contact dermatitis

[daveaple]

I've been having a problem lately that doctors might say is contact dermatitis with my clothing. Basically, I seem to get an itchy red inflammation oftentimes when I put on my clothing. It tends to happen near the waistband of my sweatpants. Has anyone else had this problem?

I've been taking Benadryl, which seems to help, but I'm hoping for a solution that doesn't make me so sleepy.

[carla]

Hi Dave,
Thats the one they roll out when they haven't got a clue
Have you tried a cup of vinegar in your wash?
Do that, and dry on high heat for 20 mins.
Or you could Iron them with a hot steam iron. That helped me /

[tcmgpt13]

There are some detergents which can cause skin reactions in those who have sensitive skin. Some are grocery store detergents which are sold in unscented versions. Artificial fragrances often are the cause of some skin reactions in some people. Also some people react to petroleum based products so you could try some laundry detergents which are sold in health food stores or online which are free of both the added fragrance and petroleum. Sometimes even detergents which have essential oils may cause skin reactions. Other laundry products added to the wash cycle can also cause problems, so you may have to do some experimentation to find out if something like this is going on.

Also rather than taking benadryl there is a skin lotion in pharmacies which contains both calamine lotion and benadry called caladryl. I believe you can also find a liquid form of benadryl which can be applied to skin. At least you won't get sleepy. You also could try just taking some benadryl before bed and not during the day.

Other suggestions here:

Controlling Allergic Reactions to Laundry Detergent (Tips.Net)

Detergent allergy