At this point, you may wonder whether your problem is really a skin allergy or simply an irritation. Irritation can mimic the beginning stages of an allergic reaction: dry skin, with perhaps a mild rash and itching; or, if the problem continues, swelling and cracked skin.

But the difference is quite clear: irritation is liable to show up in anyone who has an intense or prolonged contact with harsh chemicals or strong detergents, or whose hands are in and out of water all day. Irritated skin loses it's fatty protective cells and becomes chapped and inflamed. Housekeepers, bartenders and dishwashers get ”dishpan hands” (or housewives eczema, as it's sometimes called) from the sheer physical or chemical insult to their skin.

And irritation is likely to develop in anyone under these conditions. An allergic reaction, on the other hand, follows a contact with a substance that is perfectly harmless for most people. And there’s usually a time lag of anywhere from a few hours to a day or two between the contact and the dermatitis.

For instance, eczema from hand cream usually appears a few days after a new brand is used. Nevertheless, irritated skin is weaker and therefore more apt to become allergic. And irritation can aggravate existing skin allergy. So while there is a difference between them, allergy and irritation go hand in hand. In fact, a large part of successful skin allergy control involves any unnecessary irritation.

Why Me?

Some people can practically swim in poison ivy and suffer nary an itch. Others break out after merely handling exposed clothing or animal fur. That’s because sensitive depends on several factors – and many of them are within our control. First and foremost, how long and how frequently you come in contact with the offending substance makes a great deal of difference.

Similarly, pressing or rubbing against it increase the intensity of contact and may prolong the reaction. The health of your skin is also a factor. Infected, inflamed, burned or otherwise irritated skin is in no condition to defend itself against an allergic contact. Skin that’s overly dry or too alkaline (from washing with alkaline soaps) is also vulnerable. So is skin that’s already in the process of reacting.

Perspiration can also fuel a reaction because it dissolves and spreads allergic and irritating substances such as nickel and clothing dyes. In fact, some people break out only when they sweat heavily. Certain drugs such as antihistamines and antibiotics increase you sensitivity in children and younger adults in more apt to be triggered by food and inhalants.

Many older people, in fact, are taken by surprise by a sudden allergy to something they’ve been using safely all their lives. Skin allergy also tend to be more stubborn and resistant to control the older you get. Part of the reason is that as we age, we tend to have drier skin. So we use more bath oils and lanolin containing lotions to relieve dryness.

Using more lotions, however, means we’re exposing ourselves to more chemicals with allergic potential. So the older you are, the more tender loving care your skin needs, including blander lotions and soaps. Not only does our sensitivity changes as we age, but also the way we react.

While itching is as bad as ever, older people experience less inflammation and fewer blisters. Instead, the skin tends to chicken and grow scaly – from the allergic process itself, from the drier skin of old age and from constant scratching. Your hobby or occupation may also habitually expose you to chemicals and other substances.

Many materials used in gardening, carpentry, painting, ceramics and sculpture are potent allergy triggers. Gardening usually demands handling weeds and applying fertilizer or insecticides, organic or chemical. Both organic pesticides (like pyrethrum) and chemicals (like malathion) are potential causes of Skin Allergy. The turpentine, epoxy resins, glues and adhesives of carpentry can trigger a skin reaction.

Cashiers and sales clerks, waiters and waitresses may find that they react to the nickel in coins. Nurses, doctors and dentists are subject to allergic skin reaction from penicillin, antibiotics, antiseptics, metals and the like. We’re not saying you should abandon your hobby or quit your job. Just keep all your regular activities in mind when looking for clues to an unexplained skin rash.