Skin Care for Dermatitis

Whether or not you have sensitive or allergy-prone skin, chances are that you've had a reaction to a skin-care product or cosmetic somewhere on your face or body. For some, identifying which product caused the problem and discontinuing its use is enough to improve the appearance of skin within a day or two. For others, even after you've stopped using the item(s), your skin can remain irritated for days or even months. There are a few simple things you can do to wage a successful battle against your skin's irritated response. Be certain you are dealing with an allergy or sensitizing reaction to a product, and not a skin disorder. Many skin conditions such as psoriasis, rosacea, eczema, folliculitis (an inflammation of the hair follicle), and reactions to food cause irritated, swollen, red, itchy, flaky, or rashy skin. Medscape.com is a great resource for identifying whether or not you're having an allergic or sensitizing reaction. Go to their Primary Care home page, http://www.medscape.com/primarycarehome, and then look for the link to their Dermatology Atlas where you can search over 2,600 images of skin problems. (You will need to create a user name and password, but otherwise this is a free online service of Medscape.) This gives you a way to help identify whether or not your skin looks like the images found for a particular skin disorder.