Contact & Chemical Sensitivities

Contact and chemical sensitivities are very common, with poison ivy, latex and nickel being some of the most well-known contact allergies.  However, many other people develop rashes after they have been exposed to other common products such as soaps, shampoo, detergents and make-up.  These types of reactions don’t always occur immediately, but can take time to develop, even days after the exposure.  Like many other skin allergies, the best way to prevent a reaction is to avoid the causative factor.  If you develop itchy, bumpy rashes and have noticed they occur from certain products, you may have a chemical sensitivity.  To test for this type of an allergy you would need to seek advice from an allergist.  They can complete patch testing to determine if you have a contact allergy.  You should also keep a journal of suspected triggers/causes and bring any product with you to the appointment to help guide treatment.  Once the chemical is identified you will be given written information on where to look for that specific chemical, and other names it may be associated with so you can carefully read labels.