If you have skin allergies, your skin can become irritated by common substances. Think about these conditions and triggers, and learn more about them to protect your skin from these allergic reactions.
Types of Skin Allergies
A skin allergy happens when the body’s immune system reacts to a specific substance, called an allergen. When the allergen touches the skin, it sends histamine and other chemicals into the body.
These chemicals can cause allergy symptoms like itching, redness, swelling, and sometimes blisters. The human body has four main skin allergies. They include angioedema, atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, and urticaria.
Angioedema
Angioedema is a disease that causes the skin and other tissues to swell. Angioedema can cause swelling in the face, lips, eyes, hands, feet, and genitalia.
Atopic Dermatitis
Atopic dermatitis is eczema that causes dry, red, and itchy skin. Eczema is a disease that makes the skin red, swollen, and itchy. Genes and the environment cause most atopic dermatitis. Histamine is not the reason why eczema makes you itch. Antihistamines might not work because of this.
Contact Dermatitis
Contact dermatitis happens when your skin touches something that irritates or inflames it. Contact dermatitis causes the skin to be red, swell up, itch, and burn. The skin may also flake, blister, or crust over. Contact dermatitis is not a very serious illness, but it can be painful and sometimes lead to other infections.
Urticaria
Urticaria is a skin rash that looks like raised, red, itchy welts. It is also called hives. The bumps can be any size and appear on any body part. Symptoms usually last anywhere from a few hours to a few days. In severe cases, the welts can last for months or even years and may be accompanied by other symptoms, such as swelling of the face, lips, and throat.
Causes of Skin Allergies
Most allergens can’t cause an allergic reaction unless they come into direct contact with the skin. Some common allergens include the following:
· Poison ivy and oak: Poison ivy and oak have a chemical called urushiol that makes them dangerous. When it touches the skin, it can cause blisters or red rashes.
· Nickel: Nickel is a metal often used to make jewelry. Nickel allergies can cause dyshidrotic hand eczema or pompholyx. Since there is no known cure for nickel allergies, the best way to stop this reaction is to either cover nickel-plated jewelry or stop wearing it.
· Chemicals: Formaldehyde, used as a preservative in beauty products, can irritate your skin. If you’re experiencing skin irritation, check to see if this chemical is in any of your cosmetics.
· Wool: If you wear wool clothes, you might get contact dermatitis. Wool clothes can irritate your skin, making it red and itchy with small rashes.
· Weather: Extreme weather, like cold and heat, can cause hives. When ultraviolet light hits your skin after you’ve used cosmetics, it can also cause an allergic reaction. Sunlight-triggered skin allergies may look like sunburns.
· Foods: Some foods, like peanuts, shellfish, and milk, can be bad for the body and cause angioedema. Anaphylaxis can also result from a severe allergic reaction to food.
· Drugs: Some over-the-counter medicines, like benzocaine and neomycin, can inflame the skin when applied to it. Hives can also be a side effect of other medications, such as penicillin and ibuprofen.
· Genetic conditions: Some children are more likely to get eczema or atopic dermatitis because of their genes, which make them sensitive to small irritants.
Taking care of your skin also means finding out how you react to things around you. So, you should be careful about what you touch and learn about different skin allergies and what causes them. If you suffer from skin allergies and to get allergic dermatitis treatments, the best solution is to get a skin allergy test by a professional dermatologist
Contact us at Advanced Dermatology & Skin Cancer Specialists for advice on treating skin allergies.
