Dermatitis & Change In Environment
An international move takes a toll on expats’ health causing a strain on their physical and emotional state induced by stress of transition. A drastic change in environments can trigger health issues. For instance, introducing ourselves to new household products and cosmetics overseas (and even back home) can cause dermatitis for those who are sensitive to chemicals. That is what happened to me.
I have been suffering from contact dermatitis on my face especially on my eyelids and forehead since my family and I moved back to the United States from overseas in July, 2016. A couple of months after my dermatitis had started and the rash had become aggravated, I saw two dermatologists. Unfortunately both of the visits ended in vain. They neither helped me with a solution to the issue nor gave me any directions to seek. A half year later, my issue still persisted.
For the last 8 months, I tried many things in desperation to figure out my skin reaction. The dermatitis got better at the end of 2016, but it started to flare up again towards the end of January 2017. The condition reached to the point in February where I did not recognize my face in the mirror. I had pink circles around my eyes with flakes and many creases. My eyes looked exactly like in the photos posted on a blog article “Harsh Preservatives Found In Many Cosmetics and Household Products” by Margot of Coffee & Vanilla. I also had the identical red patches shown in the photo on Coffee & Vanilla all over my arms, legs, back and around my neck where I had applied the sun screen with Methylisothiazolinone in the summer in 2016.
Allergist & Tests
One day I came to realize that a specialist I needed to see was an allergist, not dermatologists. Growing up in Japan, I wasn’t aware of allergists in the U.S. since a dermatologist is a one stop for any skin issues in my home country. At my very first visit at an allergist, I had a skin test to find out if there was any environmental allergens for me. The test result showed that I was allergic to dust mites. This fact helped to some extent, but it wasn’t the main cause. My allergist said that my case was a classic contact dermatitis. She suspected that something that I had used caused the skin irritation because of the specific locations of my rashes.
The next step was to go through a patch test. After a week-long process of a patch test, the truth came to light. I tested positive to CL+ ME- Isothiazolinone. Now I know what it is, all the puzzle pieces came together.
Isothiazolinone & Methylisothiazolinone
Isothiazolinone is a chemical compound whose derivatives are used as synthetic biocide and preservative. You can find its derivatives in cosmetics, personal care and household products. On labels these preservatives may be listed as Methylisothiazolinone (MI/MIT), methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCI), Kathon, or Benzisothiazolinone (BIT). (There are more names for the preservatives.)
I scrutinized my home to find all the products that contained isothiazolinone. Shampoos and conditioners were the easy ones to spot. In fact, I suspected that they were causing the irritation, so I stopped using them a couple of weeks before I was confirmed with the patch test. To my surprise I found a sun block cream, liquid hand soap, liquid dish soap, and liquid detergent with Methylisothiazolinone and Methylchloroisothiazolinone in my own home. I also learned that fabric softener I used to use had isothiazolinone as well. (I now use wool dryer balls.)
Are These Preservatives Really Safe?
Epidemics of Isothiazolinone have been reported in different parts of the world. European Union banned the use of methylisothiazolinone in leave-on cosmetic products in 2016. In the same year, Canada has set out some restrictions on certain products formulated with Methylisothiazolinone and Methylchloroisothiazolinone. I may be one of the minorities who developed sensitivity to Methylisothiazolinone and Methylchloroisothiazolinone, but it seems that these harsh preservatives widely used may need to be verified for its safety.
The most surprising thing to me was that these preservatives are also used in products that are labeled as “natural”, “sensitive skin” and “for babies” in the United States. They are probably accurate in a sense that they are made with ingredients true to the label. However, methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone (or other isothiazolinone compounds) are added as preservatives to keep a longer shelf life of these products. When I went shopping and checked many labels, I realized that these preservatives are in so many products that my options are very limited. Now my preferred stores for personal care and household products are Trader Joe’s (I’m a fan!), Whole Foods and Marshalls (Marshals carry some of the same products that you find at Whole Foods with discount prices).
I hesitate to post a photo of myself with the rash, but here is one I took most recently. This photo shows the much improved condition of my skin compared to how it looked 2 weeks prior to this day. I could not bring myself to take photos of my skin when it was in the worst condition. This photo was taken after a couple of weeks since I stopped using a shampoo and conditioner with methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone and I started a topic cream to treat the rash. I’d say I’m half healed at this point. I just switched from a liquid detergent to powder detergent that does not have isothiazolinone and removed liquid dish soap and hand soaps with Methylisothiazolinone and Methylchloroisothiazolinone from my home. My journey of treatment is still ongoing. I hope that I am not reacting to any other products and that my prolonged dermatitis will be resolved in the near future.
REFERENCES
Wikipedia
Preservatives That Are Used In Many Cosmetics & Household Products
EU Public Consultation on Methylisothiazolinone (MI) Ban for Leave-on Cosmetic Products Launched
Health Canada
Canada to restrict personal care and cosmetic preservatives
Methylchloroisothiazolinone/Methylisothiazolinone (aka Kathon CG)
Skin Reactions to MI Containing Baby Wipes– Looking a bit deeper
Ingredient Watch List: Methylisothiazolinone, the Toxic Ingredient That Could Cause Nerve Damage
Methylisothiazolinone and Methylchloroisothiazolinone by Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
EC Introduces Greater Restrictions on Methylisothiazolinone in Cosmetic Products
List of 1220 Brands that contain methylisothiazolinone
I’m really sorry that you had to go through all this to discover the cause of your allergy. It’s really annoying that health professionals are so little informed about the issue and that the brands put income above safety.
Margot, thank you! Your blog post about the eczema was very helpful. It was really well written. I had the exact same conditions as you did. It is a sad reality that consumers need to be smart, proactive and research before using any products because we may not be informed of the risks until something happens to those of us who are more sensitive to some chemicals. Thank you for taking time to leave a comment here!
thank you both for taking the time for these posts! I was at a loss after over $1,000 spent, 2 dermatologists, 2 Allergists and a patch test they told me to take prednisone and use Aquaphor. I will try these suggestions and see if I can get some relief!!! finger and toes crossed. its been over a year and my eyes are also unrecognizable to me at this point.
Stephanie (Denver,CO)
I’m sorry to hear that you have been suffering from the dermatitis. It’s tough to find the culprit. I hope removing the isothiasolinone compound will help you and alleviate the irritation. There might be some other irritant in your environment, so I hope you will find out the true cause of your dermatitis. Take care!
Kahori, I recognize at least three of the bottles on the photo! I need to make some changes. Thank you for this information.
You are welcome! Actually many of the products that surround us contain the same preservatives. I had these products because I trusted and loved them, but I can no longer use them.
https://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/household/brands?tbl=chem&id=72
This list is overwhelming! I use a lot of Seventh Generation…
It was a shock to me to first find out so many products that I trusted to be safe turned out to be not safe for me. Now I have to look at every single label when I go shopping. It makes me wonder what other chemicals that are unsafe out there, too.
Hello. I know that you pragmatic. But in my opinion besides of allergy your body is not clean. I mean you need to clean your body with more fresh vegetable-fruits or some starvation.
For example two starvations oneday-long in month will start clean your body!
Good luck!
Do you mean cleansing by fasting? I agree with you in the sense that isothiazolinone probably came into my system, too. Body cleansing by taking more fresh vegetables and fruits does sound appealing! Hopefully it will help with the skin sensitivity issues even for a bit. Thank you!
Victor,I do not think that eating vegetables and fruits would not help when you have MI allergies.It is a contact dermatitis ,I have eliminated any prodult that has MI in almost 10 months ago and I still occasionally get rashes,it took over 6 months for my initial rashes to disappear.It is a very nasty allergy to have
Emese, it took me months and months for my skin to heal completely, too. It’s been 2 years since my learning of the culprit and I have had several occasions where my hands or face reacted to something even though I did not use any products with MI as far as I was aware. I sometimes wonder if the products sometimes didn’t list (I noticed clothes detergents don’t) or I just contacted it outside without realizing it. Or I could be reacting to something else. That would be terrible!
I do not think that I will ever have the skin I had before but at least I am free of the ugly nasty itchy rashes my body was covered(occasionally I still get some but my steroid cream helps and goes away in 5-7 days.I have real bad insomnia when I get the rashes even now.It was a challenging 10 months before my dermatologist found out after doing the patches.I am also sensitve to glutaraldehyde so it makes it even more difficult to avoid it altogether.Thank you for listening to me Emese G
You’re welcome! Thank you for finding me!! I hope your skin will go back to your original condition. Believe in yourself! Our human body has an amazing healing power. Good night sleep, deep breathing, relaxation, stress-free life, nutritious food, and healthy skin products will eventually help you! I’m happy that you found out the culprit! Hugs to you from me. 🙂
Hello. Thank you for your story. I was also diagnosed with this allergy in jan. 2017 and am still struggling to heal although it’s much better. I mostly struggle with airborne exposure and fear of exposure at work and businesses and other peoples homes. I also flare on my face and my skin is so sensitive and fragile and does not feel normal most of the time. I have seen both dermotologists and an allergist too. I am curious what laundry and dish soap you use? Any advice you have for coping?
Kate, I am sorry to hear that you had to go through the pain of the allergy with methylisothiazolinone.
It has taken me a couple of months to feel normal with my skin. In fact, it’s only in the past two days, I finally started to feel normal and I was able to put a make-up on for the first time in 3 months. I had stopped using products with methylisothiazolinone 5-6 weeks ago, but I still had rash on my forehead and eyelids until a couple of days ago. It might take that long to heal or I reacted to something else. I thought of this possibility because my skin was so raw and exposed due to the rash. Also, I heard that one allergy could trigger people to become sensitized to other allergens.
Anyways, as for products I use, I use a Cetaphil bar soap in the shower. I switched to bar soaps with natural ingredients in the kitchen and my bathroom and stopped using liquid soaps. As for laundry and dish soap, I use powder laundry detergent and regular liquid dish soap both purchased at Trader Joe’s. I checked and read ingredients on the back when I picked up items just to be safe and they didn’t have the preservatives. By the way I use gloves when I do the dishes.
My rash on my forehead and eyelids seemed to be irritated greatly by the shampoo and conditioner. After discovering my allergy, I discarded the shampoos and conditioners which were formulated with methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone. I started using 100% vegetarian shampoo and conditioner which did not contain them (as far as the ingredients list goes). My skin condition drastically improved, but they also surprisingly caused mild irritation on my skin. (The slight pinkness on my forehead and dry skin on my eyelids and forehead persisted.) Recently I started using Shea Moisture and so far it has been fine and my flakes on my forehead have disappeared. The key is to make sure that you don’t own something that is formulated with isothiazolinone compounds. Sometimes you might not even realize that you do. (Most dryer sheets contain the compounds, but they don’t list it in the ingredients.) I also changed my mascara and eyeliners to more natural ones.
I hope this is helpful. Thank you for your time to leave me a comment! Get well soon!!!
Thanks! I am interested in the Shea Moisture line as well. Did u switch to theit shampoo or face soap? I wasn’t sure. I am using bar shampoo I like but face is still too tender even for soap. Everything irritates. Hopefully will improve. Best to you!
I switched to their shampoo and conditioner. I’m also afraid of using anything but CeraVe moisturizer on my face. I’m taking a baby step. I am the same way as you. Everything irritates even coconut oil. I was sad about that one. I think it will improve over time and I believe it just takes time for our skin to heal! Best to you as well!!
I use CeraVe products also but my skin will never feel the same,it has been 10 months and I still get rashes (sometimes)and I think there is something in the air that causes them.It is frustrating.Emese G
I’m so sorry to hear that!! Be careful even with the products made by CeraVe because MI is listed in one of their sunscreen ingredients. Their lotions are safe and made without MI, but I learned that not all of their products are safe for people with MI allergy. Have you used Avene and La Roche-Posay? I find them amazing. The only thing is that they are a bit pricy for my budget. Thank you for leaving me comments!!
Thank you for sharing your story. I’m so sorry to hear about your severe allergic reaction, but I am always glad to hear of more awareness of the effects harsh chemicals can have on our health.
I love wool dryer balls, too. So much cleaner! I dot mine with essential oils.
Would you mind if I share your blog post on my Facebook page? I represent Neal’s Yard Remedies, a natural beauty & wellness brand from the U.K. Also, you should watch the documentary ‘Stink!’ It is available online for free. It is a very interesting film about the toxic ingredients found in many household cleaning & personal care products.
Julie, thank you for finding my blog article. I realize how naive I have been about hazardous effects that chemical we surround ourselves with can have on our health until it hit me hard with dermatitis. Please feel free to share my blog post on your Facebook page and thank you for asking. I feel humble to know that you consider my blog post worthy of sharing with your fans!
I saw a trailer of the documentary “Stink!” online. The documentary looks very interesting and intriguing. Now I have gone through health issues because of chemicals in products that I have purchased and used, I have been curious and scared for my family especially my children. The movie “Stink!” is available for rent or purchase in the U.S. It looks like something that I need to watch, so I might have to rent or purchase it. Thank you for letting me know about it!
Kaho,I have not looked into these two companies(Avene and LaRoche-Posay) but will.I have an app on my phone and there is a list of things that is OK to use with my MI allergy and I must be allergic to something else because from that list I bought an anti -Wrinkle cream from Neutrogena and used the cream twice and my face and forehead was all red(no rash, no itch)so there is something else that causes other allergic reaction.I cannot even rely on the list to be safe for me.I looked into that movie too but it is not available to rent nor to buy.Thank you Emese G
I one time used a very expensive make-up cleanser which was created without a long list of harmful chemicals. I didn’t list MI anywhere, but the next day my eyes puffed up. In the recent past, I developed rash on one side of my face. I had been using a product that was supposed to be gentle skin care. After I stopped using it, the rash went away. I don’t know what ingredient caused my rash because MI wasn’t listed in the ingredients, but I know that I can’t use it any more. I find the moisturizer and make-up remover from Avene really nice. The bar soap and sunscreen by La Roche-Posay worked well for me.
The movie, Stink, is available on Netflix if you subscribe to it. It is also available on some other services such as iTunes.