Cross-Sensitivity Common in Tea Tree Oil Allergy

[Guest guest]

Hi, I found another article in the March 2002 issue of Skin and

Allergy News.

Hope this is helpful!

Matija

Patch test for other natural substances

Cross-Sensitivity Common in Tea Tree Oil Allergy

Bruce Jancin

Denver Bureau

MUNICH — Patients with contact hypersensitivity to tea tree oil often

have cross-sensitivity to other natural products, Dr. Eliska

Dastychova reported at the 10th Congress of the European Academy of

Dermatology and Venereology.

Use of tea tree oil is growing both as a cosmetic ingredient and as a

form of complementary and alternative medicine. So in patients with

contact dermatitis that appears to be associated with tea tree oil,

it's important to cast a wider net and search for cross

sensitivities. And in patients with known contact hypersensitivity to

several natural products, it's a good idea to also patch test for

reactivity to tea tree oil, according to Dr. Dastychova, a

dermatologist at Saint University Hospital in Brno, Czech

Republic.

She patch tested 106 eczema patients. Seventeen were regular users of

tea tree oil, including 13 who used it to treat their eczema and 4

who used cosmetics containing tea tree oil.

Contact hypersensitivity to tea tree oil was found in 12 of the 106

patients—but only 3 of those used tea tree oil, Dr. Dastychova said.

The other nine included four patients with a history of previous and

current sensitization to lavender oil, two who were sensitive to

balsam of Peru, two with sensitization to calendula, and one patient

with hypersensitivity to turpentine, she said.

In a second study, she patch tested nine patients with allergic

contact dermatitis attributed to the tea tree oil they had been using

to treat various dermatoses.

In addition to being patch test–positive to tea tree oil, all tested

positive to other natural substances, Dr. Dastychova commented.

Five were patch test–positive to pine oil and four to lavender oil.

Sensitization to rosemary oil, eucalyptus oil, juniper oil, fragrance

mix, or lemon was present in two patients each. One patient each was

patch test–positive to camphor, balsam of Peru, colophony, calendula,

and chamomile extract.