I was diagnosed with Dyshidrotic Eczema as a small child and suffer regular
outbreaks.
Tiny blisters form on the skin of my hands, begin to itch unbearably, eventually break open & peel and burn, and are sometimes followed by deep, painful lesions. Several stages of the chronic problem could be happening at once, so that my hands are both itching with blisters and raw & burning, with painful cracks. Usually, the outbreaks resolved themselves on their own after a few weeks, though I had to occasionally use a topical steroid to rid myself of a long outbreak.
This last year, however, the symptoms became incredibly severe, with major swelling and excruciating pain. My fingers began looking like sausages and I had virtually no skin left anywhere on my hands -- even the backs became covered in blisters. I visited six different doctors, each multiple times. All prescribed some form of steroid -- creams, ointments, shots, oral cycles, etc. In each case, the steroid would work, briefly; within weeks or even days, however, the symptoms eventually returned full force. I read about natural remedies and began diet changes -- I went on a vegetable fast, then an apple fast, supposedly to clean out my digestive tract and rid my body of the toxins causing the skin ailment -- to no avail!
Finally, a dermatologist sent me to an allergist who performed a patch test used for determining contact allergies (the doc said that if the patch test hadn't turned up anything, he'd have checked for food allergies next, followed by environmental allergies).
As it turns out, I'm allergic to a chemical called methylisothiazolone (also called methylisothiazolone, metatin GT, Mitco, Acticide, algucid, amerstat 250, Euxyl K 100, Fennosan IT 21, Grotan TK2, Kathon, Mergal, Chloromethylisothiazolone, etc.), which is present in most hand soaps, shampoos, conditioners, baby wipes, cosmetics, detergents, fabric softeners, dish soaps, and even paint. The chemical, which is also present in a compound for which I tested positive, is known as a common allergen and is widely used as a preservative in cleansing products, since it has antibiotic and anti-fungal properties.
If your skin is compromised in any way (if you suffer from any form of Eczema, your skin often is!), then continued exposure to this chemical very commonly causes an escalating allergic reaction which may be confused for a regular outbreak. Ironically, because I had so many lesions over the surface of my skin, and have two young children in diapers, I washed my hands constantly, and when washing became too painful, I used baby wipes (both, I've discovered, had the chemical). Gloves have always made my skin even worse, so good hygiene seemed a necessary evil. I now realize that I was, of course, making things even worse for myself.
My doctor told me that complete avoidance is extremely difficult, as the chemical is prevalent in so many products. I've had to replace tons of products with substitutes from a local natural food & drug shop (although I found the chemical in a few of the products there as well!). The chemical takes up to three weeks to break down in the skin, so even after exposure is limited as much as possible, you may continue to exhibit symptoms while the break-down process happens. Also, the chemical transfers easily; my husband and son now have to change their products as well. In addition, we've had to re-launder towels & sheets, to hopefully speed the rate of break-down for items that have already been exposed.
I recommend allergy testing to anyone suffering from this incredible painful form of eczema -- you, too, may have developed underlying issues which are interfering with your body's ability to heal itself. It's a simple procedure and was covered entirely by even my (crappy!) insurance (I payed hundreds of dollars in doctor & specialist co-pays before finding this root cause).
Tiny blisters form on the skin of my hands, begin to itch unbearably, eventually break open & peel and burn, and are sometimes followed by deep, painful lesions. Several stages of the chronic problem could be happening at once, so that my hands are both itching with blisters and raw & burning, with painful cracks. Usually, the outbreaks resolved themselves on their own after a few weeks, though I had to occasionally use a topical steroid to rid myself of a long outbreak.
This last year, however, the symptoms became incredibly severe, with major swelling and excruciating pain. My fingers began looking like sausages and I had virtually no skin left anywhere on my hands -- even the backs became covered in blisters. I visited six different doctors, each multiple times. All prescribed some form of steroid -- creams, ointments, shots, oral cycles, etc. In each case, the steroid would work, briefly; within weeks or even days, however, the symptoms eventually returned full force. I read about natural remedies and began diet changes -- I went on a vegetable fast, then an apple fast, supposedly to clean out my digestive tract and rid my body of the toxins causing the skin ailment -- to no avail!
Finally, a dermatologist sent me to an allergist who performed a patch test used for determining contact allergies (the doc said that if the patch test hadn't turned up anything, he'd have checked for food allergies next, followed by environmental allergies).
As it turns out, I'm allergic to a chemical called methylisothiazolone (also called methylisothiazolone, metatin GT, Mitco, Acticide, algucid, amerstat 250, Euxyl K 100, Fennosan IT 21, Grotan TK2, Kathon, Mergal, Chloromethylisothiazolone, etc.), which is present in most hand soaps, shampoos, conditioners, baby wipes, cosmetics, detergents, fabric softeners, dish soaps, and even paint. The chemical, which is also present in a compound for which I tested positive, is known as a common allergen and is widely used as a preservative in cleansing products, since it has antibiotic and anti-fungal properties.
If your skin is compromised in any way (if you suffer from any form of Eczema, your skin often is!), then continued exposure to this chemical very commonly causes an escalating allergic reaction which may be confused for a regular outbreak. Ironically, because I had so many lesions over the surface of my skin, and have two young children in diapers, I washed my hands constantly, and when washing became too painful, I used baby wipes (both, I've discovered, had the chemical). Gloves have always made my skin even worse, so good hygiene seemed a necessary evil. I now realize that I was, of course, making things even worse for myself.
My doctor told me that complete avoidance is extremely difficult, as the chemical is prevalent in so many products. I've had to replace tons of products with substitutes from a local natural food & drug shop (although I found the chemical in a few of the products there as well!). The chemical takes up to three weeks to break down in the skin, so even after exposure is limited as much as possible, you may continue to exhibit symptoms while the break-down process happens. Also, the chemical transfers easily; my husband and son now have to change their products as well. In addition, we've had to re-launder towels & sheets, to hopefully speed the rate of break-down for items that have already been exposed.
I recommend allergy testing to anyone suffering from this incredible painful form of eczema -- you, too, may have developed underlying issues which are interfering with your body's ability to heal itself. It's a simple procedure and was covered entirely by even my (crappy!) insurance (I payed hundreds of dollars in doctor & specialist co-pays before finding this root cause).
Thanks so much for posting this. I had an almost identical situation. I developed mild eczema on my hands while working as a nurse and then once I had a baby it got out of control. My doctors attributed it to stress. I went to 2 specialists who had never even heard of methylisothiazolone. I had to ask an allergist to make sure it was included in the patch kit she had and she said she was pretty skeptical. I never in a million years would have suspected the products I was using (Huggies pure & natural diaper wipes, aveda scalp remedy shampoo and 7th generation free and clear dish soap) all contained this chemical! I can only wonder how many cases of diaper rash in babies are actually allergic reactions to this terrible chemical. Thanks again for posting about this.
ReplyDeleteYes! I just found out today I am allergic to Methylisothiazolinone as well! Ive been battling eczema for 10 months, and it recently turned into dyshidrotic eczema! It is in my laundry detergent!! A 'natural' laundry detergent. Ecos No Fragrance.
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ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing this information! I have been suffering from dyshydrotic eczema for two years, ever since my second child was born! It has gotten progressively worse! It has been complete torture! I have cut out MIT as mush as possible and am seeing a huge difference in my skin! No more blisters. My skin is still very dry, but I'm hopeful it's working! Thank you so much!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post. Over the last 18 years I have had periodic outbreaks of dyshydrotic eczema, fewer since I'm not bathing young children anymore, but lately more severe. I noticed that as long as I used a locally made bar soap, my hands had fewer outbreaks, but when I traveled for any length of time and used the liquid soaps in public restrooms, they broke out. I think MI/MCI is the culprit, but won't know for sure without a patch test. I'm currently using a topical steroid to combat the latest outbreak. I sometimes wear gloves with a hair elastic at the wrist to keep my hands dry when I shampoo. I will be reading labels carefully to avoid MI scrupulously from now on. I found it in my sunscreen most recently. Good luck and continued healing to you!
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