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By infmom, April 5, 2010 10:01 am

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A week or so ago, I bought some new makeup  from a well-known, reputable company whose products I have used many times in the past with no problems at all.  The product I bought was relatively new and had been advertised extensively, and it looked like something I could really use.

The first day I wore it, I had no problems.  The second day, I noticed that my face was a little itchy when I washed it at the end of the day.  The third day…  whoa.  Within minutes of applying the makup my face hurt and itched like crazy.  When I washed the product off, my skin looked like it had been sunburned and my whole face was swollen.  I had to make a mad dash to the drugstore to buy some soothing products to wash and coat my poor flaming skin.

I emailed the company’s customer service department and they were very courteous about it and said they would look into the problem.  They may request that I send the rest of the product back.  I’m satisfied with the response I got, but even so, it took several days for the redness and itchiness to go away.

And this was a product from a well known company whose cosmetics had always served me well before.

Which is why I wanted to talk about allergies again today.  If you use the search box on the right and type in “allergies” you’ll see that this subject has come up before and that people are vitally interested in it.  Because tattoo ink is  injected under the skin, if an allergic reaction occurs, treating it is difficult.  Cosmetic products can be washed off and the skin can be treated and left to heal, but if you’ve got a weepy, oozing, itching tattoo you’ve got big problems.  I went through that with the red ink on my ankle tattoo, and the swelling and itchiness literally took years to go away.  I’m very thankful that it did eventually go away, but I went through a lot of skin-soothing and anti-itch preparations before my skin settled down.  That’s one reason I’m hesitant to get any more ink.  As with the makeup, something that’s applied once may not cause problems.  Apply it again and you’re in trouble.

And that’s why the standard advice to try a patch test isn’t necessarily going to tell you anything.  You can certainly have the artist put a few dots of color in an inconspicuous place first, and wait to see if there’s a reaction–but that application might just be what rouses your body’s defenses to begin an all-out attack on the next application of the ink.

Just about any ink color can cause problems, although black seems to be the least troublesome.  Blue based ink may contain nickel, and a lot of people have nickel allergies (myself included).  Red pigments seem to cause a lot of problems as well, perhaps because of the ingredients used to give the deep red color.

I think it would be a wise idea to ask the artist for the brand name of the ink he or she uses, and to write that information down.  That way, if something happens, you will know that brand’s not good for you, and you have a chance of being able to look up the ingredients and take the information to your doctor.

Yes, I advise going to see a doctor for any serious allergic reaction.  A small raised area or a small amount of itching, OK, you can get away with treating it yourself.  But a weeping, oozing patch ought to be seen and treated by a doctor as soon as you can manage it, a dermatologist if possible.  You do not want to end up with a big hole in your skin or a permanent ugly scar instead of your nice tattoo.

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By infmom, October 19, 2007 12:16 am

One of the free e-newsletters I get is from Bottom Line, purveyors of all kinds of interesting information. This one is called Daily Health News, and you can check it out here if you’re interested.

Nickel, a common culprit

Today’s newsletter dealt with the fact that allergy to nickel is becoming more and more common in the USA today. A sensitivity to nickel most often causes a raised, itchy skin rash, which can be quite severe. People can go along for years, coming in contact with nickel through their jewelry, and then all of a sudden they’ve got a rash under their treasured watch or ring or earrings like you wouldn’t believe. It can also, as I can attest, happen if you’ve got bare skin up against the inside of the snap in your jeans.

I got sensitized to nickel when I got my ears pierced for the first time 40 years ago. In those days, you just bought gold earrings of some kind and put them in while the piercings were healing and hoped for the best. My starter earrings weren’t that good. I got a crusty rash while the holes were healing (and had the unenviable task of pulling those first earrings out while the holes were only partway healed, and replacing them with other earrings that I had to sterilize myself as best I could). Forever after, I have had a reaction to nickel in anything that touches my skin for any length of time. (Clear nail polish makes a reasonable coating for earrings that you just can’t give up.)

Related metal allergens in tattoo ink

What I hadn’t known, and found most interesting, is that people with nickel sensitivity may also show a reaction to some kinds of tattoo ink. It is most common with green and blue inks, which contain chromium and cobalt. So if your watch band drives you nuts, you might have problems with your tattoos as well.

Just something to think about. We decorated people have to watch out for our health.

I’ve just summarized the article briefly, here, so if you want to read more I’d suggest checking out the Bottom Line Secrets Daily Health News web site.

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