Identifying Contact Dermatitis
We often treat patients for contact dermatitis problems. Allergic contact dermatitis is caused by a reaction to substances that come into contact with your skin. Quite often patients deal with intense itchiness, redness, blisters, and discomfort.
Many people know about coming into contact with plants that can lead to a reaction, such as poison ivy, but there are many other things that can lead to contact dermatitis from rubber watches to hair dyes; it can be difficult to identify the cause without the assistance of a dermatologist.
Patients will come into our office where we will study the materials that your skin encounters on a daily basis. Identifying the actual cause can take time as we may need to do some patch testing to see what causes a reaction to the skin. Patch testing helps us to identify what is causing the problem, and it is less invasive from scratch skin testing. There are a number of common irritants that we see with contact dermatitis including:
- Nickel
- Preservatives
- Medications
- Rubber
- Dyes
- Poison ivy
- Fragrances
- Poison oak
It is common for patients to deal with some mild rashes during the testing phase as we are identifying which substance is causing the skin to react. Based on your body, we may prescribe oral antihistamines or topical steroids to limit pain and irritation. Call Allen-Taintor Dermatology today to identify what is causing you problems and start on the road to a better future!
