Kissing, wearing cosmetics and jewelry, tattoos and piercings, and even your cell phone could bring on serious allergic reactions. And allergists are learning how to look for and treat reactions to “Life’s Pleasures.”
The pursuit of beauty has an allergy risk for many, and physicians should provide patients with a list of products to substitute for allergy-causing cosmetics
Cosmetic allergies represent 21.8 percent of patients in US who are referred for patch testing, this is anything you rub, pour, sprinkle or spray on your body for cleansing, beautifying and promoting attractiveness and you cannot convince a female to avoid cosmetics. You need to offer substitutes and alternatives.
Other “pleasures” may be risky, and some at a younger age. When patients react to jewelry, the typical culprits are nickel and gold. Because girls are getting piercings at younger ages and young people are opting for multiple body piercings, early sensitization is on the rise.
People with nickel allergies can experience a reaction to cell phones. Although it’s not clear how many individuals may have had this reaction to cell phones, nickel allergy afflicts about three percent of men and nearly 20 percent of women nationwide.
Kissing can trigger a reaction in individuals with food and medicine allergy when the allergen is present in saliva. An alternative is for the non-allergic partner to brush their teeth, use mouth rinse, and avoid the offending food for 16-24 hours before kissing.
