What Am I Allergic To

I can't tell you how long I had to go without using a deodorant due to my sensitive, allergic skin!  It is a delicate area of the body anyway without having any further sensitivity so I had    to be careful in my choices. After doing considerable research I eventually found one I CAN use safely that do not irritate or bring me out in a rash. I still do find that for me at least it is not wise to put on deodorant very soon after shaving   the underarm area - I tend to leave it a few hours or overnight. I do have very sensitive skin though so you may not have that need. Get to know your own skin.  I am currently using Green People Scent Free Deodorant  and it works very well,  does not leave any residue, no body odour, no harsh chemicals, no parabens, and no scent and best of all does not irritate my skin.     This will not stop you from the body's natural process of sweating but will stop you from smelling !  I use the roll on...

Contacting Companies About Skin Care Ingredients If you have sensitive or allergic skin or any other skin condition it may well be necessary for you to know a full product ingredient list or at the least to know that the ingredients you are allergic to are NOT in the product. In my experience you need to check both the range in general and specific products you want to use within the range as some may be OK and others not - within the same range. Please never assume it will be alright for you.  Many of these ingredients are perfectly OK for most of the population and are good at their job but if you are allergic you need to know which products carry them and avoid those products!!  I found it easiest to email each company I was interested in and I got a good helpful response from most with a few sadly not responding to me. Some were quite suspicious, maybe thinking I was just trying to find out their "secret" ingredients ? Most were fine...

How To Read Product Labels To Keep You And Your Skin Safe If you have skin allergies of any kind you will rapidly become an avid label reader! However reading labels carefully does not mean this will fully protect you. For example, if you have a perfume allergy you will need to be extra careful.  Words you will need to watch for are:- fragrance EDT parfam perfume toilet water. So that seems obvious, doesn't it? However relying on the words fragrance-free, non-perfumed, and the like does not always mean there is no added fragrance to the product. It may be - but you cannot assume.  Sometimes fragrances are added to products not to make them smell nice but to mask the unpleasant smell of the other ingredients, the amounts may be small but if you are allergic it can cause you a problem.  Other times a fragrance may be added for its use as a preservative, not as a perfume, yet it is still an issue to those who are allergic.  I...

Perfume And Fragrance Allergies  I have an allergy to fragrance and perfume. It came up on my skin patch allergy tests as quite a "good" reaction (which in my case was a big red welt that took 2 months to go down).  I was somewhat surprised as though I have never worn a lot of perfumes. I have worn one or two when going out for dinner, a special occasion etc and loved various body lotions that were perfumed.  I adored my scented candle collection and loved filling the home with natural fragrances... I always knew my skin was a little sensitive as I could only wear a couple of perfumes and they were of the "purer" variety. Experimenting with lower end teen type perfumes would generally bring me out on a little irritating rash when I was a teenager so I quickly learned to avoid those. However, with others I was OK. For years I have used washing powders and liquids for clothes that invariably tell you that they have a fres...

Well, it has been a hectic time so not been doing much posting lately. I was reflecting on how my skin condition has impacted my life over the festive period. I was invited to and went to a party just before Christmas and then it was a question of what to wear!  Before the skin allergies, I would have just chosen a dress I liked and that suited me. However, now I have to take other factors into account. my skin is still delicate so I tend to keep to very soft fabrics so that had to be a consideration. Then I could not be sure that other people at the party would not wear or spray perfume so I had to go for a dress that would cover me up more. So no sleeveless or backless dresses I had to go for one that was made of a super soft material, had long sleeves and would be giving me good coverage.  I found a beautifully soft and stylish red dress with long sleeves and a v neck. With a lovely scarf added I felt confident that my skin was well protected. Of course, I couldn't we...

Whew! The hot dry weather we have been having has not really agreed with my skin. It has dried out much faster and wen it gets dry it gets sore. As its been sooo hot I have felt like I have needed two cool baths a day- this has helped with the soreness but need to be very careful not to increase the dryness.  So I have been keeping well hydrated by drinking lots of water and applying moisturiser. I have also stayed well out of the sun and the heat whenever possible.  Luckily our patio area is in shade for most of the day after about 11am. I used to think this was a negative but now it is an absolute positive !  So I can still sit outside with friends and enjoy the garden not being in the sun!  Currently wearing at least two light layers of clothing so that any sun cannot hopefully get through. I also have a shawl that has an inbuilt sun protection factor of 50 which is just perfect for wrapping up in and not getting hot while being protected. I wear a big hat...

I really didn't expect much at this point. I mean how could I be allergic to anything. I had never in my life before been allergic to anything! I met with the dermatologist. I have to say the staff at the hospital who did the skin patch allergy testing were absolutely wonderful! They were calm, chatty , friendly and helpful. The nurses were just great and the doctor was very understanding. I knew from the Wednesday check up when they removed the patches that had been put on, on the Monday that there had been 3 reactions...  They intensified over the next day or two and by Friday I had 3 nice red welts or as they put it 3 "good" reactions! You can see them in the photo. So it was easy to tell what I was in fact allergic to. The dermatologist explained everything and gave me 3 sheets with the allergens on them and essentially told me to completely avoid ALL the allergens for the rest of my life. She said it would mean quite a lifestyle change.... I was initial...

As time went by I was finding it more difficult to maintain a positive attitude to my skin condition. I got down then made myself get up again emotionally. I knew however that I could not let this thing beat me!  I had been dealing with this now since June and it was now November. I was due to see the Dermatologist again in very early January.  I had to turn down party invitations, meals out, Christmas plays, theatre trips. I could not cope in anywhere that was hot or even warm. My skin looked and still felt awful. Christmas was a dismal affair, I felt tired out and drained and just fed up with the whole thing really.  This was all on top of  6 months of pain, blistering, sore red skin and missing out on the summer, being unable to drive for a long time, unable to visit anywhere or anyone as my skin had been scaling off and flaking everywhere. Even if it hadn't been sore etc i would have been so embarrassed to be out like that.  My doctor had done his bes...

So how did it all start? Well, we were on holiday in a wonderful sunny climate and I was diligent as usual about wearing sunscreen and keeping covered up and in the shade. I am very pale-skinned and I can't take much sun so I am very careful.   We had a great holiday, sightseeing, resting, relaxing, a quality much needed time. On the day before we were due to fly back I noticed a small bumpy rash on my left forearm... it was a bit sore and a little itchy but nothing to worry about much.  To be cautious I went to the local chemist who thought it was a heat rash and gave me some gel to put on it and said to stay out of the heat. It was our last day anyway so this was not a problem for me.  Nothing changed much, we flew back to the UK , went shopping the next day in our town and drifted off to sleep that night. I woke up on a Saturday morning and there was a BIG CHANGE - looked at my left arm- it was covered in large - I mean - HUGE blisters!!  They sort of grew...