Allergic to Everything?

[ItchyM]

I seem to be developing allergic rashes to every product I use these days!  It started in August when I developed red, swollen lips and a rash in the corners of my mouth from a certain brand of toothpaste.  I switched toothpastes a couple of times and found one that I can use.  Over the last couple of months, I've developed rashes from body lotions, facial moisturizers, makeup, bar soaps, and toilet paper.  I've switched to unbleached toilet paper, which helped a lot, but I've still got some irritation of my genitals and anus (I'm a woman).  It gets better when I switch to a new kind of soap, but then I get sensitized to that and I start having problems again.  The last soap I tried was unscented, "hypoallergenic" (that term doesn't seem to mean much when it comes to me!) glycerin soap and it made the irritation flare up after a couple of days of use.  

Do you have any ideas for what I can use to wash my genitals with that won't make me itch?  I used Cetaphil today for the first time, but if I can't use that, I have no idea what I can try next. Have you ever heard of anyone having an allergy to bleached toilet paper?  It's a new one on me!  And can allergy tests help me identify which chemicals I need to avoid in skin products?  I'm frustrated and a little frightened--I keep wondering how bad this is going to get . . . .

Thank you very much for any help you can give.

[joerose400]

Aveeno stress relief has water,glycerin,distearyldiimonium chloride,petrolatum,isopropyl palmatate and a few other things that I have no idea what they are! I also tried the cetaphil lotion awhile back and it was good but kind of watery and didn't smell good like the aveeno stress relief.  The other aveeno lotions have different ingredients in them, so I don't know how well you would do on those.

[ItchyM]

Hi there!  Yep, the Cetaphil has been great, and I'm so glad I found it.  I'll have to take a look at the ingredients list for the Aveeno moisturizer; it might be worth a try.  As for toothpastes, I seem to do okay with basic Crest, Colgate, etc.  I avoid the ones with all kinds of fancy, special ingredients, as I seem to have trouble with those.

Thanks for your comment--all the best to you!

[joerose400]

I feel your pain! I have skin allergies but yours sound severe.  I love the cetaphyl soap and lotiion.  I hope they work for you.  A lotion I got today that is working and feels good on my skins Aveeno Stress Relief.  I have problems with Dove soap and many, many lotions.  I don't know about the toilet paper.  Maybe something unscented.  Good luck! What kind of toothpaste is working for you?

[ItchyM]

Thank you for your response, and I agree that I need to see a dermatologist or allergist about this.  The problem is that I won't have insurance for three more months, so I need to cope with the situation on my own until then.  I've pretty much gotten the symptoms under control now--I've been able to find products that I can use and my itching is minimal now (though I still don't have a clue which ingredients are the problem).

My biggest concern right now is getting more information.  Do you know of any websites or books that deal with the kind of extreme skin sensitivity that I'm experiencing?  Everything I've seen is heavy on the pseudoscience, and I'd like to find some good evidence-based information on this issue so that I can understand it better.  For example, why is it that the skin in some areas is a lot more sensitive than that in other places?  Is it a coincidence that this problem peaked at the same time that my seasonal allergies were worse than they've ever been?  These are the kinds of questions that I'm trying to answer.

Thank you so much for your help.  I really appreciate it.

[National Jewish Health]

These sound like contact allergies to ingredients in multiple materials.  The best place to start with making a diagnosis and also to institute treatment is with a dermatologist.  This individual can perform patch testing to identify the culprits.