When my 9 year old daughter broke out in a terrible blistery rash all over her hands, I was determined to find out the cause. At first, I thought she was allergic to something she was eating. We eliminated a few things from her diet with no change. Then I thought it could be Eczema or Psoriasis, but the dermatologist quickly said that was not it. They concluded that it was allergic contact dermatitis. After our appointment with the dermatologist, I started paying very close attention to what she was touching and that’s when I got my answer. Think back…If you are a parent to young children, you might remember the “make it yourself” SLIME all the kids were obsessed with. Yes, my daughter was one of them. She either made slime or handled slime in some way EVERYDAY for about 3 months. I realized that was when her hands started to break out in this rash. After taking away the slime for three days, there was a drastic improvement in the rash. The blisters were shrinking, and the redness was improving. After two weeks there was almost no sign of the rash at all. Turns out she was allergic to an ingredient found in the supplies used to make the slime. The main ingredients in the slime are white school glue, shaving cream, Borax detergent, and a variety of lotions filled with fragrance to make it smell good.
Left –Rash at worst. Right-Three days with NO slime.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, they are seeing a lot of alleries to personal care products. The most likely causes of contact dermatitis are the preservatives, surfactants, and perfumes or fragrances found in soaps, shampoos, and sunscreens. A study published in Dermatitis last year observed an “epidemic “of allergy to the preservatives found in body washes. “In 2005 the US approved MI (methylisothiazolinone) for use in personal care products and let the concentration be too high.” Since more products are using MI, more people are being sensitized to that ingredient. In fact, it is the second most frequent allergen found by the North American Contact Dermatitis Group (NACDG), with patch reaction rates of 13.4%.
Guess what? MI is found in many of the items used in making the slime my daughter once couldn’t resist.
If you or someone you know is suffering from a bothersome rash, or “eczema” that isn’t improving let a board-certified dermatologist at Dayton Skin help. In my daughter’s case, the diagnosis was contact dermatitis by a dermatologist who was able to identify the culprit ingredient.
Generally speaking, patch testing is a safe and often effective way to diagnose contact allergies. If you have any additional questions, feel free to request an appointment with a board-certified dermatologist at Dayton Skin Care.
