Allergy Patch Test and Eczema
The allergy patch test, or contact allergy testing, can help you figure out what metals, chemicals, and other “topical” things you’re allergic to.
It can also be expensive, so make sure you talk to your insurance company and understand the costs before proceeding. You of course need a doctor to refer you for this; the physician who conducts this test is a specialty dermatologist.
Allergy Patch Test: How it Works
A specialized dermatologist puts little dots of allergens on your back with tape over them. The allergen spots kind of look like the kind of batteries that go in car keys – the tiny disk ones. These “dots” have to sit on your back for 48 hours or so. After this placement and the waiting period, you go back to the doctor who reads your skin for any reactions, indicating contact allergies. Note: if you do allergy patch testing, you’ll need to plan for a good bit of time away from work in the week! This requires several trips to the dermatologist.
This can be life changing for many people. I had a friend in grad school who had severe eczema on the backs of her thighs for years. She had an allergy patch test done and found out she was allergic to oak, and…her toilet seat was oak! This was an easy way to resolve her eczema.
Other people find out they’re allergic to a specific ingredient in the laundry detergent or the body lotion they’ve been using, and, voila! Their eczema is gone once they remove this ingredient and switch products. nbmm
What were my results?
If only my case had been so straightforward…unfortunately my allergy patch test was “inconclusive.” I’m not sure why – maybe because my skin is so allergic to everything, always?
This was a shame. I was a great candidate for contact dermatitis testing because at the time I had the allergy patch testing done for my eczema, I only had eczema on my left hand and my left eye. I was actually a pretty “mild” case at that point. It seemed likely that I was allergic to my pillow or bedding and that these parts of my body were in contact the most with the left side of my body. Note: this early pattern of eczema also goes along quite well with my allergy hypothesis – more on that here.
Given my inconclusive results, my dermatologist recommended I take an ultra-conservative approach which involved going on a special diet and avoiding all theoretical triggers. My diet was a low-chrome, low-nickel, low-balsam diet. My doctor noted this wasn’t the healthiest diet, and I wouldn’t be on it for that long. At the time I was vegetarian, so it seemed I could only eat white carbs and cheese….
…This didn’t seem like a particularly healthy diet to me, and my body didn’t like it. While I was following my contact dermatitis protocol, a new patch started on my right hand (this seems to be a pattern for me – I always get a new flare when I try a new diet, no matter how “healthy”).
Have I continued with any of this?
Nevertheless, I did persist, and I followed the doctor’s recommendations for both skin and body care, and throughout my home, in addition to the diet:
- I washed my hair, and body and hands with goats milk soap (which I still use to wash my hands; I really like it).
- I moisturized my body exclusively with vanicream ointment, which I also still use regularly. I’m grateful for patch allergy testing for introducing me, indirectly, to vanicream if nothing else. I was only aware of Aquaphor before I met this dermatologist.
- I started exclusively using sensitive skin detergent and dishwashing gloves – I have no idea why I wasn’t using these before. They’re life-changing. Note: I still religiously use sensitive skin detergent and my dishwashing gloves. Why not? I figure adding fragranced detergents into my lifestyle just isn’t worth the risk, and I really like the dishwashing gloves. The gloves allow you to get the water super hot and scrub at stuff you wouldn’t want to put your bare hands in (i.e. nasty dishes).
And that’s it. I wasn’t allowed to use any other skincare products or toiletries, and makeup was entirely out of the question. I still rarely apply makeup. My eyes flare up the next day no question if I do.
So, while I’m glad I started using these products after testing, all in all contact allergy testing didn’t help for me.
NOTE: I am not a medical doctor. This post, and all of my posts, are not intended to be medical advice. This is solely my experience.
