Contact Dermatitis or Skin Allergies

Contact Dermatitis is a skin rash that develops when your skin develops an allergy to something that it has come into direct contact with. This is commonly due to an allergy that your body has developed to an ingredient in whatever was put on your skin. You can develop allergies to jewelry, certain metals, sunscreen, clothing dyes, latex, plants, soaps, poison ivy or even fragrances. The skin can become red, bumpy, scaly, itchy or maybe even swollen. The rash is also characteristically very itchy as well. Contact dermatitis is typically a delayed reaction which does not occur immediately after the substance is applied to the skin, therefore it can be difficult for you to identify the cause of your rash. You may develop symptoms anywhere from 2-10 days after coming into contact with the irritant or allergen. If you think you may have come into contact with a potential allergen or irritant, immediately wash the affected area with soap and water.

If you suspect that you may be experiencing contact dermatitis, Dr. Rajan can evaluate you to find out how best to treat your rash. She may be prescribe creams or oral medications to help with the itching and heal the damaged skin. You should try to avoid scratching the affected area to prevent infection.

In order to help identify potential causes of your contact dermatitis, try to keep a diary of your activities you performed or anything that may have touched your skin in the 2 days before your symptoms started.

Testing and Treatment

Patch testing is a type of skin allergy testing that can be used to find out what you may be allergic to if you are experiencing contact dermatitis. The testing is a painless procedure that involves no needles or blood. We use use T.R.U.E TEST Ready-to-Use patches which contain small chambers and tape them to your back for 2 to 4 days using hypoallergenic tape. The patches contain potential causes such as fragrances, hair dye, nickel, and preservatives. After 2 to 4 days you return to the office to have the patches are removed and we examine your skin to see if a rash has occurred in response to one of the patches. We have you return a 3 rd time to examine your skin a second time as well. At that visit you will be provided with detailed information about the allergens you react to, where they can
be found and how to avoid them.