Red, itchy skin irritation is calleddermatitis.
That may be true in some cases, but not all.
Symptoms
Allergic contact dermatitis is not as common as irritant contact dermatitis.
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Irritant Contact Dermatitis
Irritant contact dermatitisoccurs because an ingredient irritates the skin.
Your face is the most common place to develop this mild, chronic key in of contact dermatitis.
For example, you may have skin that is slightly dry no matter how often you moisturize.
Over time, this can leave your skin prone to dryness, redness, and irritation.
Mild irritant contact dermatitis may cause small red pimples that can easily be mistaken foracne.
This is called an acneiform rash.
Ingredients That Cause Irritation or Allergies
There are thousands of ingredients used in skincare and cosmetic products.
Although everyone’s skin is different, certain ingredients are more likely to cause reactions than others.
Even ingredients labeled “all-natural” can cause dermatitis in some people.
Essential oils are potent plant extracts.
Even though they are usually marketed as pure, that’s not always the case.
In particular, they contain many terpenes, like limonene, linalool, and linayl acetate.
These terpenes give plants their floral scent, but they are also linked to allergic contact dermatitis.
A single beauty product can contain hundreds of ingredients, and it only takes one to cause a problem.
Some of the preservatives most likely to cause contact dermatitis areformaldehyde, isothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, and quaternium-15.
You will likely start to have reactions after you have used a product one or more times.
Irritant contact dermatitis may also take between 24 to 48 hours to appear.
Once you develop an allergy to a substance, you will usually have that allergy for life.
You will also usually have an allergic reaction every time you use a product you are allergic to.
Eliminating a product that contains fragrance or colorants is a great place to start.
It may take two to four weeks before you notice a difference.
See your healthcare provider if you’re free to’t manage your symptomseven if your case is not severe.
They can perform apatch testto see if you are allergic to anything.
Patch tests involve exposure to 20 to 30 common allergens.
They are added to patches and applied to the skin.
After 48 hours, the patches are removed to check for reactions.
The skin is monitored for up to seven days to see if any reaction develops.
You may or may not need a topical medication to ease symptoms in the meantime.
Severe reactions require treatment to keep it from getting worse.
Treating Allergic Reactions
Treatment for allergic contact dermatitis depends on the severity of your reaction.
After using the epinephrine, seek medical attention right away as the effects wear off within 20 minutes.
And since anaphylaxis can return, you will need further treatment and observation.
If you have a severe allergic reaction, you will need hospitalization.
Avoid scrubbing and using perfumed products to prevent irritating skin further.
You may also want to avoid products that contain fragrances or choose only products labeled as hypoallergenic.
However, if the symptoms are mild, it might be due to irritation rather than allergy.
This causes irritant contact dermatitis.
Symptoms may occur right away or take years of product use to develop.
If your symptoms continue, contact your healthcare provider.
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