It's been over a year since my first patch test and I'm so thankful that I was finally able to narrow down and avoid many of my triggers. Though I still struggle, I've learned a lot over the past year about dealing with contact allergies:
1. You can be allergic to anything
Literally anything. There are thousands of potential allergens, and even though some are more common than others, contact allergies can develop as a response to nearly any substance. There are even some people who are allergic to water
—a very rare condition called aquagenic urticaria.
2. The endless possibilities of allergens can make narrowing down the culprit difficult
While the T.R.U.E test looks for 36 of the most common allergens, and the North American Comprehensive series has a standard of 80 (NAC-80), there are literally hundreds of potentials allergens that might be overlooked on a patch test. Even though extensive patch testing is costly and will never include the complete breadth of allergens, it is still a worthwhile step in the search for answers.
3. Keep looking for answers until you find them
After my first patch test identified several allergens, I still couldn't get my skin completely clear. This was because I had sensitivities to several items not included on the T.R.U.E. test and while I had eliminated all of my known allergens from my skin care products, I had unknowingly replaced several of my known allergens with ones I had not yet discovered.
4. The simpler, the better
Before developing contact allergies, I never gave a second thought to the ingredient lists on the backs of products. Now I make sure I know what every ingredient is, what purpose it serves and what its potential for sensitization is. And if a product contains any ingredients I deem questionable, I don't buy it. There is no reason to take chances with your skin.
5. Smelling "good" is not the same as not smelling bad
I use to equate cleanliness to pleasant fragrances
—the smell of soap, shampoo, air fresheners, dryer sheets, perfume... Little did I realize that "fragrance" is code for an undisclosed mixture of potentially toxic chemicals. There are thousands of approved ingredients that companies add to their products under the guise of fragrance, or "parfum," many of which I have no interest in putting on my skin anymore. So although this leaves me in large part fragrance-free, it does not leave me stinky. My hair and body doesn't have to smell like a fruit cocktail
—simply not smelling like sweat will suffice. I've discovered that the freshest scent is no scent at all.
6. Allergens lurk in unexpected places
Take my nemesis, isothiazolinone, for example. Sure, it's in soap and sunblock, but did you know it can also be found in cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, fragrance mixes, latex paints, paper towels and toilet paper, air conditioning systems, printer ink and paper, markers and gel pens, glue and adhesives, rubbers, plastics, leather and other treated fabrics and materials? This vile substance is everywhere, which can make avoidance challenging.
7. Be careful who you trust
There are a lot of corporations out there making bold claims about their products with no evidence to back them up. Other companies' marketing is based on outright lies. Allergy sufferers
need access to ingredient lists. Trying to get a company to tell you what is in their products should not be difficult. Consumers have a right to know what they bringing into their homes, whether they suffer from allergies or not. Yet the lack of regulation makes it all too easy for corporations to hide behind "trade secrets" and generic terms like "preservative." While there are companies out there who are taking steps to become more transparent
—kudos to you,
Unilever, for deciding to disclose your fragrance ingredients
—we as consumers have to be careful with whom we chose to trust.
8. Beware of marketing ploys
Companies throw around phrases like "all natural," "hypoallergenic," and "dermatologist approved," yet with no legal definition for these terms, these words are meaningless. The product has shea butter in it? Well then, it's natural! They took out the parabens? It's hypoallergenic! These labels give unsuspecting consumers the illusion of safety, luring customers in to buy a product that may be harmful to them. There are lots of people out there with undiagnosed contact allergens or "sensitive skin" that are constantly on the hunt for things that don't make them break out in hives. Before my patch test, I often fell for the hypoallergenic rhetoric only to find myself with a cupboard full of products that contained methylisothiazolinone
—one of my main allergens.
9. There is a need for better education
I suffered for years, being passed from doctor to doctor before I finally found a dermatologist that believed in patch testing. Whenever I tell people about my allergens
—even people within the medical field
—they look at me like I've grown a second head. Yet contact dermatitis is one of the most common conditions out there. It's insane that there isn't more awareness being raised for this affliction.
10. You can't let contact allergies hold you back
It's tough. There are days when I don't want to face the world
—days when I just want to stay locked up inside my safe little house. But if I don't get out and live my life, then these stupid contact allergies have won. I refuse to give them that sort of power over me. Does being allergic to everything change the way I face the world? Sure. Travel requires much more planning. A simple trip to the store can turn into a nightmare. (Don't touch that cart handle! Quick, avoid the air freshener aisle!) And I have to be careful about what I touch when I'm visiting friends so that I don't wind up with an oozy rash. (Uh oh, did you just clean this counter with Lysol?) But life is too precious to be cooped up in a bubble. I've accepted the fact that I will be in situations where I'm exposed to my allergens. Yes, I will sometimes have to deal with itchy skin, but that's not going to stop me from putting myself out there!
