Can You Be Allergic to Your Clothes?

Many people received new clothes as a Christmas present. Some people may have noticed that after wearing these new clothes, a skin rash began to develop where the clothing was touching the skin. The majority of allergic reactions to clothing are caused by contact dermatitis. There are a number of different causes of contact dermatitis to clothing, to include nickel allergy, rubber allergy, formaldehyde allergy, as well as allergy to pigments used to color clothing. 

Someone forward you this email? No Sweat! Sign up here to get your own If you're having trouble viewing this email, click here Follow Us Can You Be Allergic to Your Clothes? Many people received new clothes as a Christmas present. Some people may have noticed that after wearing these new clothes, a skin rash began to develop where the clothing was touching the skin. The majority of allergic reactions to clothing are caused by contact dermatitis. There are a number of different causes of contact dermatitis to clothing, to include nickel allergy, rubber allergy, formaldehyde allergy, as well as allergy to pigments used to color clothing.  Daniel More, MD Allergies Expert Clothing Allergy Rashes are common problems that many people experience. When rashes are itchy, people often blame the rash on allergies. Usually, people think of food allergies, pet allergies and medicine allergies – as well as soaps, detergents, perfumes and other toiletries used on the skin. People shouldn’t overlook clothing as a possible cause of allergic rashes. Clothing can cause allergic skin rashes through a number of different causes, but all of these causes are due to contact dermatitis. READ NOW All About Contact Dermatitis Contact dermatitis is an itchy, blistering skin rash typically caused by the direct contact of a substance with the skin. There are 2 types of contact dermatitis: irritant and allergic. This difference is often difficult to tell apart, and is not usually an important distinction to make. Contact dermatitis results in 5.7 million doctor visits each year in the United States, and all ages are affected. Females are slightly more commonly affected than males, and teenagers and middle-aged adults seems to be the most common age groups affected. READ NOW Patch Testing for Contact Dermatitis Patch testing is used to identify causes of contact dermatitis. Contact dermatitis is an immunologic reaction to a particular substance; poison-oak (and poison-ivy and poison-sumac) is an example of such a reaction. Contact dermatitis is not a true allergy; therefore patch testing is performed in a very different way than allergy skin testing. There are no allergic antibodies involved in contact dermatitis; rather, various white blood cells entering into the skin cause the reaction. READ NOW Featured Articles • A Salad That's a Full Meal • 11 Things You Will Only Know If You Have PCOS • 7 Surprisingly Fattening Foods • A Week of Healthy Meal Plans • How Can I Reduce My Risk of Getting Pneumonia? • 5 Ways to “Sneak” the Yoga Lifestyle Into Your Everyday Routine • Top 10 Funnest Ways to Live Longer • Teenage Painful Period Advertisement About Allergies  |  Follow Us You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the Allergies newsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here 1500 Broadway, 6th Floor, New York, NY, 10036 © 2015 About.com - All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.