Why Did My Skin React to a New Product?Contact Dermatitis

You tried the new serum on Sunday. By Tuesday your cheeks are red, tight and itchy, and by Thursday there are tiny blisters along your jaw. Or it’s your earlobes after a new pair of earrings. Or your hands after a month of washing them eleven times a day.

Two kinds

The NHS¹ says irritant contact dermatitis happens when a substance directly damages the outer layer of the skin, and allergic contact dermatitis happens when a substance makes the immune system respond in a way that affects the skin. Cleveland Clinic³ says irritant contact dermatitis occurs more often than allergic.

The AAD² gives examples: irritant reactions build with repeated exposure, such as frequent handwashing leaving the hands raw. Allergic reactions can follow brief contact and appear hours or days later.

What triggers it

The NHS¹ lists soaps and detergents, solvents, frequent contact with water, nickel and other metals, and cosmetics. Cleveland Clinic³ names metals like nickel, fragrances, preservatives and plants such as poison ivy as allergic triggers, and cleaning products, soaps, detergents and solvents as irritants. The AAD² says more than 15,000 things that touch the skin can cause an allergic reaction, and that fragrance and nickel are especially common. Some reactions need sunlight to develop.

It can look different on different skin. The NHS¹ says lighter skin turns red, while darker skin may look dark brown, purple or gray. Cleveland Clinic³ describes red to purple or darker than your natural skin tone, bumpy, with small clusters of pimples or blisters.

If you also get raised welts that come and go, see hives. If your skin is dry and itchy without a new trigger, see dry, itchy skin.

What works

The fix is to find the cause and avoid it. The AAD² says only by avoiding the cause can you get rid of contact dermatitis. The NHS¹ says that if you successfully avoid the irritants or allergens that trigger your symptoms, your skin will eventually clear up.

For the rash itself, the NHS¹ lists emollients (moisturizers) and topical corticosteroid creams or ointments to relieve severe symptoms. Cleveland Clinic³ lists over-the-counter anti-itch creams, antihistamines, corticosteroid creams or, in some cases, prednisone. Ask a pharmacist or clinician what suits your skin and where the rash is.

Finding the trigger

Cleveland Clinic³ says your provider may offer testing for allergic cases, including a patch test, to confirm the diagnosis. The AAD² says a dermatologist can help identify the cause, treat symptoms and help you avoid triggers.

The play

Try this: a skin-contact log

Write down every new thing that touched the area in the two weeks before the rash: skincare, makeup, hair products, laundry detergent, soaps, hand sanitizer, jewelry, gloves, plants.

Note where the rash is.

Pause new products one at a time, if you can. Keep the packages to show your clinician.

When to get checked

Don’t wait if

1. Emergency

   Get emergency care right away for trouble breathing, or swelling of your lips or mouth.

Cleveland Clinic³ says to contact your provider if the rash doesn’t go away in a week with treatment, or shows signs of infection. The NHS¹ says to see a GP if symptoms are persistent, recurrent or severe. The AAD² says if you have a rash that comes and goes, a board-certified dermatologist can help, and that the longer you have contact dermatitis, the longer it will take to clear.

Book an appointment if any of these fit:

• The rash hasn’t improved after a week
• It keeps coming back, or you can’t tell what’s causing it
• It’s severe, or spreading
• You see signs of infection
• You’d like patch testing

A new product that burns is a clue. Retire it and bring the package.