[Personal] I had a PATCH TESTING Appointment at the Dermatologist's Office This Morning! Review/what I learned

Beauty Tips For Body Care
So I just got back from my dermatologist's appointment today!Back in August I started breaking out on my face with a red, bumby, itchy, painful allergic reaction. It seemed to happen at random. Through trial and error I filtered through a lot of things. Thought it was Purex laundry detergent, then dairy, now I'm questioning aloe vera. In November, I got sick of it, and went into my walk-in clinic. I went to see a regular dermatologist who sent me to an allergy specialist in January. Today was my test and I learned a lot!The dermatologist told me that everyone is intolerant to a lot of things, while a few people are allergic to one or two things. She said that the physical reactions on skin look exactly the same, the only difference, the only real way to tell is placement.Faces, forearms, and hands are the most likely to be intolerant because of how thin the skin is. Areas like the back, upper legs, and upper arms are thicker and more likely to be immune to irritants. So:If you want to test for a true allergy, patch test on the back or upper arms. If you want to test personal products for an intolerance, patch test on the forearm for TWO WEEKS.They stuck 80 different possible allergens on my back and are testing three of the personal products I brought in (CeraVe Lotion, Aveeno Protect and Hydrate SPF 45, and an aloe vera gel on my arm). Then they wrapped them in layers of tape (I feel like an Amazon package lol), told me not to shower, and they'll remove them on Friday. I brought a Neutrogena cleanser, but! She said that they could only test products meant to stay on the skin (lotions, serums, toners) but not products meant to be washed off (cleansers, shampoos). Apparently if they put a cleanser on the skin, wrapped it, and sealed it for a few days, the cleanser would eat away a tiny hole in the skin. Damn.She loved the CeraVe, but was worried about the parfum in my other products. She stressed that simple ingredients were better.I'll update on Friday!
Girls Blog 2015
Submitted by acrylicvigilante_