Fighting common skin Irritants for a glowing facial look. And once you’re no longer exposed to the irritant or allergen, redness usually vanishes.
The beauty of the skin can easily be affected by a simple skin irritation and the sooner we get to serious business of fighting common skin irritants the better for a glowing and radiant looking skin. It is important to note that individuals with sensitive skin can easily trigger an irritation even by changing the kind of soap they use leading to an outbreak of redness, stinging and itching. Things that cause skin irritations are all around us even in our homes. In fact our homes harbor most of these common skin irritants including triple-antibiotic ointments, bandage adhesives, and jewelry that contains metals such as nickel. When your skin becomes inflamed after coming in contact with one of these substances or many more the condition is called contact dermatitis. People with sensitive skin can get two types of this condition:
Irrespective of the kind of dermatitis you’re suffering from doctor Akoury will be there to help you get well as well as fighting other common skin irritants for a glowing look.
This form of skin irritants is the most common one affecting about 80% of all reported cases. Like for instance when your skin get into contact with an irritating substance, you’ll often get a reaction that resembles a burn with red, chapped, and dry skin. This skin reaction tends to be more painful than itchy. Skin irritants contact dermatitis is naturally triggered by common substances we are exposed to in our day today life like:
- Strong soaps
- Acetone in nail polish removers
- Drain cleaners
- Acids
- Detergents
- Plants
How this affects vary depending on the sensitivity of individual patients skin. Individuals with high skin sensitivity can develop irritation from even mild soaps and detergents they use regularly. Besides that doing house activities where your skin can be exposed to cleaning products like detergents and waxes, this can wear down the protective barriers of your skin making your skin to be vulnerable for an attack by all these irritants. Typical irritant contact dermatitis symptoms include:
- Dry, cracked skin
- Mild skin swelling
- Blisters or painful ulcers on the skin
- Stiff, tight-feeling skin
This less common form is a true allergic reaction. In allergic contact dermatitis, the immune system responds to a substance that touches the skin. You can become allergic to the substance after one exposure or many. In fact, people can be exposed to a substance for long periods, even years, before developing an allergy. Common sources of allergic contact dermatitis include:
- Fragrances
- Preservatives
- Cosmetics
- Poison ivy
- Topical antibiotics
- Rubber or latex
- Metals in jewelry, such as nickel
Some people are also allergic to over-the-counter topical triple-antibiotic ointments. All told, thousands of substances can cause allergic dermatitis. When a person who has become sensitized to an allergen becomes exposed by touching the substance, symptoms, such as itching and skin inflammation, are often delayed. They can show up anywhere from a few hours to as many as four days after contact. Symptoms of allergic contact dermatitis include:
- Reddened skin
- Darkened, leathery, cracked skin
- Dry, scaly patches of skin
- Burning or intense itching
- Blisters that ooze
- Hives
- Sun sensitivity
- Swelling in the eyes, face or genital area
In addition, some people get a form called photo allergic contact dermatitis. This type happens only after the skin touches certain substances and then comes in contact with sunlight. These substances may include:
If you suspect that a certain product or substance is causing your dermatitis, avoid it and watch whether your rash improves.
But it’s not always easy to pinpoint a specific cause. For example, your eyelids may be chronically dry, red and flaky, but what’s to blame: your eye shadow, eyeliner, makeup remover, or overnight eye cream?
Sometimes, people have no clue at all — they get a rash, but they can’t recall the substances that have touched their skin. Or their facial skin becomes inflamed, leading them to suspect a face product. In fact, they might have unwittingly transferred a substance from their hands to their face. The substance doesn’t affect the hands, but the more sensitive facial skin will react.
If you can’t figure out the source of irritation, see a dermatologist. He or she will quiz you about your job, household chores, hobbies, drug and cosmetics use, and other factors in order to gain clues about the root of the problem.
Your doctor may also do testing. No test can be performed for irritant contact dermatitis. But your doctor may do patch testing to see if you’re sensitive to various types of allergens that are known to cause dermatitis. Small patches of these substances are placed on your skin for one to two days so that your doctor can check if a rash develops.
To relieve itching, contact dermatitis is commonly treated with:
- Oral or topical steroids
- Oral antihistamines
- Skin emollients
- Oatmeal baths
Once you’re no longer exposed to the irritant or allergen, redness usually vanishes after a week. But itching, scaling, and temporary skin thickening may go on for days or weeks. You can also take steps to protect your sensitive skin from developing contact dermatitis. For example:
- Once you’ve identified an offending substance, avoid it. Wear gloves or protective clothing to prevent exposing your skin to cleansers, weeds, and other substances during housework or yard work. If your skin makes contact, wash the substance off right away with soap and water.
- Learn to recognize poison ivy and poison oak.
- Use mild, unscented laundry detergent.
- If you have sensitive facial skin, consider using gentle, soap-free, liquid cleansers. Or use a moisturizing soap that’s free of fragrance and dyes.
- Don’t scrub your face vigorously with a rough washcloth or buff puff. Instead, cleanse gently and pat dry.
- Avoid deodorant or antibacterial soaps.
- Choose moisturizers, sunscreens, and cosmetics that are fragrance-free and don’t contain acids or botanical ingredients. Physical sun blocks that contain zinc oxide or titanium oxide are less likely to cause skin problems than chemical sunscreens.
- Test cosmetics and personal care products before using. Apply a small amount of the new product twice a day to a small patch of skin near the inside of your elbow. If no irritation occurs in that spot after a week, you can try using the product.
Protect your skin by applying petroleum jelly or a thick, moisturizing cream two or three times a day. The objective of fighting common skin irritants may not be realized if the experts are not adequately involved. Therefore scheduling for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury an expert in skincare with over two decades experience of practice would be the starting point. The beauty of your skin is and must be your number one priority. Call doctor Akoury today for that very important appointment.
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