Dermatitis®

Surfactants are cleansing agents used in products such as shampoos and soaps.

The aims of this study were to identify positivity rates to 3 novel amide-containing surfactants (sodium lauroyl sarcosinate, isostearamidopropyl morpholine lactate, and disodium lauroamphodiacetate) and evaluate co-reactivity with other surfactants in patients with known surfactant sensitivity.

Previously patch-tested, surfactant-positive patients were identified via chart review and invited to participate. Participants were patch tested to screening surfactants (cocamidopropyl betaine, amidoamine, dimethylaminopropylamine, cocamide diethanolamine [DEA], oleamidopropyl dimethylamine, and decyl glucoside), as well as 3 novel surfactants: sodium lauroyl sarcosinate 0.5% and 1.0% aq, isostearamidopropyl morpholine lactate 0.5% and 1.0% aq, disodium lauroamphodiacetate 1.0 and 2.0% aq, and a hypoallergenic liquid cleanser (tested semiopen). Participants and clinicians were blinded. The order of tested allergens was randomized.

Forty-seven participants completed the study. Excluding doubtful reactions, positive reactions were most common to oleamidopropyl dimethylamine (34%) and dimethylaminopropylamine (34%), followed by isostearamidopropyl morpholine lactate (23%). Reactivity was not associated with history of childhood eczema. Co-reactivity was high among oleamidopropyl dimethylamine, dimethylaminopropylamine, cocamidopropyl betaine, amidoamine, and isostearamidopropyl morpholine lactate. None of the participants who reacted to cocamide DEA reacted to an additional surfactant.

Isostearamidopropyl morpholine lactate may be an important emerging allergen with sensitivity rates comparable with those of oleamidopropyl dimethylamine and dimethylaminopropylamine. Co-reactivity among surfactants was frequent except for cocamide DEA.

Allergic contact dermatitis after exposure to p-phenylenediamine (PPD)-containing hair dye products is a common and important clinical problem. Because there is a high rate of cross-elicitation of allergic contact dermatitis to other important hair dye products (such as p-toluene diamine and other aminophenol hair dyes) in PPD-allergic patients, safer alternative dyes with excellent hair coloring options are needed.

This study aimed to study tolerance to Me-PPD in a PPD-allergic cohort.

Twenty ethnically diverse volunteers with a history of contact dermatitis to hair dyes or other PPD-containing chemicals and positive patch test results to 1% PPD in petrolatum were recruited to study their immediate and delayed skin reactivity to PPD, vehicle control, and 2-methoxy-methyl-PPD (Me-PPD) using the allergy alert test (simulating hair dyeing conditions) on volar forearm skin. This test is a short-contact open patch test.

The Me-PPD may offer a safer alternative for PPD-allergic patients with an absent or reduced elicitation response in the allergy alert test simulating hair dye use conditions. The absent or reduced response to Me-PPD diagnosed using the allergy alert test has been shown to help reduce the possibility of moderate to severe cross-elicitation reactions among consumers during hair dyeing.

Contact dermatitis (CD) has been assessed by numerous disease severity indices resulting in heterogeneity across published research.

This study aims to evaluate published CD severity scales and identify a criterion standard for assessment.

Scopus and Ovid MEDLINE were searched for human randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on CD severity measures published during a 10-year period. Eligible studies were English-language RCTs reporting disease severity outcome measures for CD in humans. Studies were excluded if they were duplicates, not available in English, not related to CD, not RCTs, not conducted on human subjects, or did not report relevant outcome measures.

A total of 22 disease outcome measures were used in 81 included RCTs. Instrument-based measures were used in 40 (49.4%) studies, and visual assessments were used in 66 (81.5%) RCTs. Only 5 (6.2%) studies reported quality of life (QoL) outcomes. Two (2.5%) studies used a clinical severity scale, which combined both QoL and visual assessments.

This study was limited by the exclusion of non-RCTs and gray literature.

Wide variation in CD outcome measures exists including instrument-based measures, visual assessments, and QoL outcomes. A standardized outcome measure must be generated to reduce heterogeneity.