Wouldn’t it be nice to have a complete list of every ingredient in every skin care product that could cause an allergic reaction? That way you could go down the list and be sure that your skin care product was safe. Unfortunately, each and every human being has a unique immune system that keeps changing through life, and each and every person will react just a little differently to allergens that wind up in skin care items. Fortunately, there are things you can do to make allergies a far less frequent event.

The way to tell that a skin reaction is an allergic reaction is experience. If you get a skin reaction, and you get it after using a skin care product, then it’s possible it’s an allergy. Just because you have used a product for years without any bad reactions does not mean it is not causing allergies now. If you get an adverse reaction twice, take a quick look at the list of ingredients on the label. See if there are any fragrances, like wintergreen, lemon, citrus, ylang-ylang, or cardamom. If you use nail polish, check the label to see whether the product contains any natural resins.

See if there are any natural ingredients you know you are allergic, too. See if anything on the ingredients list rings a bell, if it is something that is also in another product that has caused you to break out. Then stop using the product. Consult your doctor if the allergic reaction is systemic. Get someone to take you to an emergency room if you have trouble breathing. And when the allergy subsides, go back to your skin care basics. Wait until the allergy subsides before you put anything on your skin. Then use just a cleanser for several days. Add a tiny touch of moisturizer if the skin is dry. Stay out of the sun. And consider a bit of over-the-counter cortisone cream to reduce irritation.

As per statistics, almost 0.6% of the world population is susceptible to peanut allergy. This is different from other nut allergies. Apart from other dietary repercussions, studies show that it can lead to death. The reactionary time of allergy caused by peanuts is rapid and can quickly lead to a situation of anaphylaxis. Some of the major and frequent symptoms of this allergy are sneezing, heart burn, skin rashes, paleness, feeling warm, vomiting, asthma attacks, swelling of facial parts, and pain in abdomen. The anaphylaxis shock can lead to an increase in the allergic reaction, which leads to swelling, collapse, heart failure and ultimately death or coma.

Those who have seen the movie ‘The Game Plan’, starring Dwayne Johnson, will recall a scene when the protagonist’s daughter eats peanut and has to be rushed to hospital. That is what happens to a person having peanut reaction! In medical language, it is an “abnormal reaction” to the proteins present in the nuts wherein the body acknowledges it as an immunological threat and produces histamines, a chemical, to fight the peanuts. In comparison to adults, young children are more vulnerable to peanut allergy.

Unfortunately, science has not been able to discover peanut allergy cure till date. The basic precaution one can take is to absolutely avoid intake of raw peanut and its various processed items. Carefully check the contents of processed foods for any peanut content. One has to be especially careful with children since one cannot take chances seeing the severity or life threatening consequences. Doctors usually recommend use of epinephrine injection to control the reaction of blood vessels and relax the muscles. People with peanut allergy usually carry injection kits for emergencies. For some of us, peanut are too tempting. If you have read the above carefully, stay away from peanut if you exhibit symptoms of peanut allergy.