Allergic to Alcohol - what to avoid?

[chunkie23]

From young, I've been diagnosed to be allergic to alcohol. I get rashes from eating foods with alcohol in it. When alcohol swabs come into contact with my skin, rashes will also develop.

But given that there are so many types of alcohol, am I allergic to all?

I've tried sipping alcoholic drinks before and did not see any reaction. Was it because I drank too little? Just one or two very very tiny sips. I also realized that many cosmetic and skin care products contain alcohol. Even when it says alcohol free, it might still contain other forms of alcohol but not ethyl alcohol.

So, what chemicals do I have to avoid when buying cosmetic products?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
It is usually not the alcohol that produces the allergic reaction to the wine or beer. The other ingredients in the alcohol, such as yeast, sulfur dioxide, and additives are often the culprits. I feel that it is important to find out the ingredient in alcohol to which you might be allergic.For that pls consult an allergy specialist and get skin ***** tests and blood tests for allergy done. If the skin testing is negative, it is likely that you are intolerant to wine and beer. If the skin testing is positive, you should avoid food, drinks and cosmetics that contain that specific ingredient.

Take care and pls do keep us posted if you have any additional queries.