The roles of cosmetics and the production rate of skin surface lipids in facial dermatitis
Sun, C.C.
Journal of the Formosan Medical Association 87(3): 346-351
1988
ISSN/ISBN: 0371-7682 PMID: 3397731 Document Number: 321397
Cosmetics are considered to be the most common etiological factors of facial dermatitis either allergic or primary irritant reactions. The purposes of this study are to investigate patients' cosmetic products that cause allergic reactions by patch testing, and to measure skin surface lipids of patients who were neither allergic to cosmetics nor to common contactants so as to observe the relationship between the amount of skin surface lipids and susceptibility to mild irritant cosmetics. Among 130,500 dermatological patients seen during the past 9 years, a total of 1,369 cases were investigated for contact dermatitis. Of the 507 patients (121 men, 386 women) with facial eczema, 14% (71/507) were found to have allergic contact dermatitis from cosmetics, and of the 1,180 patch-tested cosmetic products, 6.3% showed positive reaction. Skin care cosmetics were the most common contact source. Thirty-eight patients, who were neither allergic to the standard tray of patch test antigens nor to cosmetic products, and who never had seborrheic dermatitis, atopic dermatitis or rosacea, showed smaller amounts of skin surface lipid production. Among them, patients with a cosmetic intolerance syndrome showed even less production. Women with lower amounts of skin surface lipids had a tendency to develop mild dermatitis and were also more susceptible to mild irritant cosmetics. Measurements of the production rate of skin surface lipids seemed to be a useful laboratory tool in addition to the patch test for patients with facial dermatitis. In order to protect the public, there is an urgent need for reviewing and revising governmental regulations concerning adulteration, misbranding and false advertising of cosmetics.