Eczema & Rashes

By Dr Jenna.

 Jenna

There are many causes for skin rashes, you can have acute or chronic dermatitis.  Acute is usually short lived and caused by an immediate contact.  Chronic is long lasting and occurs from prolonged exposure.  Rashes can be caused by allergies to external or internal causes, contact with certain things causes dermatitis and they can be caused by diseases.  Rashes derive from stress as well and it is estimated that over 50% of rashes are secondary to stress and at times doctors never find the cause of the rash, and then it is called idiopathic.

So let’s look deeper into the various causes, allergic dermatitis can be caused by external causes, skin products are one of the leading causes.  Perfumes, colouring, preservatives and pesticides can be the things in your products that cause reaction.  Our skin is one of our most absorptive surfaces so it is important to be aware what we put on our skin, this includes your shampoos and conditioners.  When you wash your hair these products run down your body and can be absorbed, hair colouring also have a big effect.  Sticking to organic products will decrease your exposure. 

The products you use to wash your clothes can also cause allergic dermatitis, many people are allergic to washing powders and fabric softeners.  Again the scents, colours and ingredients can cause allergic reaction.   There are a large number of fragrances used in products and about 100 of these cause allergic reactions.   Sticking to organic products, scent free or phosphate free can help, watch out as some organic products have a lot of fragrance and therefore may not be helpful if your allergy is due to fragrances.

Contact with things like poison ivy, poison oak, nettles can cause blistering rashes, this is called contact dermatitis.  Of course we only have nettles in Australia (I do not miss poison ivy) and avoidance is the key here.  Contact dermatitis can also be caused by metals - the most common one is nickel.   Nickel allergy can be the cause of dermatitis in around 14% of the population, it is frequently mixed with other metals to make things like white gold, stainless steel and any plated metal.  Copper can often cause a green discoloration on the skin, this is not a true allergy but a reaction that occurs with copper.  If you have a metal allergy then it helps to wear pure metals such as gold, silver or titanium.

You can also be allergic to certain fabrics and toxins, I have seen people allergic to toilet paper (again scent), nappies, synthetic material, carpet, paint, deodorants, sprays, sanitary products, tape and plasters.  I once had a child I saw with a terrible rash from head to toe, he had been sent to specialist as it was so extensive and nothing was working.  We finally discovered that the child was crawling and they had installed new carpet, he was reacting to the chemicals on the carpet, the rash was resolved as soon as he was taken away from the carpet.

Rashes can come from internal causes, illness on the inside can be reflected with rashes on the outside.  Many of these are specific rashes and can be matched to their disease state, others are not.  The body’s hydration state has a big impact on the skin, drinking plenty of water and eating healthy fats helps keep the skin healthy.   Avoiding things like alcohol and cigarettes helps the skins health, I am always amazed at how cigarette smoke ages the skin.

Food allergies and sensitivities are also a common cause of rashes, this is more Kim’s area of expertise so I will leave the review of this up to him.  We have food sensitivity testing available at the clinic with Kim.

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