Allergic Contact Dermatitis Is Caused By The Body's Reaction To Allergens
The reason why you can contract allergic contact dermatitis is that your body may react to things that have come into direct contact with your skin and there are a number of different substances that may cause you to get allergic contact dermatitis, and these are known as allergens. Even though such substances won't affect most people, some may however not be so fortunate and though at first the signs may not be noticeable, once your skin reaches a state of sensitivity to such substances or becomes allergic to the substance, rash will be the result of any further exposure. Though such a rash may take a day or two before breaking out, sometimes it could even occur within hours, or in some cases, in a week.
Different From Irritants
However, it would not be right to consider things such as alkali, acid, strong soaps or detergents or even solvents as being the reason why allergic contact dermatitis occurs, because harsh as these compounds may be, they are not allergens; rather, they are irritants that may cause reaction on the skin. Once you do develop allergic contact dermatitis, you will notice redness and also swelling as well as watery blisters that can range from being very tiny to quite large, and if the blisters break, they may result in the formation of scales and also crusts, and when left untreated, they could cause your skin to turn leathery as well as become cracked. Sometimes, it is even quite hard to distinguish allergic contact dermatitis from rashes of different types, and also those that have been around for quite some time.
If you have allergic contact dermatitis, you need to consult with your dermatologist and touch on the materials that you have come into contact with both in the office as well as in the home, and then try and pinpoint what the allergens were. In some instances, the dermatologist may deem it necessary for you to undertake patch tests which are basically quite quick and also safe and can provide a diagnosis of the contact allergies. Of the many possible allergens you may have come into contact with, you can include rubber, nickel, dyes as well as poison ivy and also poison oak and some related plants to your list of allergen causing substances.
In case you have developed allergic contact dermatitis, you need to firstly avoid whatever allergen caused the problem to begin with, and also any materials that are likely to cross-react with such allergens, and you can get your dermatologist to advise you in this regard. Secondly, you need to use products that are not made from any material that can cause a reaction.
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