An itch that won’t go away

Allergic contact dermatitis is something few people know about. I was one of those people until a dermatologist diagnosed it as my ailment.
Allergic contact dermatitis is usually caused by exposure to a substance or particle to which you are allergic to or have grown sensitive to. Likely allergens would be the following:
-Poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac
-Other plants
-Metals, especially nickel
-Medications, especially topicals (those applied to the surface of the skin)
-Rubber or latex
-Cosmetics
-Fabrics and clothing
-Detergents and solvents
-Adhesives
-Fragrances
-Other substances and chemicals

The first few days having it were torture. My skin became covered with pimple like growth, like a raised rash. Almost as if I had the measles. They hurt and they were very itchy... VERY.

I went to the dermatologist at our town but still wasn’t able to see results so I went for a second opinion. When I got back to Manila, what followed was a series of treatments, of trials and errors, and a whole lot of medication. A painfully slow process.

Truly a skin disease is an expensive one to have. Antihistamines for the itchiness became my desserts. I always had a wet towel to pat on my itching rashes. Inevitably, the itch became too much for me, and soon I had wounds and sores all over my body. I had to switch from brand of antihistamine to another, hoping for relief. Expensive brands work just as well as cheap generic ones.

It turns out that even though you have been using something repeatedly in the past, you may still develop sensitivity to it. Hence, you must consider everything if you’ve had an allergic reaction and still haven’t figured out what it is.

Symptoms of allergic contact dermatitis include:
• Itching
• Tenderness
• Skin redness/ inflammation
• Swelling
• Lesions or rashes, papules (pimple like), vesicles (blistery), and bullae (blisters)
• Oozing, draining or crusting may happen
• Can become raw, scaly or thickened

To identify the allergen, patch testing is usually done on patients whose dermatitis recur. In patch testing, patches of potential allergens are applied on the skin and removed 48 hours later to see if a reaction has occurred to any of the substances.

Treatments comprise of corticosteroid skin creams that reduce inflammation, antihistamines are also prescribed to lessen the itchiness. Avoid itching the affected part of your skin because it can cause a secondary infection and unsightly scars. Trust me, I have scars all over my body to prove it.

I always have a bottle of corticosteroid handy in my bag so that when it flares up, I’m ready.
You should be too.

Jomie Jean O. Apostol
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