Touching certain chemicals in plants and animals creates allergic contact dermatitis in some susceptible individuals. The symptoms of this allergic reaction, unlike those of hay fever, appear on the skin as histamines released by the body cause itching and inflammation. Some home treatments can help to clear up the resulting itchy rashes. Patients can also take preventive measures, medicines and analgesics to reduce symptoms and avoid future health problems.
Clean Exposed Surfaces
Touching a "trigger" substance can leave allergens behind to create further exposure and damage. Poison ivy, for instance, deposits an oily residue, and fragrance or dye chemicals from skin care products may remain on the skin, exacerbating an allergic reaction.
MayoClinic.com recommends immediate gentle cleansing of skin areas that contact a substance, using mild soap and water, and rinsing thoroughly. Patients should also wash the clothes they were wearing at the time of exposure, using fragrance-free laundry soap, if possible.
Reduce Itching
Skin inflammation and itching cause pain and make patients uncomfortable, which may interfere with sleep patterns and work productivity. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, or AAFA, suggests using hydrocortisone cream as an effective remedy for topical itching. It should be used as directed, because applying too much can harm skin instead of healing it. Patients can choose among nonprescription oral antihistamine drugs for greater and longer-lasting protection. Calamine lotion is a more benign remedy for itching that also addresses the weeping blisters that some patients develop from allergic reactions.
Prevent Scratching
Scratching can subject contact dermatitis patients to skin infection, compounding their symptoms. According to MayoClinic.com, patients should avoid scratching at all costs. While awake, treatments include applying wet dressings and taking soothing baths. While sleeping, soft cotton gloves prevent scratches from breaking the skin. Cool, moist bandages form a protective barrier right on the skin. A little baking soda or oatmeal added to a tub of cool water makes a soothing bath. Patients can alternate these daytime home treatments between topical applications to suppress itching and scratching.
Avoid Re-exposure
Rashes will heal with home treatment only if contact with the allergen ceases. Patients who can't determine the source of their allergic reactions should see a doctor for allergy testing.
Removing the allergen from their environments and avoiding it in the future are necessary management steps for contact dermatitis. Once sensitized to a substance, the AAFA notes, patients carry that allergy for the rest of their lives.
