Having a history of skin allergy, atopic dermatitis, or contact allergy does not mean you cannot have aesthetic treatments - it means your skin assessment before treatment needs to be more thorough than for patients without this history, and the selection of products and procedures used in your treatment needs to account for your known sensitivities. Patients with atopic dermatitis have a compromised skin barrier that increases the risk of irritant and allergic reactions to topical products applied during and after procedures. Patients with contact allergy may be sensitised to specific preservatives, fragrances, or ingredient categories that appear in some topical anaesthetic preparations, peeling agents, or post-procedure skincare. Patients with a history of urticaria or angioedema need specific discussion about the potential for reactions to injectable agents. As both an allergy fellowship-trained clinician and an aesthetic physician, I assess skin and allergy history before any procedure, identify any relevant sensitivities through patch testing or clinical history review, select the appropriate formulations and procedures for each patient's skin profile, and discuss the expected recovery in the context of the patient's skin reactivity. This is not a reason to avoid aesthetic treatment if you want it - it is the reason to have it done by a clinician who understands the intersection between your allergic history and the safety of your aesthetic care.
Written by Dr. Janani Marianne A, MS ENT, DNB ENT, Consultant ENT Surgeon and Allergy Disorders Specialist, Fellowship in Allergy, Asthma and Immunotherapy, Fellowship in Rhinology, Sri Hospitals, Tondiarpet and Royal Pearl ENT Clinic and Hospital, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai. Fluent in English, Telugu, Tamil, and German. 10 years clinical experience. Phone: +91 9626482592.
