There are many types of dermatitis - psoriasis, bullous and childhood dermatitis are but some. Perhaps one of the most common is allergic contact dermatitis caused by external compounds, preservatives, fragrances, or plants (ie poison ivy dermatitis).If you've suffered from a red itchy rash on your finger after wearing rings that contain nickel or had itchy eyes with the application of mascara you may have a contact allergy. Today so many of us are exposed to chemicals in almost every aspect of our everyday life that some peoples immune systems are being triggered more easily by even small irritants. The thing about these types of allergies is that the skin won't necessarily react on first exposure; it can take a number of exposures before you're skin becomes sensitive.
The most common causes of allergy contact dermatitis are nickel, gold, synthetic fragrance, balsam of peru (found in skin care products and perfume), thimerosal (a mercury-based preservative used in vaccines), neomycin sulfate and bacitracin (topical antibiotics), formaldehyde (preservative in paper products, paints, building materials, medications and household cleaners), quaternium-15 (preservative found in skin care products and industrial products like paints, polishes and waxes) and cobalt chloride (metal found in medical products, hair dye, antiperspirants, and snaps, buttons and tools)
To find out if you have dermatitis take a patch test like the True Test which examines the skin's reaction to 29 different allergens. You skin care regime is one of the first places to look if you suffer from skin sensitivities and possibly allergic contact dermatitis.Use an organic skin care range like Essential Care (which was created specifically for very sensitive skin), No Scent by Green People or SOS by Barefoot Botanicals. Removing allergy triggers from your life will slowly ease discomfort of skin irritations caused by this kind of dermatitis. It may not happen over night but within a few weeks your skin will be thanking you.
