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Allergy to perfume: Perfume Allergy | NY Allergy & Sinus Centers

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Perfume Allergy | NY Allergy & Sinus Centers

If you have a physical reaction after coming in contact with perfume or fragrance, you may have an allergy. The average perfume has about 14 chemicals that could trigger an allergic reaction. People with asthma or other respiratory illnesses are more vulnerable to this allergy. Common ingredients found in perfumes or fragrances that can cause a reaction are citronella, oak moss, balsam of Peru and synthetic components. The allergists at NY Allergy & Sinus Centers see common cases of allergy induced asthma and allergic rhinitis, and they can help you navigate through this difficult allergy.

Perfume Allergy Symptoms

  • Mild to severe headaches
  • Skin irritation (itching and perfume allergy rash)
  • Allergic rhinitis
  • Breathing difficulties
  • Watery and itchy eyes
  • Nausea

Most symptoms of a perfume allergy are mild. If you experience sneezing or other mild irritations after coming in contact with perfume or fragrance, you may just have a fragrance sensitivity. A true perfume allergy will involve more serious complications such as asthma. Breathing difficulties can become severe in patients with a perfume allergy. So, a proper diagnosis by a board-certified allergist is necessary to treat symptoms of this condition.

Perfume Allergy Diagnosis

If you believe you have a perfume allergy, an allergist can perform an allergy test to confirm the diagnosis. A perfume allergy patch test can identify your allergy to a specific substance. Our allergy specialists will place the suspected allergen onto a patch and then place the patch on your back. Symptoms can be immediate or delayed, so they will leave the patch on your skin for at least two days.

While wearing the patch, you should avoid extraneous activities that cause excessive sweating. This could skew the results. You should also avoid using cortisone creams on your back before the placement of the patch. Certain cortisones can affect the results. If the results are positive, your doctor can develop a treatment plan for you.

Perfume Allergy Treatment

The best treatment for perfume allergy is avoidance; however, it is impossible to avoid all fragrances. In that case, over the counter allergy medication can treat headaches and allergic rhinitis. You should seek advice from an allergist to determine which treatment will best relieve your symptoms. For breathing problems related to perfume allergy, your doctor or allergist can prescribe you an inhaled corticosteroid.

If you’re allergic to perfume, it is important to educate those around you. When working in an office environment, talk to your coworkers about your allergy and kindly ask them not to spray or wear perfume at work.

If you are concerned about a perfume allergy, the NYC allergists at NY Allergy & Sinus Centers have access to the latest allergy testing and treatment. We see both pediatric and adult patients and can accommodate same-day appointments. Call (212) 686-6321 to book your appointment today.

Perfume Allergy Frequently Asked Questions

Is Perfume Allergy Curable?

Some people grow out of their perfume allergy or sensitivity, but there isn’t a cure for it. The only way to manage this allergy is by strictly avoiding it and carrying your allergy medication with you.

Why Are People Allergic to Perfume?

People are allergic to some of the common ingredients in perfume such as citronella, oak moss, balsam of Peru and other synthetic components. These ingredients have been known to cause skin problems and trigger asthma.

Can I Be Allergic to Perfume?

If you experience skin reactions or breathing problems after coming in contact with perfume, you could be allergic to perfume. Contact our allergists for a full allergy panel to determine if you are allergic to perfume or other common allergens.

How Is Perfume Allergy Treated?

Perfume allergy is treated with certain allergy medications. Cortisone creams are available over the counter and by prescription to treat your skin condition. For severe breathing problems, ask your doctor about an inhaled corticosteroid.

How Is Perfume Allergy Diagnosed?

An allergist can diagnose your perfume allergy with a patch test. However, patch tests are not recommended for those with ongoing skin conditions such as eczema. In this case, you may need a blood test to diagnose the allergy.

Who Is At Risk of Developing A Perfume Allergy?

People who have seasonal allergies or allergies to indoor allergens like mold and animal allergens may be more likely to develop a perfume allergy.

Is Perfume Allergy Airborne?

Many perfume allergies are airborne. This means that an individual can experience an allergic reaction by just being in the same room as perfume.

Can Perfume Allergy Cause Eczema?

Perfume allergies don’t cause eczema. However, they can flare the condition. If you suffer from eczema, contact one of our allergists to see if perfume might flare your condition.

If I Have A Perfume Allergy or Fragrance Sensitivity, Can I Still Use Products With Natural Scents?

Some natural scents such as vanilla and rosemary have been known to cause allergic reactions. If you’re allergic to certain fragrances, natural or synthetic, use unscented products only.

 

Perfume Allergy: Symptoms, Triggers, and Treatments

A perfume or fragrance allergy happens when you have an allergic reaction after being exposed to a perfume that contains an allergen.

Symptoms of a perfume allergy can result from:

  • touching the perfume liquid or substance
  • getting sprayed by the perfume
  • even inhaling some of it

According to a 2009 survey on fragrance sensitivity, up to about 30 percent of the population of the United States had irritation from a perfume.

As many as 19 percent of participants in the survey had actual health effects from fragrances.

Perfume allergies are caused in part by over 2,500 chemicals, which are often unlisted, in the average perfume or cologne.

Thanks to laws around “trade secrets,” most companies can simply put “fragrance” on their perfumes to represent a hundred or more chemical compounds.

It can be difficult to totally avoid perfumes that cause allergic reactions. But here’s some information on:

  • what you can do when you notice the symptoms
  • how to treat and cope with your allergic reactions
  • when to see your doctor

Allergies

When you have allergies, your body has a specific immune system response to an ingredient or a chemical in the perfume that causes the reaction.

This means that your body identifies the ingredient in the perfume as a foreign substance. Then, it releases an inflammatory reaction to help fight off the substance as if it’s a bacterial or viral invader.

This immune system response usually develops over a course of days and manifests as itchiness or a rash. These symptoms can last for weeks before they go away.

Sensitivity

Perfume sensitivity, much more common, is a reaction to something that irritates your body. Sensitivity doesn’t necessarily trigger a body-wide immune system response.

With a sensitivity, you might have a rash that goes away after a few hours or a mild headache.

You might also just sneeze a few times before your symptoms go away. This is because your body reacts by getting rid of the irritant to return to normal.

Types of substances

The substance that you react to also makes a difference.

Most ingredients in perfumes that cause a reaction aren’t actually allergens. They’re usually synthetic or chemical irritants that your body finds… well, irritating.

Allergens, on the other hand, are technically proteins that the body reacts to with an inflammatory response that causes allergy symptoms.

In short, a true perfume allergy happens when an organic protein in a perfume ingredient causes the reaction. The heavy majority of reactions people endure are simply perfume sensitivities.

The symptoms you experience are directly related to whether you have a perfume allergy or a perfume sensitivity.

Let’s look at some common symptoms.

Allergy

Most allergic reactions typically give you an itchy red rash that goes away quickly after you’ve been exposed to the perfume. Some mild symptoms can last for a few weeks even after a brief exposure.

A few mild symptoms of a perfume allergy can include:

  • itching, even where you don’t see any rash or irritation
  • itching around your eyes and in your throat
  • skin that’s scaly or dry
  • blisters that get crusty and ooze pus
  • outbreak of hives
  • patchy, reddish skin
  • a burning sensation on your skin with no visible irritation or sores
  • being more sensitive to sunlight than usual

Sensitivity

A few mild symptoms of a perfume sensitivity can include:

  • sneezing if the perfume is sprayed near your face and airways (nose, mouth, and throat)
  • itching, running, or stuffiness of your nose
  • nasal mucus dripping down the back of your throat (postnasal drip)
  • persistent cough
  • headaches
  • nausea

Other allergic reactions are much more severe and can happen quickly. Some of these symptoms might need immediate medical attention. They’re however, extremely rare.

Here are some severe, emergency symptoms to watch out for:

  • Swelling in your mouth, lips, or tongue. This kind of swelling can be uncomfortable and make it harder for you to breathe, eat, or talk. You may need medical treatment, such as corticosteroid injections, to reduce the swelling quickly.
  • Anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis happens when your airways get inflamed and close up because your body releases a high volume of a type of antibody called IgE. This can make it difficult or impossible to breathe. Get emergency medical help if this happens.

Your treatment for a perfume allergy should be based on your symptoms and the substance that causes the allergy.

Most importantly, it should include avoidance of the substance that caused the symptom in the first place.

Try these treatments for mild, temporary symptoms:

  • Medications. Oral antihistamines like cetirizine (Zyrtec), diphenhydramine (Benadryl), or loratadine (Claritin) can help with itching and stuffiness. You can get these at any store that sells over-the-counter (OTC) medications or get a prescription from your doctor.
  • Topical corticosteroid creams. You can apply hydrocortisone or other similar steroid creams to an itchy area or to a rash.
  • Colloidal oatmeal bath. Taking an oatmeal bath can help soothe itching and inflammation. You can also make an oatmeal compress by putting oatmeal soaked in cold water in a thin material like pantyhose.
  • Gentle moisturizing lotion or cream. Use one that doesn’t have any artificial ingredients or chemicals that might trigger another reaction.
  • Try light therapy. You can try either blue or red light to help eliminate any bacteria irritating your skin or to reduce the immune system response on your skin to both soothe and repair tissue.

If perfume or fragrance allergies are disrupting your life and you want your symptoms to be less severe:

  • Consider getting contact allergen testing. Your doctor or an allergist can use patch tests that expose you to small amounts of different allergens to determine your specific allergic triggers. Once you figure out what you’re allergic to, you can try to avoid any perfumes that contain those ingredients.

Call 911 or seek immediate medical help if you have a fever or any trouble breathing.

The first thing you should try to do is avoid the substance causing your allergy in the first place.

Once you know what you’re allergic or sensitive to, look for that substance in any perfume you want to buy and never buy it again.

Try natural, plant-based perfumes if you still want to achieve a similar scent but want to avoid any of the substances that cause allergies.

Choosing a perfume that has minimal ingredients can reduce the chance you’ll have an allergic or sensitivity reaction.

But you can’t always avoid exposure, especially if you live or work with people who wear perfume for personal or professional reasons.

Here are some ways you can help take control of your environment and reduce symptoms of a perfume allergy:

  • Try to avoid common areas where people wearing perfume may walk by and trigger your allergies or sensitivities.
  • Keep a small air purifier near your workspace to help keep your air free of airborne proteins that can trigger your symptoms.
  • Let the people around you know about your allergies, so they can know to avoid wearing perfume around you.
  • Don’t use any scented products at all to minimize your possible exposure to your allergy or sensitivity triggers. This includes candles and air fresheners.
  • Get a flu shot every year to keep your immune system strong.
  • Talk to your employer about keeping your workplace scent-free, especially if you have other coworkers with fragrance allergies or sensitivities.

See your doctor as soon as possible if you notice any of the following symptoms:

  • large boils or hives that are painful or extremely itchy
  • feeling exhausted or drowsy
  • feeling confused or disoriented
  • feeling unusually dizzy
  • feeling sick or throwing up
  • heart rate spiking for no reason or beating abnormally
  • you have a fever (100.4°F or higher)
  • you have symptoms of an infection on your skin or elsewhere, including your skin being warm to the touch or an itchy rash that’s producing a thick, cloudy, discolored discharge
  • your itchiness or rashes become painfully itchy or constantly distract you from your everyday life
  • your rash is spreading out from the place it started to other parts of your body, or new rashes appear where you haven’t been exposed
  • you have a reaction around your face or your genitals
  • your symptoms don’t get any better or start to get worse after a few days or weeks
  • you have trouble breathing because of tightness in your throat

Perfume allergies and sensitivities are common and can be disruptive. This is especially true if you have to work or live with people who wear perfume or cologne every day, and you don’t have the ability to avoid them.

But there’s plenty you can do to reduce your exposure or improve your symptoms.

Limiting exposure, getting treatment, and telling those around you about your symptoms can help you cope and make sure exposure doesn’t interfere with your life.

Fragrance Allergy: Everything You Need to Know

Allergies are affecting more and more people these days – foods, plants and even fragrances can cause a violent reaction in the body, and sometimes endanger health. According to the World Allergy Organization, by 2050 there will be approximately four and a half billion people with allergies worldwide. Agree, the numbers are scary. Why is this happening and what to do if you have an allergy to your favorite fragrance, experts answer.

How allergy occurs

To understand the mechanism of this process in more detail, we give the floor to the allergist-immunologist Parviz Azizov: “Allergy is a kind of inadequate reaction of the immune system to completely harmless substances. After all, no one thinks that ordinary dust can cause a runny nose, and sometimes asthma attacks. An allergy always develops to proteins – the immune system perceives them as strangers, trying in every possible way to defeat them. To do this, IgE antibodies are produced that recognize allergens and, upon repeated contact, attack them. So, a true allergy is manifested by various symptoms – itching in the nose, sneezing, coughing, choking, rashes on the skin, vomiting and even anaphylaxis .

  • How does fragrance allergy manifest itself

    “In addition to the true allergy of the immediate type, when symptoms occur a few minutes (rarely hours) after meeting with the allergen, there is a delayed allergic reaction. It can occur 6-72 hours after contact with a causally significant allergen. Fragrance allergies are also of this type. We know that fragrances do not contain proteins – ​they are composed of alcohol, essential oils, water and other chemical compounds. Therefore, the most common manifestation of such an allergy is allergic contact dermatitis. We discover it when one of the substances that make up the fragrance, in contact with the skin, causes dryness, itching, redness , peeling ,” says doctor Parviz Faragatovich.

    Even a high quality natural perfume can cause a painful reaction upon contact with the skin – it’s all about the individual components in the composition, to which the body can react ambiguously. Therefore, when choosing a fragrance, it is necessary to test the product in advance on a small area of ​​the wrist. If upon repeated contact (a true allergy only manifests itself if you “meet” the irritant twice) nothing criminal has happened – the fragrance is safe for you. Such a ritual should become regular for you, especially if the skin is sensitive and prone to irritation.

    The doctor adds: “It is not uncommon for us to see patients who report an increase in runny nose or chest discomfort after exposure to fragrances. Basically, they suffer from allergic rhinitis or bronchial asthma, and the aroma is a trigger for them, intensifying the symptoms of the underlying disease. Here we are not talking about an allergy to the aroma itself, but about the reaction of the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract due to their increased sensitivity. If you choose an adequate therapy for the underlying disease, then most likely the patient will not react so violently to the aroma or stop reacting to it altogether .

    Popular

    Is modern perfume safe? allergenic perfumes? Here is what perfume critic Ksenia Golovanova says about this:

    “Today, about 90 percent of perfumed products are produced in accordance with the requirements of IFRA , the international perfume association that sets standards for the use of scented substances. As part of her work, a large group of specialists, including dermatologists and toxicologists, constantly study and test perfume ingredients for their safety for humans and the environment. Some of them, for example, potential allergens or photosensitizers, may eventually be banned, others are severely restricted in use. Many perfumers and perfume brand owners believe that IFRA often plays it safe, but no one thinks that it, on the contrary, overlooked something somewhere. Therefore, we can say with confidence that the vast majority of perfumes that we see on the shelves today are safe, including in terms of potential allergies. There are, of course, individual intolerances to certain fragrant substances, but this is a rare and often unpredictable thing.

    What to do if you are allergic to fragrance

    The rescue of drowning people is the work of the drowning people themselves. Therefore, for starters, we advise you to reinsure yourself. If you know you have an allergy to a specific ingredient (common perfume triggers are floral and citrus notes), then carefully study the fragrance pyramid before buying. Also, be especially careful in the off-season, because it is during this period that our body becomes the most sensitive, and the immune system becomes weakened.

    Popular

    According to the doctor, if an allergic reaction to a fragrance repeats every time, then, no matter how sad, it will have to be abandoned forever. “Our immune system is unable to develop tolerance to these allergens. And if you suffer from allergic dermatitis when in contact with a fragrance, you should immediately contact an allergist. It may be necessary to carry out a skin patch test after parsing the composition of the fragrance in order to identify the exact causes of the reaction, ”explains Parviz Azizov.

    Allergic to perfume? Find out the reasons!

    Complain about material

    Anna Askarova

    10/20/2014 at 13:24

    Smells surround us everywhere and always – it is an integral part of life. Every day we smell thousands of smells and we are not even always aware of their presence. But, in our life there are aromas chosen consciously – favorites that accompany to work, to rest, at home and even during sleep. Naturally, these are perfumes.

    All aromatic compositions consist of natural raw materials, sometimes with impurities of synthetically synthesized substances, and sometimes do not contain any component extracted by natural means. The fact is that absolutely all essential and absolute oils, balms and resins, components of animal origin, etc. have a positive effect on the human body. Each substance has its own sphere of activity. So, for example, citrus aromas help to cope with depression, nervous tension and improve brain function. Amber, musk and most of the animal ingredients have a significant impact on our libido. But, as they say, what’s the catch? Sometimes even the most fragrant substances, which are simply impossible not to fall in love with from the first breath, can play against us.

    So, between the natural desire to smell and become the owner of an unsurpassed flair and us, a serious problem can arise, whose name is allergy.

    Perfume allergy is a widespread and very unpleasant problem that can befall anyone and at any time. Even if a person has never suffered from this disease, trouble can take him by surprise, because in everyday life we ​​rarely come across exotic components that perfumers love to use in their masterpieces. A fancy perfume with an unfamiliar name in a pyramid can play Russian roulette with us.

    The first sign that you are allergic to perfume is a headache, gradually turning into a general deterioration in well-being and weakness. But most of all, our respiratory tract and the skin on which the fragrance is applied suffer. So a runny nose, constant sneezing, and sometimes an unbearable cough, along with skin rashes and redness, are constant companions of allergies. If you are still faced with this problem, or just want to stay on the alert and do everything to avoid it, you should understand the causes of the disease.

    Causes

    1) The product you purchased is counterfeit.

    If you have not previously noticed an allergic reaction to a fragrance that you previously used, but the problem still arose when you buy the next bottle, most likely the purchased product is a fake, which, of course, uses the cheapest (read: the least quality ) Components. In order to protect yourself from low-quality products, adhere to the following rules:

    · Under no circumstances should you buy perfumes in markets and underpasses;

    · too attractive price for the goods of a well-known and prestigious manufacturer should not lure, but scare away;

    ·when ordering a perfume via the Internet, use only a proven resource (if you have not used this online store before, look at reviews about it in recommendation networks).

    2) Individual intolerance to certain components.

    So it may well happen that even for a quality product you will be allergic. The reason for this is individual intolerance, which can occur both on synthetic and natural components (most often flowers or citruses act as allergens). If you know that you are allergic to a particular plant, carefully study its composition before buying a perfume. Of course, this is impossible to do in stores, so use the online encyclopedia to familiarize yourself with the pyramid.

    3) Buying expired products

    The popularity of vintage perfumes is growing by leaps and bounds. But still, do not forget that after the expiration date specified by the manufacturer, the components that make up the perfume composition begin to enter into rather unpredictable reactions, the result of which at one fine moment may be your swollen face, or no less obvious signs of allergy.

    How to protect yourself from allergies?

    ·Purchase products labeled as hypoallergenic or dermatologically tested.

    ·Alcohol is a common culprit in allergies. If you are familiar with this problem, use dry or oil perfumes. The latter can be easily made from natural oils even at home.

    · Avoid overpriced products.

    · If you experience an allergic reaction to a perfume from a certain manufacturer, you should stop using this line.

    ·If you decide to experiment with a fragrance, but are afraid of the possible consequences, testers and samplers will help you – they will save you from a wasted purchase.