An allergy to sodium lactate may be the cause of skin irritations after you use soap. It may also be the cause of other systemic reactions that occur after you ingest certain foods. Sodium lactate is used primarily as a preservative in fresh meats, processed meats and poultry. The additive is also used in soap production to increase the firmness of a bar of soap. If you have an allergy to this chemical compound, you may develop a wide range of symptoms that may be mild or severe. Talk with your doctor about all your symptoms before you attempt to treat yourself.
Ingested Allergy
An ingested allergic reaction can cause various complications. Once you've ingested a substance that your immune system is hypersensitive to, almost every system in your body could potentially develop symptoms. The ingested substance is not recognized by your immune system as safe and reacts to it the same way it would react to an infectious organism, such as a virus. The immune system releases immunoglobulin E antibodies that trigger a chemical reaction throughout the body. Other chemicals are released, leading to common allergy symptoms.
Symptoms
Symptoms resulting from an allergic reaction to sodium lactate may develop with a differing severity in each individual. Common allergy symptoms include nasal congestion, sinus headaches, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, skin rashes, eczema, hives, shortness of breathe, wheezing, coughing, palpitations, mental confusion and inflammation in the face. Symptoms typically develop within a few minutes of ingesting sodium lactate, but could take up to an hour to develop.
Topical Allergic Reaction
If you develop rashes and skin irritation after using certain soaps, you may have a condition called contact allergic dermatitis. This condition occurs when your skin comes into direct contact with the sodium lactate. You will develop blisters, inflammation and redness of the skin almost immediately after you touch a product that contains sodium lactate. Symptoms are localized and will not affect other areas of the body. Wash the affected area with water and apply hydrocortisone to the skin. If the rash continues to get worse, call your doctor.
Identification
Confirming an allergy to sodium lactate will require allergy testing. A small amount of the substance is injected under your skin to see how your skin reacts. If you develop redness and irritation, you are most likely allergic to the substance. A blood sample may be used to see if your blood creates immunoglobulin E antibodies after sodium lactate is introduced into your blood.
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