A lot of us who are part of the Gen Z and millennial generations have grown up learning about different prejudices that exist. In the western world especially, we learn about horrific war and other heinous crimes where people were discriminated against because of their race and still to this day, where more and more divisions are being created on account of these factors when mixed with one’s religion. And someone’s religion should never ever dictate the content of their character nor should their race or their age or their gender….and neither should their skin texture. Young girls particularly since I have been born have been under the spotlight of various media and entertainment campaigns constantly telling us what we must do to achieve the perfect look, what we must doctor and alter; and most scarily, what we should get rid of.
As a young black girl, I grew up ashamed of my skin problems to the point where I didn’t even realise that I was perpetuating very false stereotypes of the specific issues I was suffering with based on things that I had heard other kids – who looked nothing like me, say in the playground, of those who had known skin severities. Mine were far more discreet and whilst I did have my fair share of horrid commentaries on them also by people who claimed to my friends at the time, it wasn’t until years later that I was made aware of this and almost used it as an excuse for self-loathing, to my own detriment. But now, I sit here and type as someone who has healed and not just from the physical effects of what I suffered from going untreated for years, but the mental anguish that was caused on account of me thinking so negatively of myself and consequently, not seeking the right kind of help or sourcing the right information that would have been more effective in helping me combat those issues.
Now, I will tell you about the biggest misconception that I had about skincare, something which is a subsection of a well-known skincare issue that many suffer from (eczema), and then ultimately how you recognise the symptoms of it to be able to distinguish between it (contact dermatitis) and the overarching area of concern, which is very often hereditary…
Contact dermatitis is an ‘Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) is a type 4 or delayed-type hypersensitivity response (DTH) by an individual’s immune system to a small molecule (less than 500 daltons), or hapten, that contacts a sensitized individual’s skin’ (Murphy, Atwater and Mueller.). A hapten is a very small molecule which produces antibodies when it comes into contact with a larger carrier, most commonly, a protein.
It is essentially the effect of a chemical or antigen which does not agree with your skin causing what is best comparable with an allergic reaction and producing a rash like effect on the area of the skin which has made contact with the product containing the irritable ingredient with the harmful allergen. They target the white blood cells because they attach themselves to the lymph nodes on your body by travelling from cells named the Langerhans cells to the T-lymphocytes as the reaction is taking place. The response is thus the result of the interference of cell turnovers through cytokine processes whereby there is an instead a ‘cytokine-induced proliferation’ (Murphy, Atwater and Mueller.), which causes an inflammatory response.
Some areas of confusion and answers:
Why is it harder to detect if you have eaten something? Does it have something to do with the fact that consuming it would cause a delayed physical effect, as a wash off product will tend to produce a more ‘diffused’ look, if contact dermatitis is indeed what is occurring…
- This is arguably because of cross-sensitisation, a process by which the ingredient being ingested has been sensitised by the allergen and therefore harder to detect.
Successful detection will mean that it is repetitive and that this will be revealed through patch testing – does this form a reliable significant different between irritant CD and AD by itself?
- One article does seem to suggest that patch testing is the most appropriate means by which Acute contact dermatitis can be detected, especially as a result of the fact that it makes you aware of what exactly is happening should react badly to it so that you know to avoid it for further usages, and therefore reduce your chances of triggering allergic contact dermatitis.
- It is definitely harder to anticipate some of the more severe symptoms of a contact dermatitis reaction, such as burning pain and blisters which are more common to it as opposed to atopic dermatitis why is more common for causing dry, itchy and flaky skin. Whilst I wouldn’t recommended waiting until something as severe a reaction as that happens, I do believe that this would be the best means to separate a case of contact dermatitis from that of atomic.
- Another identifiable feature to help form the distinction is the recognition of seborrheic dermatitis which is mainly focused on the facial area and causes ‘redness, swelling and greasy scaling’ (Gardner), which may help to identify a significant difference from contact dermatitis in terms of where the actual reaction takes place. This is a point very much considering when detecting likely instances of dermatitis because reactions can often be triggered by extreme temperatures either hot or cold, rubbing causing friction and also dry air where there is minimal air.
Common treatments:
Steroid ointments – topical is less than 20% of the body area is affected by the allergen and corticosteroids if more than 20% of the body area is affected – Common treatment names: Triamcinolone and Hydrocortisone
- Specifically when dealing with the eyeballs, the best kinds are topical calcineurin inhibitors or PDE4 inhibitors for necessity application or highly sensitive areas such as eyelids or oral antihistamines, topical hydrocortisone or cool water soaks if it is recurrent (symptomatic) - Some of these methods are also recommended for at home remedies most typically suitable for mild instances of contact dermatitis, especially: Soak in a cool bath and/or applying a cool compress to the irritated area
Topical immunomodulators – necessary when cases are more severe and includes the usage of tacrolimus frequently, or which require suppressive agents such as mycophenolate.
UV phototherapy – also necessary when cases are far more severe and includes the usage of UVA and UVB wavelengths to treat these instances. It targets the inflammatory response and aims to reduce it through exposing the patient to natural sunlight and provides an alternative to the oral and topical medication for cases of eczema which will tend to be less severe in comparison.
- This type of solution, however, will need to be carefully assessed by a doctor as an alternative forms of dermatitis, such as photocontact dermatitis (dermatitis caused by exposure to sunscreen), as well as another skincare related issue; polymorphous light eruption (PMLE) (skin issue caused by exposure to sunlight) are highly likely to affect the ability to have the skin problem worsened by partaking in this kind of treatment.
In reference to all of these treatment suggestions, please remember to consult your doctor or GP if after trying some of the at home remedies and common over the counter treatments, the problem does not appear to go away or gets worse. It is also important to protect yourself from any triggers to the affected skin areas by wearing gloves and pay attention to the spread of the irritation as it may mean that you need a more intense treatment or that the issue you are suffering with may not only be contact dermatitis, which takes us back to the crux of this blog.
Important side note: Some of the biggest triggers of allergic contact dermatitis:
Poison ivy which produces linear strikes where the plant comes into contact with the skin, nickel from jewellery which has gone rusty and worn on the skin, as well as that which has been ingested in one’s diet, rubber gloves, hair dyes, textiles, preservatives etc.
Thank you so much for reading and I hope you found this blog informative and helpful in some way, there will be lots more coming your way so stay tuned and stay blessed.
Sources:
Comments