Latex allergy
I have worked in a hairdressing salon for the last year and over recent months, appear to now suffer from some form of allergic reaction on my hands, which can only be caused by the protective gloves we use on a daily basis. Can you recommend any good barrier creams?
Latex, which is made from the Hevea Brasiliensis rubber tree, is now present in some 40,000 everyday products including toys, cushions and balloons as well as, of course, rubber gloves.
While a minority of people are allergic to it and will have an immediate reaction, the majority, like you, become more sensitive over time. In fact, when the NHS conducted a survey among health workers at the end of the 1990s, it found that 10% of hospital staff had developed a sensitivity to latex, resulting in skin rashes in the milder cases and bleeding sores where reactions were more extreme.
Those most at risk, of course, include anyone working in an environment where they must wear latex gloves and change them frequently during the day which, as well as hairdressers, will include health workers, food industry staff, dentists and lab staff.
The protective remedy I suggest you use when you cannot avoid contact with latex in your line of work is not a cream but one of the liquid sprays in the Salcura range which has been formulated specifically to protect the skin against an allergic reaction to latex.
Salcura Sensitive with LIS (Latex Inactivating Solution) costs £9.99 for a 50ml spray and is available from Victoria Health (0800 413596). This is the spray to use to protect against an allergic reaction. Since your skin is already suffering, you need the more intensive Salcura Maximum with LIS, which costs the same and is available from the same UK supplier. To use both products, simply spray on to affected areas at least three times a day and remember to re-apply after washing your hands and before using rubber gloves or touching any other products that you know contain latex.