HELMET, SAFETY HEAD GEAR: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Allergen Safety Helmet This important piece of equipment for biking, sports, construction, and certain occupations saves lives but can be a real challenge for skin. Some of the more problematic materials include: Rubber (and therefore thiuram), elastics, and latex Dyes bright colors as well as black or dark colors which may contain PPD Acetaophenone Azine […]
PLUSH TOY (Stuffed Animal): Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Allergen Plush Toy (Stuffed Animal) “Teddy” may be your little one’s cuddliest pal but many plush toys are contact allergen-heavy. Topping the list are strong dyes, especially in toys with bright colors like this woeful turtle’s green, the purple of a certain singing dinosaur, and the bright red fur of a very popular muppet. Less […]
PPD (Paraphenylenediamine): Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Allergen PPD (Paraphenylenediamine) American Contact Dermatitis Society‘s Allergen of the Year in 2006, PPD or paraphenylenediamine is no joke, especially in hair dye, where it’s most known for causing trouble. This is not surprising considering how severe some reactions can be and how hard it is to find an alternative. PPD may be “just one ingredient” but […]
DUST MITES: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Allergen Dust Mites It’s not the bite of this arachnid that’s the main issue but its waste — more specifically, the membrane that surrounds the mite’s fecal pellets. The chitin in its hard exoskeleton is also an aeroallergen (airborne allergen). We come into contact with it when immature mites shed their exoskeletons. This means that […]
WATER: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Not An Allergen … but (surprise!) an irritant! Water Water is life. We all need it to survive and it makes up a lot of our bodies. It’s also cleansing and healing … and not a top contact allergen. In fact, it’s used to rinse off allergens that we come into contact with. But, as […]
COMPOSITAE: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Allergen Compositae Compositae mix is a common contact allergen that’s a regular feature in patch test trays. The Compositae or Asteraceae group (Aster is “star” in Greek and refers to the shape of the flowers) includes daisies, sunflowers, feverfew (chrysanthemum), and asters, plus chamomile, arnica, and over 20,000 other herbs, vegetables, and plants. Of particular concern […]
Psoriasis Overview
I just got diagnosed with psoriasis. What should I know? The first thing to know is that the science behind psoriasis has come a long way and is improving every day! While a diagnosis used to feel a bit doomsday-ish, most psoriasis cases are now very well managed and impressive clarity is no longer a […]
KNITTING: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Not An Allergen … but barely Knitting The potential contact allergens that could be involved in this popular craft are numerous … Formaldehydes in the preservation of wool and wooden knitting needles Nickel in metal knitting needles Dyes and acrylates in yarn … but because there do seem to be lots of safer alternatives that […]
FRAGRANCE MIX: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Allergen Fragrance Mix The American Contact Dermatitis Society named Fragrance the Allergen Of The Year of 2007 … and there are so many that they’re in groups (Fragrance Mix I and Fragrance Mix II) that are standard in patch test trays! If you’ve patch tested positive to either fragrance mix, it can be difficult to […]