, as perspiration leaches out some of the nickel. So before you start a workout or go out into the heat, take off any nickel-containing jewelry.
 ©2007 Publications International, Ltd. Paint the surfaces of nickel jewelry that come in contact with your skin with clear nail polish. |
Coat nickel jewelry. Paint the surfaces that come in contact with your skin with clear nail polish.
Choose only the best. Even 14 karat gold jewelry has some nickel in it, so if your skin reacts strongly to nickel, you may need to restrict your gold purchases to 24 karat (which is pure gold). Other safe options include platinum and stainless steel.
Become a label reader. If your skin breaks out in a rash when it meets PABA or another chemical common in consumer products, do your skin a favor by reading ingredients lists carefully and choosing only those without the offender. Some products are even conveniently labeled as "free" of certain substances known to cause allergic reactions (you will likely find sunscreens, for example, advertised and labeled as "PABA-free").
Don't depend on the "hypoallergenic" label. It's an ambiguous term with no legal meaning. The Food and Drug Administration has not established a standard to define "hypoallergenic." If you can't tell whether a product contains a substance you're allergic to, try querying the manufacturer or performing your own patch test by applying a little of the product on the skin of your inner forearm and waiting three or four days to see if a rash develops.
Protect your skin. Guard against exposure to poisonous plants by wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts when you're in areas where these plants are likely to be.
In the next section, we will look at the problem of irritant contact dermatitis and optimal home remedies for this condition.
For more information about dermatitis and how to combat it, try the following links:
- To see all of our home remedies and the conditions they treat, go to our main Home Remedies page.
- Many skin problems stem from allergies. To learn more about allergies, you should check out How Allergies Work.
- To learn how to minimize your allergic reactions, check out Home Remedies for Allergies.
- If your skin feels itchy and scratchy, it could be from dry skin. To releive this problem, read our Home Remedies for Dry Skin.
- Or if the problem is with your scalp, check out Home Remedies for Dry Hair.
Learn more about what ails you. Here are some common symptoms.
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