THIMEROSAL: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Allergen Thimerosal Merthiolate, thiomersalatem, sodium ethylmercury salicylate — thimerosal. This organic mercury is a top contact allergen and had a long history of safety and efficacy as a preservative. But, due to concerns about exposure to mercury-containing ingredients, it is now less commonly found. Thimerosal used to be a staple antiseptic, antibacterial, and antifungal as […]
EARPHONES & HEADPHONES: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Allergen Earphones & Headphones With video calls now commonplace, everyone needs a decent pair of earphones or headphones. If you’ve got contact dermatitis, they (like lots of digital equipment and office supplies) can be an allergen minefield. An updated patch test is your best friend. Some of the top contact allergens to watch out for […]
PRESERVATIVES: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Allergen Preservatives Found in everything from plastics to fabrics, household goods, vaping compounds, medications, nutritional supplements, hair care and styling products, and certainly skincare and cosmetics, preservatives play an important role in preventing the growth of fungi and bacteria and keeping these items from decomposing or growing mould when contaminated by a microbe. Preservatives are […]
KIDS … & WHOEVER ELSE YOU SPENT LOCKDOWN WITH: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Not An Allergen Your Kids … & Whoever Else You Spent Lockdown With Quarantines tested us: our resolve, discipline, physical health, mental health, patience, and more. Never having a break from loved ones may have been irritatING and caused tempers to FLARE … could they have caused skin flare-ups, too? The answer is yes, possibly, […]
FRAGRANCE MIX: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Allergen Fragrance Mix The American Contact Dermatitis Society named Fragrance the Allergen Of The Year of 2007 … and there are so many that they’re in groups (Fragrance Mix I and Fragrance Mix II) that are standard in patch test trays! If you’ve patch tested positive to either fragrance mix, it can be difficult to […]
ACRYLATES: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Allergen Acrylates Named 2012’s Contact Allergen of the Year by the American Contact Dermatitis Society, acrylates are interesting because, a little like clay and ceramics, they are strong irritants and allergens when wet (or in their powder or paste form) but tend to be fine when hardened. Polymerization is the process that causes acrylates to […]
RUBBER: Allergen or Not An Allergen?
Allergen Rubber This top contact allergen is known to cause rashes, peeling, itching but also hyper- and hypo-pigmentations. Complicating things somewhat is that reactions to rubber can be due to the natural latex sap of the rubber tree or an allergy to the different chemicals used in the manufacturing of rubber such as: Thiuram Pigments […]
Skin & Food Allergies Are Not The Same Thing
If You Can’t Eat It, You Can Probably Still Use It In A Cream. “I’m allergic to almonds…can I use a cream with an ingredient extracted from almonds?” “I can’t eat coconuts…that means I can’t use coconut oil, right?” If you have prick tested positive to something, it is more likely than not that you […]
Less Is More In Skincare, Too!
SIMPLIFY. “Less is more” is a healthy philosophy for pretty much everything in life. In food, less processed means more nutrients and less junk. Studies show that mindfulness — clearing the mind of clutter and focusing on the now — has significant health benefits for the brain and aging. In skincare, simple formulations with as […]