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Top Allergens Causing Contact Dermatitis
Dr. Mowad discusses the top allergens affecting patients and the diagnosis of allergic contact dermatitis.
It is important for patients to be aware of sources of formaldehyde exposure and understand that many products containing formaldehyde or FRPs may not list this information on their labels. In fact, one study reported that 33% of 67 moisturizers evaluated did not have proper labeling with regard to their formaldehyde/FRP content.15
Contact Allergen Management Program
During medical school I served as the Dermatology Interest Group Contact Dermatitis Awareness Chair at the University of Texas Medical Branch (Galveston, Texas) and was fortunate to have attended the annual meeting of the ACDS where I learned about the ACDS Contact Allergen Management Program (CAMP), an online resource for dermatologists to access that provides patients a printout list of allergen and cross-reactivity information for more than 1200 products (http://www.contactderm.org/i4a/pages/indexcfm?pageID=3489). This information helps consumers to choose the right products based on their allergies.
Final Thoughts
A thorough review of a patient’s medical history and, if needed, skin patch testing can identify the responsible allergen and initiate an appropriate avoidance plan for the patient. With appropriate avoidance, patients can achieve resolution of their dermatitis and prevent further episodes to substantially improve their quality of life and decrease health care costs.1 If left untreated, ACD can evolve from an acute form to a subacute form and eventually chronic eczematous dermatitis or progression to systemic disease.16,17 Allergic contact dermatitis can negatively impact an individual’s health-related quality of life, particularly in social functioning and psychological well-being.18,19 Therefore, it is pertinent in our role as dermatology residents to recognize ACD before its progression to a chronic state.
