What I learned from allergy testing. - YouLookFab Forum

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What I learned from allergy testing.

Peri

Veteran

Hot topic lately! I thought I should pass on some things I've learned recently because it seems like there are a lot skin issues going around, and a lot of skin discussion.

Main points first:
1) It may not be what you think.
2) It is extremely difficult to figure out an allergy issue on your own.
3) An allergen is different from an irritant.

It may not be what you think. I was having a rash problem around my eyes. It came on very gradually over many months and then hit a point where it escalated rapidly. Redness, cracking, peeling like eye dandruff, feeling like absolute sandpaper to the touch, all over my eyelids and around my eyes...wow I was pretty. Naturally, I blamed eye creams and tried switching about 7 times to different products. Got worse and worse. I also blamed eye makeup and did the same. I had been to the dermatologist when it was mild, but when it blew up so horribly I went back. Had allergy testing. Got results. The ingredients I am allergic to were not in any single product that went on my eyes. They were all in my hair products...shampoo, conditioner, leave ins!! (Now while this was going on I did consult two doctors about an increase in hair thinning but since thyroid tested okay, both blamed age and genetics. Neither said, hey maybe it's an allergy. But my personal theory is that drowning my scalp nightly in something I'm allergic to could not have been good for hair health!)

You can't figure it out on your own. I was tested for 68 "common" allergens. No way could I have narrowed that down. I tried, but every product has so many ingredients. You could be allergic to one ingredient that is in a ton of things, or several that are scattered through different things. And note this...The first question is always have you tried anything new? I had used those hair products for years. You can develop an allergy to anything at any time. How's that for complex?!

The testing protocol is a week long and involves 3 visits and no shower for a week. This is way too complicated to find an answer through trial and error. I'm allergic to 4 things. And I still got a 157 page database on products that are safe for me to use. So I'd encourage anyone having reactions to things to get tested. There is something out there that will work for you but you may never find it on your own.

And there is still the possibility that something I'm not truly allergic to could be irritating to certain sensitive spots, like eye skin. Irritation is different from true allergy. I'm not sure yet how to track that down...I'll ask next appointment.

Good news...it's been two weeks since I've used those hair products and I'm so much better. Not normal yet, but the peeling and redness is way down and the sandpaper feeling is almost gone. I'm hoping my hair will recover. If anyone else is having major skin issues, please seek out allergy testing.

General

24 replies

Latest reply was from Chiara

Anonymous

Oh my goodness, Peri, first off I'm so sorry you went through this. I'm glad to hear it's resolving, and very much appreciate all the details and advice you offered as lessons from your own experience. It really seems like allergies are on the rise, here in the United States anyway. It makes one wonder what's out there playing havoc on our immune systems.

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

Wow, what good info. Thanks for sharing, Peri. I insisted on getting allergy testing quite a long time ago, because I was having headaches that seemed like histamine attacks. I had pretty much convinced myself I was allergic to mold. Turned out the only thing I was allergic to was dust, and apparently, that's one that most people come up positive on. My headaches were diagnosed as migraine, not allergic reactions.

Meow

Veteran

Thank you for sharing your wisdom! This is so informative. My skin is NOT sensitive and for the most part I don't have problems. But when I do....wow. I spent one embarrassingly miserable visit crying to the Dermotologist over an extremely itchy rash all over my back. He asked me all the same questions about what new products I've been using ...but then said it could be a COMBINATION of products that could be the problem! Akkk! He gave me a steroid to calm things down and recommend Aveeno baths. Luckily that worked....otherwise I would be locked up in a mental institution not sleeping ....itching my rash.

Sara L.

Veteran

I'm glad you got it sorted out and are feeling better.

My oldest son is allergic to dairy and has been since he was born. However, his allergist told me that anyone can become allergic to anything at anytime. Same info you got. Not the most comforting piece of information. Also, my grandmother had celiac disease which can also strike at anytime. Every time I get a stomach bug I'm worried that it's the start of a gluten free existence.

Style Fan

Veteran

Thanks for the very detailed information. I am glad to hear that you found the source of your rash. I agree that it is difficult to figure these things out on your own.

Beth Ann

Veteran

Wowza. A week without a shower. It would be difficult to teach piano on day 7!

This is a good reminder. My healthcare options are so bad that I've never done testing because of the expense. It's good to remember that there are some diagnoses that require professional, systematic testing.

Bijou

Veteran

Great to hear that you are recovering. Thanks for the information, as like you I would never expect my hair products to cause such a reaction, especially ones that I had used for a long time.

julijuli

Thanks for sharing this Peri. I hope you are feeling better and know that it does take a while for your skin to get back to normal. I'm interested in the database you received - was it an online tool?

I went through a similar situation did the testing and learned that among other things I'm allergic to an ingredient in hair dye (and GOLD sadly). I agree with you that it's VERY difficult to figure out yourself and although the process is a pain - it's worth it to get the issue resolved!

Anonymous

I'm glad you managed to get some answers. A few years ago, our youngest DD underwent allergy testing, and we were told she's allergic to cats and household dust. Well, dust is everywhere and we have 4 indoor cats, and she hasn't had any reactions. She sleeps with 2 of the cats, so...

Peri

Veteran

Thanks everyone! It has been an ordeal for sure.

Beth Ann...HA! But without going into TMI, it's your back that you can't get wet. Shower hose, sponge bath, one pro blowout...I don't think I was too unpleasant to be around! Except my mood.

Julijuli...the database came from the dermatologist. I think it is a professional program they have access to....it looks like that from the address. http://www.acdscamp.org. And there are codes so I guess you would have to know what code to put it. I'm not sure it would help a person on their own. It was thrilling though...I thought I would have to camp out at Ulta checking labels. I can still use things not on the list if I can clear the ingredients myself now that I know what to look for. Not every brand is on the list but can still have okay things. And weird...Gold is one of mine too. And yet I still wear my gold wedding rings daily and no finger trouble. One of the things on my list of questions for next appointment. Gold has zero contact with my eyes, unlike the hair products running down my face every night.

Peri

Veteran

Oh, and to the questions about other types of allergies, this was testing for contact dermatitis. I don't know anything about the testing for airborne allergens like dust and cats...sorry!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Chiming in to say that I'm glad that there is light at the end of the tunnel. (((HUGS))).

Keix

Veteran

I may have to go through allergy testing myself at some point... I've had various skin issues for a while (up until now, seemingly stress-induced rather than an allergic reaction, according to the dermatologist) but last week I developed a crazy systemic rash that required heavy-duty steroids to cure. The urgent care doc couldn't narrow down the cause, only treat it (for which I'm still grateful!).

Anonymous

I'm glad you're getting your poor skin sorted out. The immune system is so tricky to deal with. The reference books I've seen at my allergist's and dermatologist's offices alway appear to be about 3 times thicker than those at other doctors'! Obviously, there are a lot of factors going on there. A woman I used to work with almost died at lunch one day after eating shrimp. She had eaten it her whole life with no problems, and then, boom, one day she goes into anaphylactic shock from eating it. She got to the hospital in time, fortunately, and now carries an epi-pen everywhere she goes.

Diana

Veteran

I'm glad you've figured out the problem! I agree, allergies can be super tricky. I'm lucky that I was able to figure out on my own a couple of the things that gave me horrible skin reactions - in my case, it was always a new product that caused an almost immediate reaction that lessened when I washed it off. I've figured out at this point what the culprit ingredients are is so I can avoid them. But things that cause less acute reactions can be really hard to identify!

I have only had testing for airborne allergens done, which sounds a lot easier since they just have to take a vial of blood.

Anonymous

I only had one allergic response ever and that one I kind of figured out on my own. It was toothpaste. More specifically toothpaste with triclosan. The inside of my mouth was fine, but my lips and the corners of my mouth burned and peeled. My dentist poo pooed me, but it was the toothpaste, Switch brands and never happened again until once we were staying with friends and they lent me their toothpaste and yep happened again and yep it contained triclosan.

Anonymous

I meant to add -- be sure to check out your laundry products if you haven't already. I kept wondering why I was getting a ticklish throat and coughing when I went to bed, and when I quit using my fabric softener, it magically cleared up.

Anonymous

Yep, do check the laundry products. And if you have cats, be sure to use unscented litter. We use a certain brand that's clearly better than other "unscented" litters. We found out the hard way. At any rate, I make sure not to use any fragranced products in our house.

rachylou

Veteran

Oh wow. I'd never have thought about shampoo causing problems around the eye area. Serious detective work there.

DonnaF

Veteran

And meanwhile. . . .Benadryl is the best antihistamine for addressing these type of allergic reactions. If it knocks you out and makes you woozy like it does me, I've found that the best solution is to take liquid baby Benadryl. I ingest a kid size dose, and if that doesn't work I can take a teaspoon more or whatever. Also, aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen are anti-inflammatories, and itching is an inflammatory response, so those NSAIDs may help. (I used to take a medication that made me itch something awful, but I persisted because I felt its rewards made up for the misery.)

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Peri, so glad you got this figured out and so sorry you have been dealing with it! Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom with us. I definitely agree you can become allergic to something at any time; I've seen it a couple of times in family members (and also myself.) I had the same eye allergy problem a while ago and it was to a product I had been using without incident for years. Fortunately I found a good substitute on my own without having to do testing and I am just sticking with that for now.

Scarlet

Veteran

Just wanted to say this was really interesting to me and thanks for posting. Glad you are on the right track now. It must have been awful.

Anonymous

This was very interesting. Thank you for taking the time to explain it.

Chiara

Peri, all my sympathy, facial dermatitis is so unpleasant- it feels bad and is there is no concealing it!
Just to add- oddly enough, the other place that issues with shampoo can show up is on your feet, especially if you wash your hair frequently in the shower. Your feet basically stand in the detergent, disrupting the pH and increasing the chance of dehydrated skin (leading to cracking, fungal problems etc etc).
I find that certain shampoos can also aggravate my facial seborrheic dermatitis , not because I'm allergic but because the cleansers are too harsh.