In it's simplest form, skin distress can easily be linked to it's cause, allowing you to avoid the allergen. Many people, however, have no idea why their temperamental skin is always on the verge of breaking out – often despite their best efforts to keep it clean and pampered. The answers to a few key questions can helpful clues.

• Where and when did the skin problems begin?
• What kind of work do you do?
• What are your hobbies?
• What medications do you apply to your skin?
• What household cleaners do you use regularly?

If your problems started just recently, ask yourself:

• What purchases have I made recently? (Jewelry, cologne, perfume and other toiletries: new brand of detergent; new sheets or towels)
• What gifts have I received? (scarves, furs, gloves, sweaters, plus any of the purchases list).
• Am I wearing new clothing or cosmetics?
• Has my house been sprayed recently with an insecticide? (particles could settle on furnishing).
• Have I traveled abroad recently? (soap and detergents used outside the United States often contain metals like nickel or chemicals not used in the same products in his country).

Next, consider the possibility that any of those contacts is exposing you to any of several notorious causes of skin allergy listed in Common Causes and Sources of Skin Allergy. Of course, a complete list of every possible cause and it's sources would fill this book, so you’ll have to read labels carefully and use your own ingenuity.

Like identifying a food allergy, discovering the cause of a skin allergy takes a good bit of detective work – as one 52 years old business executive discovered. From time to time, he experienced mild burning in his mouth, for no apparent reason. One day, his lips and the fingers of his left hand broke out in an aczema-like rash.

One month later, the entire inside of his mouth broke out in blister, his lips became more inflamed and the palm and sides of the fingers on his left hand were severely irritated. When he really thought about it, he realized that each episode occurred during or immediately following an out of town business trip.

In his travel bag, he kept a tube of red toothpaste that he never used at home. He called his doctor, who did tests and eventually found that the culprit was cinnamon aldehyde, a cinnamon derivative found only in red toothpastes but in many other dentifrices, plus food and household products (Archives of Dermatology, February, 1976).

Typists sometimes discover that they're allergic to carbonless copy paper – the kind that frequently comes in tablets and, when typed on, automatically gives you copies, especially duplicates or triplicates of business forms. A team of dermatologists reports that of 70 people who had skin reactions on their hands – mainly reddening followed by burning and itching – all experienced total relief when they stopped typing on carbonless type paper (Contact Dermatitis, vol. 7, 1981).

Not all allergy triggers are created equal. Some chemicals, metals or compounds may cause allergy in 5 to 10 percent of the population, while others affect less than 0.01 percent. And any list of common causes of skin allergy is subject to change as manufacturers reformulate products or new ones become popular.

The important problem, however, isn’t so much how often a substance causes problems, but how easily it can be overlooked in diagnosis. Parabens, for instance, are widely used preservatives and play a part in about 3 percent of all allergic skin disease. But unless you know that parabens are vandalizing your skin, chances for complete relief are slim and you’ll continue to flare up every time you apply a salve, lotion or cosmetic containing a paraben.

Certain categories of products - cosmetics and grooming aids, soaps and detergents, clothing, jewelry and food additives - are most likely to contain allergy-causing chemicals, metals or compounds, as you can see from "Common Causes and Sources of Skin Allergy" (If there seems to be no connections whatsoever between your skin problems and a contact, there's always the possibility that they're food related. In that case, "Rotary Diets, may help you locate the offender).